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5-time Champion Rule
S1~5
Unlimited Champion Rule

Season 1[]

Name Aired Date TW Notes J!
Elise Beraru October 1~5, 1984 $47,350 First-ever 5-day champion of Trebek era.
The first-ever champion to have runaway games in the first five games.
Set a 1-day record of $23,800 during 3rd playing on October 3, 1984.
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John Genova November 7~13, 1984 $50,595 First 5-time champion to win at least $50,000 overall.
Earliest 5-time champion to compete in the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005.
First-ever male 5-day champion of Trebek era.
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Ric Moser December 7~13, 1984 $39,200 #
Larry Floyd December 17~21, 1984 $35,800
Jerry Frankel December 24~28, 1984 $32,650 1985 Tournament of Champions winner.
First Tournament of champions winner in the Alex Trebek era.
Died of AIDS at age 34 on July 14, 1987.
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Liz Caccese December 31, 1984~January 4, 1985 $34,500 #
Paul Boymel January 18~24, 1985 $56,200 Fourth playing has co-champion.
Third game has single-player Final Jeopardy.
First 5-time champion to win one of his games as a co-champion and to have one of his Final Jeopardy games as a single-player.
Died at age 67 on July 30, 2014.
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Paul Croshier January 30~February 5, 1985 $36,500 The first re-challenge and the first 5-time champions.
Other Shows:
Won $31,400 over six matches with his sister Margie on Blockbusters in February 1982.
John Hnat February 12~18, 1985 $37,100 Second game has single-player Final Jeopardy.
Bruce Fauman February 28~March 6, 1985 $43,398 First Canadian 5-day champion of Trebek era.
1985 Tournament of Champions 1st runner-up.
Died at age 59 on December 2, 2002.
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Paula Tupper March 12~18, 1985 $34,298 Died at age 64 on February 3, 2018. #
Steve Rogitz March 22~28, 1985 $31,399 Third game has single-player Final Jeopardy.
1985 Tournament of Champions 2nd runner-up.

Other Shows:
Played on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in August 1999, but never made it past Fastest Finger.
Along with Jeff Richmond, he is one of only two players to have played in 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-player Final Jeopardy! Rounds.
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Michael Day April 9~15, 1985 $53,500 Fourth game has single-player Final Jeopardy!
Utilized a strategy of continually jiggling the signaling button in order to ring in first on virtually every clue, which directly led to the signaling device lockout system being added at the start of Season 2.
Last 5-day champion who participated in single-player Final Jeopardy before clue values were doubled on 11/26/2001.
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Ron Black April 30-May 6, 1985 $47,401
Nathan Walpow May 24~30, 1985 $38,900 Other Shows:
Appeared on the M'ama Non M'ama "Man's Pilot" (also hosted by Alex Trebek), taped December 7, 1984.
Appeared on Merv Griffin's Crosswords in 2007.

Season 2[]

Name Aired Date TW Notes
Jay Rosenberg September 13~19, 1985 $49,600 Died at age 65 on February 21, 2008.
Chuck Forrest September 30~October 4, 1985 $72,800 Set a new winnings record after winning 5 games.
The first male champion to have runaway games in the first five games.
1986 Tournament of Champions winner.
Co-author of Secrets of the Jeopardy Champions with Mark Lowenthal.
Paul Rouffa February 4~10, 1986 $46,100 1986 Tournament of Champions 1st runner-up.
Alternate for the 10th Anniversary Tournament.

Other Shows:
Won $30,000 over five days on Scrabble in December 1987.
Appeared on Now You See It in June 1989.
Won $1,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on April 13, 2015.
Barbara Lowe March 6~12, 1986 $35,192 Declared ineligible due to competing under a false identity and competing on another game show in the probationary period and was not invited to the Tournament of Champions. Then-producer Harry Eisenberg's book Jeopardy!: A Revealing Look Inside TV's Top Quiz Show noted that she "got her 50 grand" following an attempted lawsuit.
Her episodes have never been reaired, and only a clip of her second Final Jeopardy is known to circulate. however, Her broadcasts were then unearthed by the National Archives of Game Show History.

Other Shows:
Won over $50,000 on Bullseye, the show's all-time biggest winner.
Won $32,000 (as Barbara Vollick) on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in early 2003.
Donald Burgo April 7~11, 1986 $26,180 Fourth playing has co-champion.
Gary Giardina June 2~6, 1986 $32,330

Season 3[]

Name Aired Date TW Notes
Dave Traini October 10~16, 1986 $54,502 1987 Tournament of Champions 1st runner-up.
First person to defeat Chuck Forrest, during the Super Jeopardy! quarterfinals on August 11, 1990.
1990 Super Jeopardy! 2nd runner-up.
Frank Hughes December 17~23, 1986 $30,900
Keith Bell January 2~8, 1987 $41,952 2nd playing has co-champion.
Keith Walker March 5~11, 1987 $40,700
John Ryan March 12~18, 1987 $61,800 1st playing has co-champion.
John Podhoretz March 19~25, 1987 $45,200
Richard Cordray April 21~27, 1987 $40,303 Appointed by President Obama as the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2012.
Played in Battle of the Decades but declined $5,000 prize due to federal employment.
Eugene Finerman June 1~5, 1987 $57,902 1987 Tournament of Champions 2nd runner-up.
First person to defeat Frank Spangenberg, during the Super Jeopardy! quarterfinals on June 23, 1990.
Bob Verini June 18~24, 1987 $46,802 1987 Tournament of Champions winner.
1990 Super Jeopardy! 1st runner-up.
2002 Million Dollar Masters tournament 2nd runner-up.

Season 4[]

Name Aired Date TW Notes
Roy Holliday September 21~25, 1987 $57,200
Richard Perez-Pena October 7~13, 1987 $40,300
Sandra Gore December 8~14, 1987 $53,507 First female finalist in the Tournament of Champions.
1988 Tournament of Champions 2nd runner-up.
Leah Greenwald January 11~15, 1988 $58,802
Barbara-Anne Eddy February 1~5, 1988 $52,000 Fourth playing has co-champion.
First female 5-time champion to win one of her games as a co-champion.
Only female 5-day champion from Canada in the Trebek era.
Only retired female 5-day champion from Canada.

Other Shows:
Won $128,000 on The $128,000 Question (also hosted by Alex Trebek) in 1978, on the last episode of the series.
Steven Popper March 28~April 1, 1988 $55,600
Mark Lowenthal May 4~10, 1988 $49,901 1988 Tournament of Champions winner.
Co-author of Secrets of the Jeopardy Champions with Chuck Forrest.
5-game run interrupted by the 1988 Seniors Tournament.
Michael Rankins June 3~9, 1988 $52,098 Won $162,500 on The Chase (USA) on January 28, 2021, with 2013 College Championship semi-finalist Daniel Donohue, facing James Holzhauer as their chaser.
1998 Battle of the Bay Area Brains winner.
Bruce Naegeli July 14~20, 1988 $64,200 1988 Tournament of Champions 1st runner-up.
Passed away on June 9, 2009, at the age of 65.

Season 5[]

Name Aired Date TW Notes
Mark McDermott December 7~13, 1988 $42,880 Other Shows:
Won $32,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on January 13, 2000. First player of the US version to lose on the $500,000 question.
Jeff Richmond December 23~29, 1988 $58,302 Along with Steve Rogitz, he is one of only two players to have played in 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-player Final Jeopardy! Rounds.

Other Shows:
Won $100,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on 2016-12-15 and 2016-12-16.
Cigus Vanni December 30, 1988~January 5, 1989 $40,400 Won $4,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Brian Wangsgard January 20~26, 1989 $62,398 1989 Tournament of Champions 2nd runner-up.
Cathy Boggs June 16~22, 1989 $43,200
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