UNC Masters Alumna Knocks Off 32-Day Jeopardy! Champion James Holzhauer

Posted Jun 3, 2019
Emma Boettcher made history Monday, knocking off 32-day, $2.5 million dollar Jeopardy! champion James Holzhauer. Boettcher won $46,801, which she plans to use to pay off student loans and give back to UNC's School of Information and Library Science, where she earned her master's degree in 2016 writing about predicting the difficulty of trivia questions using “Jeopardy!” clues. (Chicago Tribune)

Related: Campus Connections

Best-selling novelist, UNC alum Sarah Dessen reflects on her ‘Change of Plans’
At UNC, Sarah Dessen initially chose psychology as her major. But after she took a creative writing class with the late Doris Betts, she was...
Wed Jul 29, 2026

A guide to Chapel Hill's vibrant music scene
Some of my favorite memories at Chapel Hill have taken place in loud rooms lit by colorful stage lights. Listening to live music with friends...
Tue Jul 28, 2026

The Delicious Legacy of Chapel Hill’s Favorite BLT
Perched just off Highway 15-501 in Chapel Hill, NC, the old-school breakfast and lunch joint Merritt’s Grill serves such comforting Southern classics as pulled pork...
Mon Jul 27, 2026

UNC students gather to remember James Cates Jr. 55 years after his murder: 'A 22-year-old like us'
When students are walking to and from their classes every day, they can find a plaque located by the Pit and beside the Undergraduate Library...
Sun Jul 26, 2026