‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Blast Champion Jonathan Hugendubler’s Buzzer Technique

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Although Jonathan Hugendubler took down the giant, Scott Riccardi, on the Season 41 finale, Jeopardy! fans were more focused on his buzzer technique as he returned to the show as champion for the Season 42 premiere on Monday, September 8.

Hugendubler ended with $40,000 on Monday’s episode after playing against Caroline Paul and Josh Jackson. This made his two-day total $63,601.

What got fans talking was his buzzer technique, which consisted of holding the device with both hands and fiercely pressing the button on top. Sometimes, Hugendubler pressed it so hard that his hands were shaking.

Facebook users complained about how fast he hit it. “His buzzer technique is quite annoying!!! Especially that one time when he was pushing it repeatedly, and Josh buzzed in and answered incorrectly. Johnathan ended up getting called to answer, but personally, I think he’s hitting the buzzer so quickly and repeatedly that it’s not connecting!” one user said.

“He’s gonna have a stroke on set!” wrote another.

“Probably the absolute worst buzzer jerker of all time!” a third added.

“Not a fan of his. Between the buzzer bashing and the smirks, nope, not a fan,” another wrote.

“Can’t someone teach him how the buzzer works? You don’t keep pushing after Ken [Jennings] has called on someone else,” a fan said.

“Jonathan and his buzzer and antics really agitate me,” a Jeopardy! fan commented.

“Another buzzer abuser,” one said.

“He’s rather intense,” one fan commented.

A Facebook user commented that his buzzer skills reminded her of Yogesh Raut, who is also known for being intense on the device. “Lol, he learned his buzzer skills from Yogesh,” she said.

However, on the other side of things, one fan said, “Give the guy some slack. He’s probably wicked nervous.”

“Great game tonight. I enjoyed watching Jonathan,” a fan wrote.

“I like him,” a fan wrote.

Some fans said they didn’t notice him doing that in his first game. “I think something was wrong with his buzzer,” one wrote.

In an interview with Towson University, Hugendubler revealed that he “brushed up on his buzzer skills” between appearances.

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