Sam Buttrey, an associate professor of operations research at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, won Jeopardy!’s first-ever Professors Tournament on Friday, taking home the $100,000 grand prize and securing a spot in Jeopardy!’s Tournament of Champions at the end of the season.
Ed Hashima, history professor at American River College in Sacramento, California, took second and won $50,000 and Alisa Hove, botany professor at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C., came in third and earned $25,000.
“This has been the greatest time, and to come out ahead of all these other great players is something I’ll remember forever,” Buttrey said in a statement. “The group was uniformly so smart, charming, and warm, and there’s been a real feeling of camaraderie from the very beginning.”
At Jeopardy!'s Tournament of Champions, Buttrey will face Yale PhD candidate Matt Amodio, who earlier this season won 38 games in a row and more than $1.5 million, and actor Jonathan Fisher, who defeated Amodio and went on to win 11 consecutive games. Current champion Amy Schneider, who so far has racked up 13 wins, also has secured a slot.
Also: Syndication Ratings: 'Jeopardy!' Jumps Back Into Lead
“I know there are some strong players, but I want to go up against them,” Buttrey said. “I would like to play against Matt Amodio, he’s a strong player and I’d like to see how I can do.”
Jeopardy!, which is produced by Sony Pictures Television and distributed by CBS Media Ventures, led all of syndication in households in the week ended Dec. 5 with a 5.7 live plus same day national household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research. ■
