'Jeopardy' Champ Surprised at 'Thirsty DMs,' 'Gay Icon' Status

Becoming a pop culture star with a winning streak on "Jeopardy!" isn't so surprising, but after winning nine consecutive games, champion Isaac Hirsch found himself elevated to the status of "gay icon."

"The customer support team lead from Burbank, California, walked away with over $215,000" thanks to his winning streak, TV Insider reported, but the monetary reward wasn't all that came his way. He also got a lot of buzz from gay viewers, plus a host of what Hirsch described as "thirsty tweets."

The attention surprised Hirsch, who has a girlfriend, media reports said. He called the response from gay fans "maybe the most surprising part of all of it" during an appearance on "What Is...? A Jeopardy! Podcast."

The podcast dubbed Hirsch a "low-key gay icon," and his legions of fans would probably not disagree.

Hirsch was a "fan favorite" from the start, reports noted, with The US Sun referencing "his 1970s fashion style, humorously quirky Q&A stories, and signature mustache."

But his gay fans were especially taken.

"Even though he was upfront about his longtime girlfriend while he was on the trivia series, it didn't deter gay men," the Mirror noted in its own coverage.

Hirsch talked about the "many, many DMs" he's received since being on the show, "probably a 70 to 30 of men and women in terms of flirtatious DMs."

"Though some were friendly, there were more that were bolder," the Mirror reported, with Hirsch explaining that he had messages in which "a lot of people are saying, 'Hey! You're hot' or whatever they say in DMs."

"Isaac recalled a DM in which someone tried shooting their shot in a particularly strategic fashion by asking if he was an ally of the LGBTQ+ community," the Sun relayed.

When Hirsch said he was, the person DMing him fished for more, asking if he might be "more than just an ally."

Hirsch was direct in his reply, answering: "No," and clarified that with, "I've been with my girlfriend for five and a half years, I am just an ally."

As for his girlfriend, she "watches 'RuPaul's Drag Race,'" Hirsch recounted; "she's more into queer spaces than I am as a whitebread straight guy."

Added the champ: "So she was all over it, 'your boyfriend's on gay Twitter,' she really enjoyed it."

Reflecting on his newfound celebrity among the LGBTQ+ community, Hirsch tweeted last month that "if I were both single and not straight I would be having a really good time right now."

Hirsch explained how he deals with the onslaught of friendly attention, telling the podcast's hosts, "My policy was if a DM is not overly flirtatious, I will respond and say 'Hey, thank you so much.'"

But he ignores DMs that come on a little too strong, he said. "If I had responded, I'm sure they would have gotten dirty," Hirsch said.

Hirsch told the podcast that he hasn't received any overt attention while out and about in the real world, even though his DMs might be a different story. The champ said that when he's been in public settings, "as far as I know, I've never been hit on."

Added Hirsch: "So to see the gays be so thirsty and complimentary of me [is] deeply flattering but also completely unexpected."

Adorably, he revealed just how much a fish out of water he is in this context, asking: "I don't know what you'd call me – am I a twink?"

If so, he added, "I'm currently undergoing twink death; a lot of grey hairs lately."

Somehow, it seems unlikely that his big gay following will mind that much.