Paolo Pasco, the standout Jeopardy! champion and puzzle writer, is 25 years old as of February 2026. Born on May 10, 2000 , in San Diego, California, he turned 25 last May and has been making waves on the show with his sharp skills.

Quick Biography

Paolo's puzzle passion started young in San Diego, tackling sudoku and Dell Magazines before crushing New York Times crosswords by eighth grade. He's now a pro constructor for outlets like The Atlantic , The New Yorker , and The New York Times , blending programming chops (Python, JavaScript) with wordplay wizardry.

  • Filipino-American roots fuel his cultural flair in puzzles.
  • Won the 2024 and 2025 American Crossword Puzzle Tournaments.
  • Jeopardy! highlights: 7-game streak in Season 42 (nearly $200K), 2nd biggest regular-season earner, now eyeing Tournament of Champions.

Jeopardy! Rise

Hitting the stage in September 2025, Paolo dominated early Season 42 with runaway victories, stacking $79K+ by game four. Fans buzzed over his cool vibe—like recreating OK Go's treadmill video—and Jeopardy! signatures that lit up social media. By October 2025, his 8-game run (close to $200K) sparked Filipino-American pride online, with forums calling him a "champion changer." Recent January 2026 interviews hype his Tournament of Champions prep, cementing his status as a crossword-Jeopardy hybrid star.

"A fun crossword is like a love letter to the written language... using misdirection or second meanings." – Paolo on puzzle craft

Trending Chatter

Forums and Reddit light up with Paolo fandom: his age surprised some ("Only 25 and owning Jeopardy!?"), while others geek out on his volunteer teaching gigs with kids via Awana. No major drama, just hype for his next moves—will he snag Super Champion status? Speculation's safe: with his studyable Jeopardy! canon mastery, expect more wins in 2026.

Milestone| Date/Age| Details
---|---|---
Birth| May 10, 2000 (Age 0)| San Diego, CA 1
NYT Puzzles| ~Eighth grade (Age ~13)| Solved Will Shortz faves 3
Jeopardy! Streak| Sept-Oct 2025 (Age 25)| 7-8 games, ~$200K 14
Crossword Titles| 2024-2025 (Age 24-25)| ACPT wins 1
Now| Feb 2026 (Age 25)| TOC contender 2

TL;DR: Paolo Pasco is 25 (born May 10, 2000), a puzzle prodigy turned Jeopardy! phenom—catch his Tournament of Champions run! Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.