Paramount Press Express | MICHIGAN TEACHER BEN HENRI WINS ‘JEOPARDY!’ TEACHERS TOURNAMENT

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06/5/2020

MICHIGAN TEACHER BEN HENRI WINS ‘JEOPARDY!’ TEACHERS TOURNAMENT

MICHIGAN TEACHER BEN HENRI WINS

‘JEOPARDY!’ TEACHERS TOURNAMENT

Meggie Kwait Takes Second Place; Will Satterwhite Finishes Third

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (June 5, 2020) – Ben Henri, a 7^th-12^th grade vocal music teacher from St. Clair Shores, Mich., won the 2020 JEOPARDY! Teachers Tournament in an episode that aired today. He captured the $100,000 grand prize and a berth in the next edition of the Tournament of Champions. Meggie Kwait, a 5^th and 6^th grade humanities teacher from New York, N.Y., finished in second place and claimed $50,000, while Will Satterwhite, an 8^th-12^th grade band and choir teacher from Vinton, Va., finished third and went home with $25,000.

Henri went into the last moments of the tournament with a slight lead over Kwait, and he knew he had a good chance of winning when he read the Final Jeopardy! clue:

CATEGORY: 18^th CENTURY NOVELS

CLUE: THE TITLE CHARACTER OF THIS 1726 NOVEL REACHES 4 DIFFERENT LANDS AS A RESULT OF A SHIPWRECK, A STORM AT SEA, PIRATES & A MUTINY.

“As soon as the last clue came up on Day 2 of the finals, I threw a party in my head,” Henri said. “I read ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ in high school and watched the Ted Danson miniseries three or four times growing up. I also explained it to my quiz bowl students earlier in the school year because it comes up regularly in competition.”

Henri, who had taken the JEOPARDY! test several times before making it on to the show, said “his emotions got the better of him” when he won the tournament.

“After the win, the rush of emotions was overwhelming,” said Henri. “My family, friends, and students have given me so much, and I kept thinking, 'What on earth did I do to be in this moment? I can't possibly deserve this.' Combined with the post-adrenaline comedown, it made it difficult to get through a sentence without losing my composure.”

“I was also immensely grateful for having such down-to-earth and supportive competitors,” he continued. “This group of teachers is really special, and most of us are still in touch, which has been helpful as we’re all facing isolation.”

The 2020 Teachers Tournament was taped in early February, before shut-down orders were in effect. JEOPARDY! will continue with original episodes, shot before production stopped, on Monday, June 8. To learn more, please visit Jeopardy.com.

JEOPARDY!, America’s Favorite Quiz Show™, and its host Alex Trebek are in their 36^th season in syndication. With a weekly audience of 23 million viewers, JEOPARDY! is the top-rated quiz show on television, and has received numerous awards and honors, including the 2019 Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host. The show holds the Guinness World Records® title for the most Emmy® Awards won by a TV game show (35 Emmys); 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.