Stevie Ruiz was a two-day champion on Jeopardy! in December 2024. In a brand new interview, he opened up about almost being homeless and the way the sport present helped him get again on his ft.
Ruiz works as a server at a restaurant in Montauk, New York, and makes most of his cash in the course of the hotter months, based on The New York Instances. He was once a entrance workplace supervisor at a resort, however found that he may earn more money ready tables, so he left his full-time job two years in the past and made more cash in three days than he did in two weeks on the resort.
He gained $38,987 in two video games, however competed in three from December 3 to five, and this cash helped him discover a place to stay. The resort job supplied housing for him, however the restaurant job didn’t, so Ruiz needed to discover a place on his personal. “A variety of eating places out right here don’t present housing for front-of-house staff,” Ruiz instructed the outlet. “Housing is fairly restricted and costly, and so they wish to be sure that they’ve their kitchen workers taken care of. You may all the time discover individuals to select up server shifts right here and there. Not being supplied housing has actually, actually been a problem.”
Though Ruiz is presently residing with a pal, he did keep along with his mother in North Carolina for the winter. “I’m turning 37 this yr and, you recognize, you see household much less and fewer,” Ruiz stated. “So it’s good to spend time with mother. We watch Jeopardy! collectively. We hang around, I’ll prepare dinner dinner — it’s been a pleasant factor.”
Ruiz hopes to comply with his passions — cooking and design — and make some cash by opening up a Haitian delicacies pop-up referred to as Yotte’s. “I hope to someday have the ability to do a restaurant, however for now it’s a ardour venture,” he instructed the outlet. Ruiz additionally began a clothes line referred to as Montauk Vice, which presently contains a crew neck sweatshirt and a hoodie.
The Jeopardy! champion began taking the web take a look at for the sport present in 2018 and has taken it yearly since. In 2024, he seen a message on the backside of the take a look at that stated to test their spam folder in case the message goes there. Lo and behold, he discovered an e mail from Jeopardy! from 2021, telling him he had superior to the subsequent spherical. He emailed again, apologizing for the delay, and obtained a response again, and finally a spot on the present.
After his authentic run, Ruiz competed within the Wild Card Championship, however didn’t win. “In your authentic run, you must cowl your personal flight and resort,” Ruiz instructed The New York Instances. “However should you return for the championship, you get flight, resort and a per diem. And I nonetheless acquired $5,000 dropping within the first spherical so it was truly a $5,000 paid trip.”
Ruiz is aware of that the cash from Jeopardy! isn’t going to final eternally. He places apart $2,000 a month to try to discover a place, however that’s not almost sufficient. Presently, he pays a pal $250 every week for a bed room. He shared that he’s awaiting to listen to again from a few leads, however doesn’t wish to depart Montauk.
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