CULVER CITY, CALIF. (Feb. 28, 2012) – Brooks Humphreys, a history teacher at Mercy High School from Omaha, Neb., has won second place in the “Jeopardy!” Teachers Tournament, earning a total of $50,000.

“Winning $50,000 is certainly an adrenalin rush.  I have never received this much money at one time in my entire life!” he said.  “Being a contestant on ‘Jeopardy!’ was a huge bucket list item for me.  It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Humphreys was inspired to become a teacher by his mother, who taught high school and college English.  “She taught me the importance of reading, thinking and paying attention to current events,” he said.  “So it’s only natural that I would follow in her footsteps.”  He said that playing high school basketball and running over the years helped him prepare for playing on the “Jeopardy!” stage in front of an audience.  “I was hyper-focused.  It’s like being in ‘the zone,’ where everything around you goes away and you don’t hear the crowd or anything else,” he said.

While Humphreys enjoys most subjects, there was one that he hoped wouldn’t show up during his games.  “I was praying that current TV shows wouldn’t make it as a category. I don’t watch that much outside of news and ‘Jeopardy!,’” he said.  “I did get one TV question right, but it was about ‘Kojak’ from the 1970s!”

Humphreys has made education a priority in his life, earning a Bachelor of Arts in government from the University of Notre Dame, a Bachelor of Arts in education from Buena Vista College and a Master of Arts in liberal studies from Creighton University.  He also spent four weeks in Washington, D.C., on a James Madison Memorial Fellowship, which are given to the nation’s most promising and distinguished teachers to strengthen their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and government.

Regarding his winnings, Humphreys hopes to pay off a remodeling project for his kitchen.  “My wife and I began the deconstruction phase about a year and a half ago. We’re excited to start looking at cabinets and countertops again.”

Patrick Quinn, a German teacher at Ritenour High School from Chesterfield, Mo., placed first in the tournament and won $100,000.  Third place winner Justin Hofstetter, a language arts and social studies teacher at Alta Vista Charter Middle School from Kansas City, Mo., took home $25,000. 

“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 25 million viewers each week.  “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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