Two-Time 'Jeopardy!' Winner Is From This Massachusetts Town

STONEHAM, MA — All the college courses, drama classes and bar trivia couldn't prepare Patrick Hume for what he faced in his "Jeopardy!" debut.

The Stoneham native was cruising along when he came across an opportunity for Double Jeopardy.

"It wasn’t just a purple color and flower, it was also a washerwoman," the card read.

Hume was at a loss.

"If I could have thought of any purple flower that you can guess at, I probably would have, but I had nothing," he laughingly admitted in a phone interview from his Hollywood home.

Instead, Hume offered an "I do not know," a rarity among the "Jeopardy!" brainiacs.

Fortunately for Hume, he was nearly perfect the rest of the way and won the episode that was broadcast Wednesday night. He also won Thursday night, meaning Massachusetts trivia buffs might have something of a streak to watch for Friday.

Hume was born and bred in Stoneham, graduating from the high school in 2003 and getting degrees from Brandeis and Lesley universities. He moved to California in 2013 to pursue a career in screenwriting — which makes sense, since Hume was big into drama club at Stoneham High.

"I was definitely one of the nerdy kids in my class, as you might imagine, but I wear that with pride," he said.

That nerd pride must have peaked when he saw the Final Jeopardy category in his first episode: "Shakespeare." It was as if Willy Wonka had "Chocolate" as his Final Jeopardy question.

Hume has read and studied Shakespeare for years, even working on Shakespeare productions in high school, as any good drama student does.

"With 4,042 lines, it’s Shakespeare’s longest play and it’s also the one that’s been filmed the most," the card read.

While Hume never worked on "Hamlet," he certainly knew enough to turn his already significant lead into a victory. He wagered just enough to make sure he'd beat out his second-place contestant by a dollar if they both got it right.

Hume is still defending his title, but Thursday's win was the culmination of a journey that started when he first filled out the online "Jeopardy!" test while still living in Massachusetts. He's auditioned three times, most recently in August.

Just three months later, Alex Trebek died. The longtime host and cultural icon's battle with cancer had been public knowledge for some time, but it was still a painful blow to people like Hume who for years had dreamed of hearing Trebek's trademark "Correct!" for one of their answers.

Hume got the call he'd be on the show earlier this year, but Trebek would not be.

"He's been a lifelong presence on TV," he said. "It was a little bittersweet to have it be after he left."

Still, Hume had nothing but praise for guest host Aaron Rodgers, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback who has been jockeying for the "Jeopardy!" slot in his guest host role. Hume has been a football fan since the Patriots started winning titles, so he knew the Packers QB was whip-smart.

"I figured he'd do a pretty solid job, but on the day I was hugely impressed with him," Hume said. "He really exceeded my expectations."

By the way, the correct answer to that Double Jeopardy question Hume surrendered on was "Lavender."

His only weakness having been exposed, he's now fortified it. His opponents better hope there aren't any questions about purple flowers on Friday.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Stoneham Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.