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MICHAEL FALK OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, WINS A QUARTER MILLION DOLLAR GRAND PRIZE ON “JEOPARDY!” TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
(CULVER CITY, CA) May 19, 2006 -- Michael Falk, 26, a research meteorologist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has won the prestigious JEOPARDY! Tournament of Champions, taking home $250,000 in cash winnings. Falk emerged victorious after a two-week competition showcasing 15 of the quiz show’s top players from recent seasons.
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“I am elated that I won!” Falk said. “The categories and the timing of the buzzer just went my way in the last game, and I’m ecstatic that I pulled it off.”
Impressed by Falk’s victory, JEOPARDY! host Alex Trebek stated, “He came from far behind in the finals and quickly closed in on his opponents. He is a true champion and it was exciting to watch him win.”
How will winning a quarter million dollars change the JEOPARDY! champion’s lifestyle? “This is financial security that we, as a young couple really need, so we are beyond grateful for this opportunity,” Falk said. “My wife and I are going to buy a house, pay off our student loans and start a family. After that, I’ll probably donate and invest what’s left.”
Falk is currently a research meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He attended Iowa State University as an undergraduate, where he earned a B.S. and a M.S. in meteorology. His hobbies include basketball, music, games and spending time with family and friends.
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Falk first appeared on JEOPARDY! in April 2006, when he became a three-day champion winning $59,403. Falk was joined in the tournament by fellow JEOPARDY! alumni, including a high school teacher, a pharmacy technician, college students and writers. Prior to their appearances on the Tournament of Champions, the 15 contestants had cumulatively earned nearly $2 million in cash.
The Tournament’s second place finisher Vik Vaz, a graduate student from Austin, Texas, won $100,000, while Bill MacDonald, an attorney from Bonita Springs, Florida, finished third and took home $50,000. Six semifinalists pocketed $10,000 each. Players eliminated in the first round received $5,000.
JEOPARDY!, a winner of 27 Emmy awards since its debut in 1984, was recently 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 and has held that title for more than 1,000 weeks.
JEOPARDY! is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, and is distributed domestically by King World Productions, Inc. The series is also distributed internationally by CBS Paramount International Television.
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