JEOPARDY! is airing summer reruns, and fans are buzzing about Rowan Ward all over again.
Here's a look at the fascinating personal life of the 2022 Second Chance Competition's standout star.
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Rowan is a non-binary Jeopardy! contestant from Chicago, Illinois, who uses they/them pronouns.
They first appeared in Season 37, giving 38-time champ Matt Amodio a run for his money during his $1.5M streak.
While Rowan didn't beat the formidable Matt, they got another shot at glory- and capitalized on it.
Rowan returned for the 2022 Second Chance tournament, winning and landing them in last year's Tournament of Champions.
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Rowan trounced the competition upon returning, and host Ken Jennings, 49, remarked in their first comeback game:"Rowan went on a tear."
Despite being eliminated from the TOC in the first round, Rowan remained a fan-favorite for how much they dominated.
Now that their episodes are re-airing, fans have been reminded why they fell in love with the brilliant blue-haired brainiac.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a happier contestant than them,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
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“Rowan made for great TV. I also love how well everyone is able to use they/them without any issues,” added another user.
A third wrote: "Extremely good player. Completely demoralized 2 strong players in the episode that re-aired today."
Another viewer gushed: “Rowan comes off as a person that would be fun to hang out with, much like Amy Schneider.”
PROUD TO BE NON-BINARY
When Rowan first appeared in 2021, they hadn’t yet come out publicly as non-binary and competed under their birth name as she/her.
Rowan later regretted this, so they cherished getting a second chance.
During the Second Chance tournament, Rowan told hostKenthat they used their consolation prize of $1000 to help pay the fees for changing their name.
“Now I’m back on Jeopardy! with a second chance as my true self,” Rowan emotionally said.
PAYING NO MIND TO THE HATERS
Rowan didn't plan on hiding who they are or downplaying their personality when returning to Jeopardy!.
They posted to X: "It's so easy to razz and/or ignore (depending on my mood) the people who don't like how I come off on Jeopardy!
"It's exactly the same thing as the school bullies who harassed me for actually daring to be enthusiastic about things.
"That's just how I have been my entire life.
"If i'm having fun doing something, I don't hide it. I even thought of that the first time I was on J!, last year. I thought whether I wanted to try and come off stoic because I KNEW there would be people who would be off-put."
"But then, sense prevailed. Why *not* let myself have fun, and let myself show that.
"And also? Any bit of my brain I was using to temper my enthusiasm was brain I *wouldn't* be using to play the game. and that would only hurt."
Rowan identifies as bisexual and said when they came out to their friends: "their response was a resounding 'duhhhhhhhhh'."
PALS WITH BEN CHAN & HANNAH WILSON
In June, Rowan kicked it with a murderer's row of recent Jeopardy! greats in Chicago for bar trivia.
The wild night out included 2023's nine-day champion Ben Chan - who lost over a controversial Final Jeopardy typo- and eight-day champion Hannah Wilson - who lost to none other than Ben in a "co-returning champs" scheduling oddity.
Seven-time champion Brian Chang andCindy Zhangof Season 38, were also in the mix.
Brian captioned the X snap: "Thanks to @cindypepper, Roy Camara, and @JeopardyBenBen for joining some of the Chicago #Jeopardy alumni at bar trivia tonight!
Our teams took home the gold and silver."
Fans went wild over the winning combination as one person replied: "Holy schnikes."
"Yeah, there’s a few familiar faces there," wrote another.
Rowan regularly attends pub trivia to stay sharp for Jeopardy!.
“It’s all about pub quiz,” they toldAxios.com. “I almost never miss a Tuesday night at Globe Pub.
It has a well-earned reputation as the most difficult game in town, and I love it.”
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FASCINATING CAREER
Rowan attended Washington University in St. Louis.
They now primarily work as a sportswriter covering horse racing.
They currently serve on the news desk staff forHorse Racing Nation.
They have interviewed trainers, jockeys, and recap events, and love a cozy day in at their Chicago apartment watching races.
Rowan is also a fan of pro wrestling.
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THEY ALMOST BEAT MATT AMODIO
Rowan first appeared on the last day of Season 37 against then-17-day champion Matt.
Rowan was the first player to ever lead against Matt after the Jeopardy! round.
Had Matt not correctly answered a Daily Double, he may have wound up a 16-day winner instead of earning the third-longest streak in history.
'THEY CAN BEAT ANYBODY'
The U.S. Sun was exclusively told that Rowan immersed themselves in the Zoom trivia world since losing to Matt and even trained other contestants for their auditions.
With Jeopardy! constantly adding new tournaments, there's always a chance Rowan could return for a third stint and make an even bigger name for themselves.
A source told The U.S. Sun: “The way that Rowan plays I feel that they can beat anybody.”
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“Rowan played Matt Amodio really tough in the final game of Season 37 and led up to the first round.”
“Just in terms of quizzing ability and command of the signaling device, I feel that Rowan could more than hold their own with anybody."
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