Portland, Maine — Jason Singer recently celebrated his victory as a Jeopardy champion, a feat he achieved on a Tuesday, four years after his wife, Susan McMillan, won the same title. This achievement, however, has sparked controversy regarding misconceptions about their status among married contestants on the iconic quiz show.
Following Singer’s win, multiple news outlets inaccurately reported that he and McMillan were the first married couple in Jeopardy history to both emerge victorious. This claim was met with backlash from previous champions who challenged the narrative and pointed out the inaccuracies.
Kristin Sausville, a five-time champion who won in 2015, took to Facebook to express her frustration. Sausville, who is married to fellow contestant Justin Sausville, noted that media coverage had overlooked their wins, adding that rumors of the Singers being the first married champions erased their accomplishments. She highlighted the surreal and troubling nature of the misinformation circulating in real time.
“Maybe you’ve seen an article in the past day or two about how one of the Jeopardy contestants last night had a wife who was a J! champion, and was hoping he would win so they could be the first married champions in J! history,” she wrote. Sausville emphasized that not only did she and Justin win, but they were also not the first married competitors to claim victory on the show. Other couples, such as Dan Pawson and Andrea Saenz as well as David Rigsby and Ryan Alley, had also previously achieved this milestone.
Rigsby himself addressed the reports in a comment on social media, asserting that claims of the Singers being the first married winners were misleading. “There have been at least a half-dozen,” he stated, urging people to conduct a simple online search for verification.
A representative for Jeopardy confirmed that the show does not maintain records of spouses among contestants and acknowledged that several former competitors had come forward to clarify their marital statuses after Singer’s recent success. Singer, while he initially thought he and McMillan might hold that distinction, later stated that the show had mentioned multiple married champions on its official website.
“It’s anecdotal,” Singer said in a follow-up interview. “Jeopardy doesn’t track every married couple that’s ever been on, but they have acknowledged a bunch.” Regardless of the historical context, he believes his and McMillan’s achievements are significant accomplishments worth celebrating.
The incident has highlighted the risks of misinformation in today’s digital age, where a narrative can quickly gain traction and overshadow factual history. As conversations around the contest continue, former champions are not only advocating for recognition of their journeys but also calling attention to the broader implications of how easily inaccuracies can permeate public consciousness.