Rhone Talsma is the name everyone in the Jeopardy! universe knows by now. His first appearance on Jeopardy! was a memorable one. He defeated Amy Schneider during Final Jeopardy after her incredible 40-game winning streak.
So, who is Rhone Talsma? He’ll be defending his spot in the next Jeopardy! episode. From those super rad glasses to his real-life job, here are 5 key things to know about Rhone.
1. Rhone beat Amy Schneider.
Rhone faced off against Amy, and it all came down to Final Jeopardy. Amy had a lead going into Final Jeopardy, but the last clue led to her defeat. The clue was: “The only nation in the world whose name in English ends in an H, it’s also one of the 10 most populous.” The answer? Bangladesh. Amy was left with $27,600 after $8,000 was taken away, while Rhone had $29,600, making him the new winner.
“I’m still in shock,” Rhone said after his win. “I’m so overwhelmed. This is my favorite show, and I was so excited to be here. I had no intentions of winning anything, just wanted to do my best, and I was excited to maybe see someone else slay the giant. I didn’t think it was going to be me, so I’m thrilled.” Rhone also tweeted that he was “overwhelmed with joy and gratitude” after his epic win.
Ok, hi. I have never had a day like today. I am overwhelmed with joy & gratitude to have had this experience, and to have received so much support. I knew this would make a splash among the Jeopardy! fandom but might not stretch far from that. I was wrong lol. I’m trending! 😵💫
— 🤫 (@transitdiagram) January 27, 2022
2. Rhone took a ‘risk’ with his glasses.
During Jeopardy!, Rhone was rocking neon yellow glasses. He revealed to Vulture that he bought them from an Instagram ad for an online glasses company called Nihao Optical. “I have a lot of accessories in this color, so I thought, Why not? I took a risk, and the second I put them on, I was like, This is the look! It’s my new signature look! A month after I got the glasses, I auditioned, and people certainly commented on them during the audition. I do feel like they got me there, on some level. It’s a nice way to stand out,” he said.
3. Rhone is a librarian from Chicago.
Rhone works as a librarian at the Chicago Ridge Public Library. He admitted that being a librarian definitely helped him win Jeopardy! “It is literally in my job description to find answers to any question directed to me at the reference desk,” he told the Chicago Tribune. “Sitting at the desk for eight hours a day, I’m almost guaranteed to learn something new thanks to a question from one of our patrons. Librarians have a reputation for being strong Jeopardy! contestants because we are generalists by nature, and while I don’t have deep expertise in many areas, I do know a little bit about a lot of subjects, which lends itself well to the format and clues featured on Jeopardy!”
4. Rhone knows who he wants to be the permanent ‘Jeopardy!’ host.
Rhone admitted that he’s “admired” Ken Jennings for his entire life and believes Ken should host Jeopardy! permanently. “If I’m able to endorse a host, I 100 percent endorse Ken Jennings,” Rhone told Vulture. “His knowledge of the game gives him so much credibility. His ability to comment on the way that the game is going, as well as his wit and quickness — being able to make little jokes here and there without taking away the pace of the game — is different from the way Alex hosted but equally effective. There’s nobody better suited for the job.”
5. Rhone is on social media.
Rhone has an Instagram account with the handle @transitdiagram. He also has a Twitter account with the same handle.