Jeopardy! contestant issues apology after claim emerged about married winners
Two-time winner of Jeopardy! Jason Singer offered apologies to the previous married winners in a statement after the claims were made by several media outlets
Singer apologized to previous winners(Image: Jeopardy!)
A Jeopardy! champion has apologized to other winners of the show after reports claimed he and his wife were the first married couple to win the show after getting hitched.
Several media outlets claimed Jason Singer, who won Tuesday and Wednesday’s episodes, and his wife, Susan McMillan, who won Jeopardy! in 2021, were the first married couple to win. After the stories emerged, several Jeopardy! winners, who are married to past winners told how several other couples had also achieved the feat.
Singer offered apologies to the previous married winners in a statement published by Entertainment Weekly. He said, “After I heard from other players via Facebook that there had been a handful of previously married champions, I felt terribly.”
He added, “We always told media and other people it was anecdotal and that ‘Jeopardy!’ didn’t track that stat. I love Jeopardy! and the people who love and participate in Jeopardy! and would never want to hurt them or diminish their accomplishments in any way. On both of those fronts, I obviously came up short here.”
Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings(Image: ABC via Getty Images)
A representative for Jeopardy confirmed that the show does have records of whether contestants are married.
Singer also apologized to Kristin Sausville, a former Jeopardy! contestant who won the show five times in 2015 and is married to Justin Sausville, a winner of six episodes in 2011. He said, “Kristin Sausville and all the other champions and championship couples deserve all the plaudits in the world because winning on Jeopardy! means you’re an interesting, curious, engaged human who’s worked really hard and performed incredibly under a lot of pressure.”
“In addition, Kristin and her husband won many times and qualified for the Tournament of Champions, which is even more impressive!” he added.
He also noted that he has already contacted Sausville in a bid to set the record straight. He said, “In addition to asking for corrections and clarifications from any media I spoke with, I also reached out to Kristin on Facebook and apologized personally and gave her my cell phone number if she ever wanted to talk.”
“I’m sad for her and for anybody else who felt diminished by our media coverage, but I hope she gets the attention she’s earned, as with every other couple who’s ever been on.”
Jason during his third appearance on the show(Image: Jeopardy!)
Singer also suggested the show’s network ABC create a new version of the show, which would bring back all of the show’s victorious couples, including married winners Dan Pawson and Andrea Saenz, David Rigsby and Ryan Alley, and Amy Stephenson and Scott Bateman. He said, “I sincerely hope one day there’s a Couples Tournament for all couples who have succeeded on Jeopardy, so she and others have a chance to go back on and get even more plaudits, recognition and even more chances to show off their amazing minds.”
The two-time winner of the show also shared how he admired Jeopardy! contestants and their fans. He said, “I feel really grateful to be a tiny part of such a special, loving and brilliant community, and I hope that by apologizing and trying to correct the record, I’ve taken a small step toward healing anyone I hurt.”