Buzzy Cohen

Austin David "Buzzy" Cohen (born March 5, 1985) is a recording music industry executive and trivia enthusiast from Los Angeles, California, best known for his association with the game show Jeopardy!. Cohen was the winner of the 2017 Tournament of Champions and later appeared in the All-Star Games in 2019 and as a guest host for the show's 2021 Tournament of Champions following longtime host Alex Trebek's death.

Buzzy Cohen
Born
Austin David Cohen

(1985-03-05) March 5, 1985
Short Hills, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationColumbia University (BA)
Alma materPingry School
Occupations
  • game show contestant
  • game show host
Known forJeopardy! 2017 Tournament of Champions winner
"The Stunner" on The Chase
Spouse
Elisha Levin
​
(m. 2011)​
Children2

Early life

Cohen grew up in Millburn, New Jersey.[1] He graduated from the Pingry School in 2003,[2][3] and received his BA from Columbia College of Columbia University in 2007.[4][5][6]

Career

Jeopardy! appearances

Cohen won $164,603 over nine games in April and May 2016.[7] Many of his victories were guaranteed victories, which allowed Cohen to wager nothing and use his final response to make sarcastic remarks toward Alex Trebek, a humorous style that earned Cohen both praise and disdain from Jeopardy! fans.[8][9] He later returned for the 2017 Tournament of Champions, which he won, collecting the grand prize of $250,000.

Cohen appeared again in the 2019 Jeopardy! All-Star Games relay tournament. His team went home with $75,000 after losing the wild card match.

Following Trebek's death, Cohen hosted the May 2021 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, being the youngest Jeopardy! host at age 36.[10][11]

Other appearances

Cohen joined the cast of the American version of The Chase in 2022, joining as a Chaser as a replacement for the departing Ken Jennings.[12] His Chaser name is "The Stunner".[13]

Personal life

Cohen has been married to Elisha Levin since 2011.[14][15] They have two daughters.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2016-2021Jeopardy!Himself35 episodes
2020Who Wants to Be a MillionaireHimself2 episodes
2022The ChaseHimself2 episodes
Celebrity Jeopardy!Clue Giver1 episode
2022-presentInside Jeopardy!Guest5 episodes

References
  1. DeSisto, Danielle (May 26, 2016). "Former Millburn resident is current champion on Jeopardy!". The Item of Millburn and Short Hills. Retrieved April 25, 2022. Township native Austin 'Buzzy' Cohen says he applied to be on the hit quiz show, Jeopardy! on a whim.
  2. Waxberg, Greg (November 20, 2017). "Buzzy Cohen '03 Wins 'Jeopardy!' Tournament". www.pingry.org. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  3. Lisovicz, Ed (February 1, 2022). "Career Day Returns to Pingry with Keynote Speaker Buzzy Cohen '03". www.pingry.org. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  4. "The Buzz Behind Jeopardy's Austin "Buzzy" Cohen CC'07". Columbia College Alumni Association. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  5. "Alumni in the News". Columbia College Today. 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  6. "Talking Jeopardy!, Mental Illness and Living with Loss". American Jewish University. December 17, 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  7. Anstey, Evan (May 27, 2016). "Confident 9-day Jeopardy! champion causes divide among viewers". WIVB. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  8. Donnelly, Matt (May 24, 2016). "We need to talk about Buzzy Cohen, divisive reigning Jeopardy! champ". TheWrap.com. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  9. Velez, All (May 25, 2016). "People are losing their minds over this 'Jeopardy!' champion". BuzzFeed. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  10. Alexandra Del Rosario (April 14, 2021). "Jeopardy! Taps Buzzy Cohen As Host For 2021 Tournament Of Champions". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  11. Jamison, John (May 18, 2021). "Jeopardy!': Tournament of Champions Host Buzzy Cohen Would Poke Fun at Alex Trebek in Final Rounds". Outsider. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  12. Rosy Cordero (March 15, 2022). "ABC Sets 3 Unscripted Show Premiere Dates: Holey Moley, The Chase & Who Do You Believe?". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  13. "About the Chase TV Show Series". American Broadcasting Company.
  14. "Buzzy & Elisha". ARQ | Live more Jew-ish. November 3, 2017. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  15. Levin, Elisha (October 27, 2011). "The Rabbi's Daughter". HuffPost. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.