He lost out to fellow contestant Eric Ahasic, a meteorologist from Minneapolis who had been trying out for the show since 2006. Only eight other players in the show’s history have won more games than Long, ranking him No. 9 on Jeopardy!‘s Leaderboard of Legends Consecutive Games Won list. Following his loss, Long posted a lengthy statement to his followers and fans on Twitter, where he thanked everyone who watched and supported, adding, “Sometimes it seems like society puts you in a box, and you are classified as a certain thing with a certain destiny, even though you may feel differently inside. For the longest time, I didn’t believe that a person could really break out of that box. But I feel like this thing that just happened is proof that you can.” “Trust yourself, hold on to your dreams,” he continued. “Take your shot, and don’t let anybody tell you you can’t do this or that, or you should be doing things a certain way. As my grandmom would’ve said, never let anybody steal your shine.” Show winner Ahasic said he was inspired by Long’s story. “It’s almost like you almost wish he could keep winning. He had such a great story and it’s like I want to see him keep winning but also I want to win,” he said. “Eventually everyone always loses on Jeopardy! so someone had to beat him; I guess it was lucky enough to be me.” Long will return for the show’s Tournament of Champions this fall, where he will face-off against fellow Season 38 MVPs Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio and Mattea Roach. Jeopardy! airs weekdays at 7:00 PM EST on ABC. Next, watch this Wheel of Fortune contestant’s impressive $100,000 bonus round win!
