‘Stereotypical’ Cat-Loving Librarian Dominates on ‘Jeopardy!’

She’s purr-fect! Margaret Miles won the hearts of Jeopardy! viewers on Thursday, April 14, when the contestant — a librarian from Wilmington, North Carolina — talked about her preferences.

“You have the demeanor of a librarian, you’re very calm, and you know a lot! I mean, you’re leading now with 7,600 bucks!” host Alex Trebek noted during the competition. “What do you like to do for fun?”

Miles — looking unassuming in her bright red shirt, simple ‘do and spectacles — serenely replied, “What do I do for fun? Knit …” Before she could finish, the quizmaster broke into a fit of laughter, and the well-read contestant gave him a big smile before continuing with her answer. “And pet cats! I’m hopelessly stereotypical!”

“I love it! I love it!” Trebek declared.

Fans of the game show were equally smitten by Miles.

Margaret is a librarian. Who knits. And loves cats. You couldn’t create a better #Jeopardy contestant if you tried.

— Heather Hurley (@medevam) April 14, 2016

https://twitter.com/Sam_Turley/status/720758535206907905

Whether Margaret wins or loses on #jeopardy tonight I’m a fan forever. #librarianpower

— Kim Velk (@woolfoot) April 14, 2016

But Margaret, the stone cold assassin that she is, bet EIGHT GRAND to show that dude up. Her poker face was INCREDIBLE. #Jeopardy

— Spooky Steph (@WriteOnSteph) April 15, 2016

#Margaret might be my new favorite human. But I’m not sure she’s human. #jeopardy

— Ilsa (@socalfirefly) April 14, 2016

The youth services librarian with the New Hanover County Public Library dominated the game from the outset. According to local Wilmington news site Star News Online, Miles banked $13,000 by the end of round one, increased it to $32,000 in Double Jeopardy and then added an additional $8,100 to her winnings in Final Jeopardy. According to one viewer who was keeping tally, the librarian had 29 correct answers and zero incorrect ones.

The New Hanover County Public Library system was especially proud of its longtime employee.

Way to go Margaret for SMOKING the competition! BOO-YA!! @Jeopardy #LibraryGangsta #LibrariansRule #skadoosh https://t.co/8h6lV0TxhX

— NHC Library (@NHCLibrary) April 15, 2016

Miles returns as Friday’s defending champion, and will compete against Andrew Pau, an assistant professor from Amherst, Ohio, and McKinnie Lee Sizemore, a DJ and music journalist from Orlando, Florida.

Check your local listings to see when Jeopardy! airs.

For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!