Entertainment TV 'Jeopardy!' Contestant Matt Amodio Wins 33rd Victory — And Now Has the Second-Most Consecutive Wins Matt Amodio called it a "surreal experience" to be second behind Ken Jennings, who holds the record for the most consecutive victories with 74 wins in a row By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Instagram Twitter Glenn Garner is a Writer/Reporter who works heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. Since graduating from Northern Arizona University with a dual major in journalism and photography, he got his professional start at OUT Magazine, The Advocate and Teen Vogue, and he's since consistently kept his finger on the pulse of the LGBTQ community. His first book The Guncle Guide was released in 2020 and was featured on Katie Couric's list of 100 recommended books of the year. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 1, 2021 07:31 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Courtesy Jeopardy Productions, Inc. Matt Amodio is keeping his Jeopardy! winning streak alive. The 30-year-old contestant tallied his 33rd victory on Friday, making him the second-highest all-time consecutive winner in the game show's history, and bringing his total winnings to $1,267,801. Breaking his tie with James Holzhauer, Amodio is now second only to Ken Jennings, who holds the record for most consecutive victories after his 74th win in 2004. Ph.D. Student Matt Amodio Becomes Third Jeopardy! Champion to Win $1 Million in Regular Play "Ken's always been the face of Jeopardy! to me, so when I think of Jeopardy!, I think of him," Amodio said after Friday's victory. "To [be] right behind him is a surreal experience." Amodio, a computer science PhD student from New Haven, Connecticut, previously exchanged some Twitter jabs with his predecessor Holzhauer, 37, who posted a side-by-side of his 23-day total ($1,780,237) with Amodio's ($825,801). "When you order something online vs. when it arrives," Holzhauer wrote. "Must be nice having time to throw shade on Twitter," Amodio responded in a quote tweet. "Us #Jeopardy champions with 0 career losses have actual work to do." It all appeared to be in good fun, as Amodio later praised Holzhauer before surpassing his winning streak. "Tomorrow on #Jeopardy I have the chance to remind everybody how much better than me @James_Holzhauer is in literally every way," he wrote on Wednesday. "It would be an honor to be unfavorably compared to a person I admire so much!" RELATED VIDEO: Jeopardy!'s Mike Richards Quits Hosting Gig After His Past Offensive Comments Resurface Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. "I think even when I get past James' record, I'm still going to be beneath James in status, because he just stands alone. He is amazing," Amodio added in a recent episode. Amodio's ongoing winning streak comes amid Mayim Bialik's first season as interim host, as she takes over the reins from beloved longtime host Alex Trebek, who died of stage IV pancreatic cancer in November at age 80. See if Matt Amodio continues his winning streak when Jeopardy! returns on Monday. Check local listings for show times and stations.