NJ 'Jeopardy' Contestant Scores Eighth Consecutive Win

SOMERVILLE, NJ — Somerville resident Scott Riccardi on Monday secured his eighth consecutive win on "Jeopardy!", bringing his total winnings to more than $200,000.

Riccardi, a 26-year-old engineer, made his first appearance on the show on July 3. Over his eight-day streak, Riccardi has won $201,301.

"Almost every single game, there were points where I was like, 'Okay, it's probably just over now,'" Scott said in an interview with the show following his seventh win. "'I don't think I'm going to have the stamina to keep going.'"

• RELATED: Somerville Engineer To Compete On 'Jeopardy!'

Monday's Final Jeopardy question stumped both Riccardi and his competitor: "In the 50-year history of 'Saturday Night Live,' he’s the only cast member to have won an Oscar — and it wasn’t for a comedy."

The answer: "Who is Robert Downey Jr.?"

Riccardi wagered $15,800, which cut into his winnings, but he still walked away with another $18,400.

Throughout his run, Riccardi has made several savvy wagers when he is down to the wire in Final Jeopardy, a strategy that has proven to be quite successful.

"Whenever I have had a lead, most of the time in Final Jeopardy, it's been by barely anything," Riccardi said. "(The final clues) happened to be ones that I knew because then when you get that, you just have to wager a ton."

Last week, Riccardi also managed to punch his ticket to the next Tournament of Champions following his fifth win.

"I'm definitely intimidated because I know some of these multi-day champions have Quiz Bowl backgrounds, and I only did that kind of thing back in high school," Riccardi said.

On Tuesday, Riccardi will take on Pete Johnston, a filmmaker and educator from Lansing, Michigan, and Carl Adams, a litigation technology specialist originally from Des Moines, Iowa.

To watch Riccardi compete, tune in at 7 p.m. on ABC.

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