A Worthington City School District teacher started strong during his May 12 appearance on the nationally televised quiz show “Jeopardy!”
Will Thornton, a computer technology teacher at Thomas Worthington High School, answered the game’s first clue under the category “Greenland:” When Greenland’s major summer festival is celebrated, often the longest day of the year.
“June 21,” Thornton replied for $600.
Thornton, a teacher at Thomas Worthington since 2022, stayed competitive into the popular quiz show’s first break, after which each contestant is asked something interesting about their lives. Thornton told the story about how his high school sweetheart and now his wife, Erin, asked him to homecoming.
The two had an AP European History class together at Little Miami High School in southern Warren County. Their teacher told the class he was going to do a review with them and called each one up in front of the class to answer a question projected on a screen. Thornton said he thinks his question was about mercantilism. As he was answering, another question appeared on the screen for him: “Will you go to homecoming with Erin?”
Thornton acknowledged to Jeopardy host Ken Jennings the obvious, that the teacher was in on the surprise. Jennings then asked Thornton whether he would do that as a teacher if asked, to which he replied that he would.
Current Jeopardy! champion Tristan Williams, who was seeking his fifth consecutive win and an automatic spot in the next Tournament of Champions, soon ran away from Thornton and the other challenger, Laurel Gilmer, a music events coordinator from Ithaca, New York.
The Final Jeopardy category was “U.S. Lakes” and the clue was: “This big lake named for a French marine minister begins its name with a way that official might conceivably cross the body of water.” Williams, a data scientist originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, was the only contestant to correctly respond, “What is Lake Pontchartrain?”
Williams added $3,600 to his winnings with his Final Jeopardy answer, bringing his May 12 total to $23,700 and his five-day total to $103,499. He will return on May 13 for a sixth consecutive day.
Gilmer guessed wrong with “What is Lake Champlain?” and wagered her entire $4,600, dropping to $0 and third place.
Thornton, who had $9,200 entering the Final Jeopardy question, jokingly wrote: “What is Lake Swim?” But he wagered nothing and finished second – something he had to keep a secret since taping the show back in March.
In addition to being a teacher at Thomas Worthington, Thornton founded the school’s esports program, according to reporting by the student-run publication TWHS News. In the article, Thornton described esports as a rapidly growing activity in Ohio schools and colleges, citing scholarship opportunities and increasing student participation.”Jeopardy!” airs weekdays, with local broadcast times varying by market. In central Ohio, the show airs at 7 p.m. on WBNS-10TV.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Worthington school teacher finishes second as ‘Jeopardy!’ champion rolls on
Reporting by Jim Wilhelm, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
