27 year-old Emma Boettcher has defeated reigning “Jeopardy” champion James Holzhauer after his historic run on the game show.

A resident of Chicago, Boettcher works for the University of Chicago as a user experience resident librarian. Boettcher attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she worked as a library account manager. She received her master’s degree in library sciences in 2016, and her paper — “Predicting the Difficulty of Trivia Questions Using Text Features” — focused on the game of “Jeopardy” itself.

In addition, Boettcher worked for the Orange County Public Library.

Boettcher’s victory on the show took the nation by surprise. Holzhauer’s winning streak on “Jeopardy” was among the highest-grossing in the show’s history, but he ultimately finished $58,484 shy of the mark set by Ken Jennings in 2004.

Among those surprised was show host Alex Trebek, who exclaimed, “What a game! Oh my gosh!”

Holzhauer took the loss in stride and walked over to give Boettcher a high-five following her win.

Featured image via Libbie Hough, Orange County Public Library

Related Stories
‹
UNC Sophomore Set for Second 'Jeopardy!' Appearance on Tuesday
A UNC sophomore's appearance on "Jeopardy!" is set to air on Tuesday night. But it's not his first appearance on the game show.
UNC Student Competes, Wins on 'Jeopardy!'
Stephanie Pierson, a junior history major at UNC originally from Macon, GA, made her second appearance on “Jeopardy!” Wednesday night. Pierson first appeared on the show when she was in high school, and made her latest appearance as part of the show’s two-week High School Reunion Tournament. But she did more than just show up […]
Mack Brown's Daughter Set to Appear on 'Jeopardy!' Friday
As he prepares to get the Tar Heel football program ready for its game against Western Carolina this weekend, UNC head coach Mack Brown is also getting ready to watch his daughter, Katherine Ryan, compete on “Jeopardy!” this Friday at 7 p.m. “We need everybody to watch and pull for her,” Brown told reporters on […]
'Jeopardy!' Host Trebek says he's Resumed Chemotherapy
Alex Trebek says he’s had a setback in his battle with pancreatic cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy again. Trebek told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that after a short period of optimism when he stopped chemotherapy, his “numbers shot up” and doctors ordered him back on the treatment. The 79-year-old game show […]
Gambler Sets Another 1-Day Winnings Record on 'Jeopardy!'
A professional sports gambler from Las Vegas has broken his own single-episode winnings record on “Jeopardy!” James Holzhauer won $131,127 during a show aired Wednesday night, breaking the record that viewers saw him set last week. Due to the game show’s taping schedule, the records were actually set one day apart, with Holzhauer’s new high […]
›