“Jeopardy” has a new star on its hands in Buzzy Cohen — a six-day reigning champ that women love and social media loves to hate.
The 31-year-old indie record executive from Los Angeles has swept the competition for almost a week, earned a pot of $121,202 and set platforms like Facebook and Twitter abuzz, for better and worse.
Either celebrated for his polished, pinched-face good looks or slammed for his brainy swagger, Buzzy elicits strong reactions:
Has there ever been a more punchable @Jeopardy champion than Buzzy Cohen?
— Snackie Onassis (@jackieishungry) May 24, 2016
Buzzy Cohen, doesn't have Twitter, but does look like a kid I would push into a locker
— Trang Dong (@tranganhdong) May 24, 2016
https://twitter.com/sarahe_burton/status/734895667911532545
Buzzy Cohen aka Austin nice Jewish boy who appears to be unmarried and is about to bring home all the $$ plz love me
— elena (@elenadorito) May 23, 2016
Someone better beat Buzzy Cohen on #Jeopardy today. I don't want that smug face on my TV anymore.
— Adam Shear (@AdamShear) May 23, 2016
https://twitter.com/sophyish/status/726942560367857665
John Tuturro in Barton Fink + John Tuturro in Quiz Show = #BuzzyCohen on #Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/ANktTbdzqX
— e.lizbeth (@UniverseHeard) May 23, 2016
TheWrap tracked down the contestant before his seventh appearance with Alex Trebeck and learned the following:
He Was Told to Keep It Interesting
“The thing that people don’t realize is that, when I went into my audition, the one thing that the contestant coordinator said was, ‘It’s a game show — have fun.’ So that’s what I’m doing,” Cohen told TheWrap. “It would be one thing if I was having fun and not playing well and making a joke o
Buzzy Isn’t His Real Name
“It’s what I’ve been called my whole life, though,” he said. “It was my nickname when my mom was pregnant, and it just stuck.”
His Haters Are Intense
While his fans are devout in their thirst over the husband and father, his haters are a bit more extreme. “People are rabid. There’s a guy on the ‘Jeopardy’ Facebook page who wrote, ‘I hope you get Crohn’s disease. I hope you get T-boned in a car accident,’” Cohen said. “I tend to think the Internet hate is more amusing, but my wife does get upset. And as far as the female attention, she agrees with it, so we laugh about it.”
He’s Still Gonna Do Him
Cohen won’t be deterred from hamming it up. “You can only be on the show once. I’m going to make the most of it, and that includes brushing the dirt off my shoulder or running my hands thru my hair when they introduce me. I’m really just doing it for my friends and family,” he said.
What to Do With the Cash?
He’s currently holding $120,000 in prize money, with no signs of stopping, so we had to ask Cohen what he intends to do with his bounty. “The TV answer is buy another classic car,” he said. “But the real answer is start a college fund for my daughter and maybe get a new roof.”
Check your local listings to catch Buzzy tonight on “Jeopardy.” Follow him at @Buzztronics