Biggest ‘Jeopardy!’ fan in Rio Rancho. Who is Steve Dietzel?

Steve and Angie Dietzel and one of their four-legged family members watch a recently recorded “Jeopardy!” (Herron photo)

RIO RANCHO — Final “Jeopardy”: He’s been around the world, once hired Holly Holm, owns six motorized vehicles and never misses “Jeopardy!”

Winning answer: “Who is Steve Dietzel?”

Dietzel, a longtime resident of the City of Vision, Kiwanian and volunteer when almost anything needs to be done, rarely misses Jeopardy – now in its 40th season — and when he does, it’s recorded so he can catch it later.

“I missed a lot of shows in the Seventies,” he admits. “Life got in the way.”

Still, he says, “You learn a lot” by watching, and he and his wife Angie proudly consider themselves “lifelong learners.”

“I believe in that completely,” says Steve. The Dietzels even have a brick denoting something to that effect in the Loma Colorado Main Library.

“You have to be interested in history, in my opinion, to be a Jeopardy person,” he said. “We’re really spoiled by TV.”

The Dietzels, especially Steve, haven’t seen every show; even if they’ve seen half of the ones hosted by the late Alex Trebek, that’d be more than 4,000. And that doesn’t count the reign of original host Art Fleming, who was on countless episodes.

As senior citizens, the couple maintain their desire to be “advancing your knowledge and growing as a longevity factor.”

Steve, who says, “Truthfully, the answers have gotten easier over the years,” looks for clues in the answers – contestants answers must be in the form of questions – to get an edge, and even challenges himself further by predicting which of the trio of contestants will win and advance to the next day’s show.

Three time she’s secured tickets to attend a taping in Burbank, Cal., but has yet to make the trip. Listening to his passion about the show, you have to believe he’ll make it someday, noting he sees up to four Jeopardy! shows a day, catching up, in order, of shows that have been recorded at their plush home in Rio Rancho.

Holding them back from heading to Burbank are the couple’s five beloved dogs and cats.

When Merv Griffin came up with the new show Jeopardy! In 1964, Fleming was its host until it was cancelled in 1975, and then brought back on its second run, from 1978-79, never missing a taping and earning two Emmy Award nominations.

Not about to give up after a second cancellation, Griffin offered the role of host to Fleming in 1983, which he declined and recommended a friend, Trebek. Trebek assumed the role in 1984 and held it through more than 8,000 episodes until his death in 2020 from pancreatic cancer, which also killed Fleming.

Ken Jennings became a household name during his record 74-game winning streak – the longest in Jeopardy! history. His lifetime “Jeopardy!” winnings total $4.37 million, earning him the title “The Greatest of All Time.” He is said to have an IQ of 158 (Albert Einstein’s IQ is estimated to be around 160) and his streak reached 75 games in November 2004 before he faltered on a Double Jeopardy! answer.

Jennings later replaced Trebek, as did Mayim Bialik, originally as a guest host for two weeks during Season 37, and recently dismissed in favor of Jennings, the sole host.

“She was a lot more personable,” Angie claims, saddened by the loss.

You can be among 1.2 million followers of the “Jeopardy!” Facebook page, as well as see sample answers and tidbits about upcoming shows.

Or just call Steve Dietzel.