A high school student took home the grand prize even after fumbling the answer in Final Jeopardy! with one of the most memorable plays in the game's history.
Leonard Cooper, a 17-year-old contestant on Tuesday's "Jeopardy! Teen Tournament," was behind earlier in the game with only $3,000 in the bank.
But in what host Alex Trebek called a "gutsy move," Cooper wagered $18,000 of his $18,200 for a Daily Double question about the play "12 Angry Men" which took him to the lead with $36,200.
Then, Alex Trebek revealed the "answer" for Final Jeopardy!
“On June 6, 1944,” Trebek said, “The eyes of the world are upon you.”
It was a Dwight D. Eisenhower quote, but the high schooler didn't know that and instead wrote a cheeky reply that secured his victory.
"Who is some guy in Normandy(?) But I just won $75,000!" Cooper wrote, with a $0 wager.
U.S. & World
It was a risky move, as one of his opponents could have given a correct response and collected more money.
Trebek laughed and confirmed that the teenager, a high school senior from Little Rock, Ark., did indeed win the grand prize of $75,000 in the two-night event.
Cooper spoke to Arkansas Online after the show and gushed about the experience.
"Oh man, I've been watching 'Jeopardy!' for so many years, I've been wanting to be on the show for awhile," he said on Tuesday, his birthday. "Actually being on and being able to win a tournament, that was the icing on the cake."
Cooper is one of 15 students from across the country who took part in the annual tournament created for high school students between the ages of 13 and 17.
