Who Is Austin Rogers? Meet The Newest ‘Jeopardy’ Superstar

Update 10/12: Jeopardy champ Austin Rogers won his 12th game Wednesday, bringing his total winnings to $411,000. The New York bartender, who live-tweets his game-show appearances, calls himself a "genius" and has been on TV with Jimmy Fallon, is getting more attention by the day. He does a little pantomime as the show begins each night: blowing up a balloon, tasting wine, impersonating a baseball umpire — mannerisms that have made him both adored and deplored. He's also shaded Los Angeles as a desert like the one where his brother is serving in the Mideast, and the Upper East Side of New York as a place where people give away everything free, except health care. Watch his mime performances here.

Original story: Whether you love him or hate him, Austin Rogers is undeniably the newest champion of “Jeopardy!” For the past five episodes, the contestant has been beating out the other players on the long-running game show and on Wednesday night, he will once again return to the small screen alongside host Alex Trebek for another shot at raising his cash prize.

Before Wednesday night’s episode airs, get to know Austin Rogers.

Who Is Austin Rogers?

Rogers is a bartender from New York, New York. During one episode, he opened up about his past and revealed he hails from the Westchester County area where his father working as a Ward Pound Ridge Reservation park ranger.

“If I walked out my back door and turned North, I wouldn’t reach another house for six miles. My dad was a ranger thing. I taught rock climbing and nature camp there,” Rogers told Trebek. When asked if he ever encountered wild animals like his father did, Rogers offered this quip, “Usually drunk kids from John Jay High School.”

Other fun facts we know about him:

• He doesn’t like the Eagles.
• He’s a fan of Daily Double wagers.
• After winning his fifth consecutive game, Rogers was name Season 34’s first streaker.
• He has credited his intelligence to “genetics, luck and karma.”
• He once met the Dalai Lama when he was working as an events planner.
• He once fell asleep at a rock concert.

How Much Has He Won?

Rogers has accumulated quite the winnings on “Jeopardy!” thus far. His six-day total has him over the quarter million mark with $257,700 in his bank. The NY Daily News reports Rogers was just $12,500 shy of breaking the one-day winnings record on Monday after taking in $65,500.

A video of Rogers’ “Jeopardy!” success on the show’s YouTube channel reveals his two-day total was $59,900, his third-day total was $96,100, his four-day total was 123,100 and his five-day total was $188,700.

What Does The Public Think?

“Jeopardy!” fans seem to be split regarding how they feel about the show’s newest star. Viewers have taken to social media since Rogers’ first show to talk about the reasons why they love him or dislike him.

When the official “Jeopardy!” Facebook page asked viewers to share their thoughts on the “lively new champion,” fans also sounded off there. “He’s a character! I love his intellect, his wit and his sense of humor. It’s nice to shake things up once in awhile,” read one comment. “Most of the recent players have been rather boring. He definitely follows the beat of his own drum, but has made ‘Jeopardy’ fun to watch again,” wrote another viewer.

Other are not so impressed. “I stopped watching ‘Jeopardy’ while he is on. So annoying, not entertaining. Let me know when he is off,” reads one top-voted response. “I can’t stand him,” said another commenter. “He’s so ridiculous. Smart, love that he’s a bartender, but his pretentiousness is on a whole other level. He’s killing it though, not denying that!”

What Does Alex Trebek Think?

While the public can’t seem to come to a consensus on the newest trivia superstar, Trebek seems to think the series has a winner on its hands. “He’s got hair, he’s got chutzpah, and broadband knowledge,” Trebek has said of the player.

Catch the next episode of “Jeopardy!” on Wednesday night. The installment will see Rogers go up against two new contestants, Marguerite Moran, a library director from Webster, Minnesota, and Jay Hancock, an Ellicott City, Maryland, journalist.

“Jeopardy!” airs weekdays. Check your local listings here for times and stations.