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CHICAGO’S ALEX JACOB CROWNED WINNER
OF THE ‘JEOPARDY!’ TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
Washington, D.C.’s Matt Jackson Finishes Second;
Manchester, N.H.’s Kerry Greene Takes Third
CULVER CITY, CALIF. (November 20, 2015) – In an episode that aired today, Alex Jacob, 31-year-old
currency trader and former professional poker player from Chicago, Ill., won the JEOPARDY!
Tournament of Champions and the $250,000 grand prize. Matt Jackson finished second and claimed
$100,000, while Manchester, N.H.’s Kerry Greene took home $50,000 for third place.
Watch highlights and key moments from Alex Jacob’s Tournament of Champions journey here.
“The money is really nice, but I feel even better about winning the title, putting my name next to the
JEOPARDY! greats,” said Jacob, who plans to use some of his prize money to pay for his recent
wedding and upcoming honeymoon. “It's long been a dream of mine to be on JEOPARDY! and I had
been steadily preparing in my free time years before I got the phone call to appear on the show.”
Jacob, who won the 2006 United States Poker Championship, believes that his time as a professional
card player benefited his Tournament of Champions performance.
“The most challenging aspect was probably just dealing mentally with the high stakes and the
knowledge that I could win the tournament if I played well. The one thing I had going for me is that I've
played for a lot of money on national TV before,” Jacob said. “The thing that makes JEOPARDY!
different than poker, though, is that there's always another poker tournament, but you only get one
Tournament of Champions.”
Jacob won every one of his games (one quarterfinal, one semifinal, and both games of a two-day final)
in runaways: His score was more than double that of his closest competition before Final Jeopardy!,
rendering his wagering and answering of the final question unnecessary. When the tournament came to
an end, Alex Trebek said Jacob’s performance was the most dominant he’d seen in his 32 years of
hosting JEOPARDY!.
“Matt and Kerry are great; both really nice, funny people, and of course, excellent players,” Jacob said
of his fellow finalists. “I especially was happy for Kerry when she made the finals. She was the returning
champion on my first taping day so she was one of the few players I had met before.”
Jackson, who won $411,612 over the course of a 13-game streak earlier this year, risked and lost all of
his money on a Daily Double late in the second game of the finals.
“Oddly enough, I think I’m most proud of myself for what I did after I lost that $10,000 Daily Double and
with it my chance at first place,” he said. “I let myself be upset for exactly one moment, and then
decided pretty instantly that I’d do everything in my power to not give up, and not be a quitter, and
clinch second place even with no money in the bank. And I did, going from $0 to $7200 with about a
quarter of the clues left in the game.”
Overall, though, Jackson is content with his performance in the Tournament of Champions.
“I have no regrets about finishing second. And you know what? I’m now fourth place in all-time cash
winnings among JEOPARDY! contestants,” said Jackson, whose $100,000 runner-up winnings bring
his total prize money to $511,612. “It’s odd hearing myself say this after putting so much into the
strange perfectionist quest that is this show, but I’m happy with that.”
Kerry Greene, who finished third, said that her initial goal going into the tournament was to make the
semifinals and after achieving that goal and making it to the finals, her main goal was to enjoy herself
and perform as best she could.
“I had so much fun competing in the tournament and meeting all the wonderful contestants in person,”
she said. “It was also so fun to spend time with the production staff and Clue Crew at the party
afterwards. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for another $50,000! And I’m so grateful that I had the
opportunity to do something that so few get to do. I hope I can come to a future tournament as an
audience member and share, just a little, in that kind of camaraderie again.”
To read more about the JEOPARDY! Tournament of Champions contestants, please visit
Jeopardy.com.
JEOPARDY!, America’s Favorite Quiz Show®, and its host, Alex Trebek, are in their 32nd season in
syndication. The top-ranked quiz show, with 26 million viewers each week, JEOPARDY! holds the
Guinness World Records® title for the most Emmy® Awards won by a TV game show (32 Emmys),
including the 2015 Emmy® for Outstanding Game Show. In 2014, JEOPARDY! won the inaugural
Writers Guild of America award for Outstanding Writing for a Quiz and Audience Participation Show; it
is also the recipient of a 2011 Peabody Award. JEOPARDY! is produced by Sony Pictures Television,
a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company; it is distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution
and internationally by CBS Television International, both units of CBS Corp. For more information,
please visit Jeopardy.com.
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