This season's Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard Tournament was first announced in March 2023, but two-time winner Michael Menkus wasn’t invited back on the show until months later in December.
Menukus, who originally is from St. Louis, now lives in Kansas City and works as a data analyst at Hallmark. He won $48,402 during his two games in 2022.
Due to the writers’ strike over the summer, the initial production was postponed. When Menkhus was finally asked back, he had only a month to prepare before filming in January 2024.
“I kind of thought it was a prank at first, because no tournament like this had ever been done before,” Menkhus said. “Traditionally, the tournament of champions was for five- or four-game winners. People like me who won a measly two games, we didn’t always get a second chance to come back.”
Menkhus finished the tournament in third place, but still took home $25,000.
- Michael Menkhus, Hallmark data analyst and Jeopardy! competitor
