He said, “For me, this was the Super Bowl, the World Series
and the Stanley Cup all rolled up together!”

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (Nov. 15, 2011) – Buddy Wright, a 38-year-old operations engineer from Fort Worth, Texas, has won $50,000 as the third place winner in the 2011 “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions.  Wright earned a spot in the finals after competing in a series of impressive games against some of the show’s recent top players.

“I absolutely never thought I’d make it into the finals and do so well,” Wright said.  “Given the level of competition, I thought I’d be lucky to make it out of the first round.  I’ve watched ‘Jeopardy!’ nearly my entire life, and for me, this was the Super Bowl, the World Series and the Stanley Cup all rolled up together!”

To prepare for the competition, Wright read a variety of books and watched “Jeopardy!” every night with his wife, Jill, who helped keep score and track his performance.  He was also supported by an entourage of family and friends at the taping.  “It was exciting to have such a huge cheering section.  They even wore T-shirts, designed by my wife, proclaiming themselves as members of the Buddy Wright Fan Club.”

Wright said the most memorable part of the tournament was standing behind the podium on the “Jeopardy!” stage and hearing announcer Johnny Gilbert introduce him.  “My adrenaline was thumping through my bloodstream and my hands were sweaty.  At that moment, I knew it was real.  That’s a feeling I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Wright, a graduate of Texas A&M University, first appeared on “Jeopardy!” in April 2010, accumulating $88,804 as a four-day champion.  He said that his life hasn’t changed much since first appearing on the show except that he was able to pay off some debt.  He plans to use the winnings from the tournament towards a payment for a larger house.  “With a 3-year-old boy and 1-year-old girl, we’ve nearly outgrown our current home.  The money will go a long way in helping us,” he said.

Wright competed in the two-day final competition against Roger Craig, a computer scientist from Newark, Del., and Tom Nissley, a writer from Seattle, Wash.  Craig finished first in the tournament, winning $250,000, and Nissley finished second, pocketing $100,000. The six players eliminated in the semifinals each took home $10,000; players eliminated in the first round received $5,000. 

“Jeopardy!,” the winner of 29 Emmy awards, including the 2011 Emmy for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Program, was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most awards won by a TV Game Show. The series is the #1-rated quiz show in syndication with nearly 9 million daily viewers.  “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. 

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