This “Jeopardy!” champ may not be returning to the Alex Trebek Stage anytime soon.
Philip Joseph “Joey” DeSena, who won the hit game show twice last year, has been arrested on two charges of felony secret peeping, according to court documents obtained by The Post.
DeSena, 42, was taken into custody on Dec. 1, per the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office in Maple, NC.
Authorities stated that the former “Jeopardy!” winner “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously” installed “any device that can be used to create photographic image, namely a camera placed in the bathroom, with the intent to capture the image of another without their consent” on Oct. 10.
DeSena posted a $5,000 bail on Dec. 3, per court records, and is scheduled to make his first appearance in Currituck County Court on Wednesday.
The Post has reached out to Sony Pictures Television for comment.
DeSena, a development engineer from Raleigh, first made waves on the long-running ABC quiz show in November 2024 when he won two nights in a row.
His debut episode, which premiered on Nov. 11 of last year, caused a stir among fans when the other two “Jeopardy!” contestants tied for second and third place with $1 each, per TV Insider.
DeSena, meanwhile, won $17,487 and added another $27,211 to his total on Nov. 12 before being knocked out during his third appearance. He ultimately walked away with $44,698.
“Well, the improbable mini-streak has come to an end,” he wrote on social media after his loss on Nov. 13, per the US Sun. “All the credit in this game goes to Evan and Lois, who were two amazing competitors that came to play.”
“I felt like a fan myself during Final, excited to see how the tie would break!” DeSena continued at the time. “I know it’s been said maybe times before, but I have utmost respect for the players that can rattle off 5 wins in a tape day. That is draining!”
The former champ went on to call his appearance on the show a “literal dream come true” and praised the “Jeopardy!” crew and his fellow contestants.
“Every single person on the Jeopardy crew and in the contestant pool made tape day an incredibly fun experience,” DeSena wrote, “and I can’t thank them enough for their grace and good humor.”
However, the two-time “Jeopardy!” champ later returned to the Ken Jennings-hosted game show to compete in the Champions Wildcard tournament on Jan. 16, 2025.
Although DeSena made it to the semi-finals, he was defeated by Drew Goins and Jen Feldman.
This wouldn’t be the first time a former “Jeopardy!” contestant made headlines for allegations away from the game show podium.
Winston Nguyen was sentenced to seven years in prison earlier this year after he posed as a teenager on social media to solicit explicit videos and photos from children, according to AP.
Nguyen competed on two “Jeopardy!” episodes in 2014, winning his first match with more than $11,000.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land ’
