Tulsa television news producer Josh Brakhage claimed $20,006 in his fourth consecutive JEOPARDY! victory today, increasing his total winnings to $69,611.
The 29-year-old South Coffeyville, Okla., native will play again on tomorrow’s episode of America’s Favorite Quiz Show® in an attempt to add
to his prize money and become a five-game champion.
“Being a five-day champ is the goal of any JEOPARDY! fan,” Brakhage said. “But I would have been fully satisfied simply with the experience of being on the show.”
Brakhage played on his junior high and high school quiz bowl teams and served as a college academic bowl moderator. He auditioned twice before getting the chance to compete.
“I’ve watched JEOPARDY! all my life, since my dad used to pick me up from school and we’d go home and watch the show together,” said Brakhage. “When I got good enough to beat him, I started keeping score during the game, so I was doing math and answering questions at the same time.”
In addition to his knowledge of the game and past participation in academic competition, Brakhage feels his career in television production played a role in his success on the program.
“I’m around a TV studio every day, so the lights, cameras, and such weren’t a distraction,” said Brakhage, who graduated from the University of Tulsa in 2004 with a B.A. in Communication and a minor in Marketing. “I was able to follow the tally lights on the cameras and follow the floor director’s cues.”
Before his appearance on JEOPARDY!, Brakhage hoped for categories about the Bible, geography and classic movies.
“I’ve been watching movies since my first JEOPARDY! audition, when I realized that movies were one of my weakest areas,” Brakhage said. “I’ve seen more than 1,000 movies in the past three years as part of my preparation. Since so many are based off books, it augmented my literature knowledge as well.”
In addition to purchasing a new car, Brakhage said he plans to donate a portion of his prize money to his church, as he “feels blessed to be able to return a small fraction of what [he’s] been given.”
Tune in tomorrow, January 29, to watch Josh Brakhage’s next game. JEOPARDY! airs locally in Tulsa at 4:30 p.m. on KTUL-TV (ABC). For other markets, please check local listings for air times. For more information, please visit Jeopardy.com.
JEOPARDY!, the winner of a 2011 Peabody Award and 30 Emmy Awards, including the 2012 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.