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Jeopardy’s most GIF-able human is back for this week’s finale

Jeopardy’s most GIF-able human is back for this week’s finale

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Tonight marks the first in Jeopardy's two-night Tournament of Champions finale, and you can bet in True Daily Double style that it will entertain even people who aren't Jeopardy fans. And it's all because of Matt.

Matt Jackson is a 23-year-old paralegal from Washington, DC, who won $411,612 in 13 Jeopardy games — the fourth-best all-time total in regular season episodes. Now, in the final two nights of this smartest-of-all tournament, people are making plans to watch live (!!) to see how Matt holds up against his opponents, Alex Jacob and Kerry Greene.

But the actual competition isn't likely to be much of one; Alex and Kerry each only won Jeopardy six times and they're nowhere near as fast as Matt. The must-watch here? Jackson speeding from one question-formed answer to the next, fist-pumping in celebration and silencing opponents who barely hear host Alex Trebek read the clues before the champ rings in and answers correctly — again.

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First, there's his semi-creepy stare that lingers a little too long before slowly, slyly turning into a smile as his name is announced by the show's Johnny Gilbert. Additionally, for every game that he won during the non-championship episodes of the show, Jackson held up a finger to indicate the total, even though that same total was simultaneously announced by Gilbert ("whose three-day winnings total...").

Still, the most enthralling aspect of Matt Jackson is his celebratory style. He will find a Daily Double and shout, "Yes!" in completely un-ironic fashion. If he answers the Daily Double correctly, he might celebrate with a giant first pump and another "Yes!" or by punching his fists together while shouting, "Boom!" It works great both with and without sound:

Jackson plays the game like he's in a 50-meter dash rather than a polite quiz show. He rings in to answer and chooses his next category so quickly that he often interrupts the venerated host — a big no-no in the world of Jeopardy.

Jackson's opponent, Alex Jacob, is also pretty GIFable. During his Tournament of Champions game on Tuesday, he answered Final Jeopardy with "What is Aleve" — an inside joke for people who watch a lot of Jeopardy (Aleve runs an ad in a prime slot right before Final Jeopardy every day). Jacob is also known for his dramatic facial expressions, which seem contradictory to his past history as a professional poker player.

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But remember Colby Burnett, first-ever winner of the Teacher's Tournament and Tournament of Champions in 2012 and 2013?

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It might just be true that contestants whose behavior plays off well in GIF format also play well in Jeopardy. The winner of this week's Tournament of Champions will be decided tomorrow night and will leave with $250,000.

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