Emergency Physician Is Five-Time ‘Jeopardy!’ Winner

An emergency physician from Milwaukee became a five-time winner on the television game show “Jeopardy!” on April 30.

Amy Hummel, MD, snagged her fifth victory with a thrilling tiebreaker during the final round on Tuesday night’s show.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Hummel said during an interview produced by the show and posted on YouTube. “I’m just thrilled to be here.”

Hummel’s fifth victory also earned her a spot on the show’s Tournament of Champions series.

Her road to becoming a five-time winner was not without suspense, though. Hummel pulled off a come-from-behind victory during her fourth night on the show, when she wagered nearly all of her $13,800 in winnings on the final question. The victory earned her $27,599 in a single day.

On her fifth day competing, Hummel clinched her victory during a “Final Jeopardy!” question that asked contestants to name a fictional group based on the clue, “Maybe because he was too Baroque, Bernini was rejected as a name for a member of this group created in 1983.”

Hummel’s answer of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was correct, and she doubled her daily earnings to $15,200 — increasing her total earnings to $100,994.

Unfortunately, Hummel could not keep the winning streak going. She lost during her sixth appearance on the show on May 1.

Hummel said her earnings were still smaller than her student loan balance, so she planned to use “a large chunk” of the money to help pay those off. She added that she “might go on a nice trip somewhere as well.”

As for her plans to prepare for the Tournament of Champions, Hummel said in the YouTube video that she’d continue using her 300,000 question flashcard deck to practice. She also said she would probably watch past tournaments.

Hummel also told “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings during one show that she credits some of her success to family Zoom trivia nights during the pandemic.

She joins a long list of physicians who appeared on “Jeopardy!” in recent years.

Henry Rozycki, MD, a neonatologist and the vice chair for research at Children’s Hospital of Richmond, was a “Jeopardy!” winner during his appearances on the show in February 2021, according to a hospital profile.

In February 2021, Pam Sung, MD, PhD, an oncologist at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, lost on her sole appearance on the show, according to WIVB.

And Alicia Schaffer, MD, an Indianapolis-based ob/gyn, appeared on the quiz show last year, but lost on her only appearance, according to WTHR.

Now, another doctor will try her luck on the show. Sarah Hardy, MD, a pediatrician in Arkansas, is set to appear on the show on May 2.

While Hummel won’t appear on “Jeopardy!” again this week, she will return for the Tournament of Champions in the future. During her YouTube interview, Hummel said that even being on the show for one night was “a dream come true.”

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