Cameron Berry didn’t think he’d ever return to the screen after winning $26,600 from Jeopardy!, but the assistant director of applications and data analysis became a local star upon his reappearance on Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions (TOC). 

“I basically figured I was out of ever returning to Jeopardy! after my one win, so I hadn’t put any stock into it, and then I got a call from the production team,” Berry said. “But I definitely didn’t feel like my chances of really getting a good study routine were in place. I was just sort of flying by the seat of my pants. Luckily, it worked out well enough.” 

Berry, who works at Boston College’s Pine Manor Institute and appeared in two episodes in 2025, was selected as a wildcard pick and netted a come-from-behind victory, earning himself a spot in the TOC and $100,000. 

The turnaround from the wildcard win to the TOC was incredibly fast, with only a week in between, Berry said, but he credits his support system for helping him prepare under pressure.

“I definitely would not have been able to compete at that level on my own,” Berry said. “So, I’m lucky, and I think it’s a testament to everyone involved in the Champions Wildcard tournament that the second it was over, they devoted so much of their time to helping me get to that TOC level.”

For Berry, his love of facts extends far beyond the screen, viewing his passion for trivia as a tool for connection.

“It makes you a better conversationalist to be able to listen to someone, observe that information, file it away, and go, ‘Oh, you have an interest in 19th-century fashion, lacrosse, or Italian cars,’’’ Berry said. “It’s about building those bridges.”

With a background in data analysis and economics, Berry uses game theory when deciding how much to wager or which categories to tackle first, noting that Daily Doubles often hide in broader subjects, like geography or wordplay. But, for him, the game is ultimately about enjoyment.

 “You have to play strategically to aim for those [Daily Doubles] at this level,” Berry said. “But the second those are off the board, it’s very fun to just have a category where you think, ‘Yeah, I know all about this,’ and just have fun.”

The show has also brought Berry into a close-knit community of contestants who stay in constant contact via group chats, making the otherwise isolating studying experience worthwhile.

“It is nice to have a shared activity to do that is very competitive, but it isn’t isolating in terms of the type of person you are,” Berry said. “If you are at a high level of, say, soccer, you are a ‘soccer person.’ Because this is essentially a niche hobby for all of us, we have different lives, different careers, and different experiences. It’s just a nice mix of people all around.”

This bond extends beyond the episodes’ wrap, Berry said. Despite being eliminated by Paolo Pasco after a close semifinal, Berry remained supportive of his competitor, attending Pasco’s watch party in New York last week and celebrating his tournament win. 

Berry said that going up against the eventual TOC winner—Pasco—instilled a sense of pride in himself. 

“It feels like something I can look back on, despite it being a loss, as something I can take pride in, because all the games [Pasco] played after that were not really competitive,” Berry said. “So it seems like I was the only person to have been able to put up some competition in the entire tournament against him.”

Despite his vast knowledge, Berry admits to drawing blanks at times. During his Wildcard episode, Berry and his fellow contestants were all left dumbfounded by the category: “I’m lost in Sephora without my glasses.”

 “We’re glad there was no reaction shot of the contestants at that point,” Berry said. “I think we all would have looked incredibly flummoxed because we had no idea what it was asking.”

Ultimately, Berry found that Jeopardy! taught him a lesson more valuable than any niche fact he studied—the importance of releasing the pressure of the “end goal” to appreciate the journey.

“The joy isn’t even tied to winning,” Berry said. “It’s in those small epiphanies—those moments of saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that I knew that.’ You don’t need to be so end-goal oriented.”

There is one area, however, where Berry remains strictly competitive: college hockey. As a Boston University alum, his loyalty was put to the test when asked who he roots for in the Beanpot.

“It’s obviously the Terriers,” Berry said. “I’m never going to watch a BC hockey game on its own. I’m never going into Conte Forum.”