TJ Fisher capped off his five-game “Jeopardy!” streak and secured a spot in the forthcoming Tournament of Champions, becoming the Bay Area’s newest quiz show victor.
The San Francisco marketing specialist has watched the NBC game show since he was a child, and spent the past decade applying to compete on camera before producers finally selected him.
“I was so shocked, I couldn’t handle it,” he told the Chronicle just days after his final game aired on Thursday, Oct. 9. “My principal goals were not to say anything that would embarrass my mother and her women’s group, or fall off the stage.”
Fisher won a total of $100,723 during his week on the game show, which began on Oct. 2 — and already has big plans for how he’s going to spend it.
“As a result of my winnings, I’ll be able to be totally debt-free for the first time since I went to college, which is really thrilling,” he said.
He added he hopes this will allow him to spend more time focusing on his passions. That includes helping save the Albany Twin Theater, which permanently closed in 2023 and holds a special place in his heart.
He described his efforts to re-open the former East Bay movie theater during his third night on “Jeopardy!” revealing that he and his friends have organized a nonprofit, Friends of the Albany Twin, to work toward reviving the space.
“It just felt like a little slice of a great community,” Fisher said of the 88-year-old movie house. “It’s so important to have a space where you can come and assemble with people and learn about the world around you.”
After all, he said it was his fellow trivia-loving community that helped him stay sharp for his games. His friends include a number of former “Jeopardy!” contestants, such as Aubrey Gilleran of Charlotte, who landed in second place in 2023; three-time winner Danielle Maurer from Atlanta; and T.J. Tallie, a San Diego resident, who won two games in 2020.
“They all gave me really helpful advice about the game theory aspects,” he said, adding that “friendship with some of these folks is more valuable than any study tip they could have given me,” due to their diverse range of interests.
Looking ahead, Fisher said that he’s excited to brush shoulders with fellow “Jeopardy!” victors — including Bell — at the Tournament of Champions, which typically begins at the start of a new year.
“I’m on alert,” Fisher said. “My flashcards are staying in my bag with me.”