1995-A Seniors Tournament 1st runner-up: $10,000.
Dr. Elliot Shteir won $8,230 in his original undefeated 5-game run during the Art Fleming era of Jeopardy! circa 1969 (appearing as "a dentist from Somerville, New Jersey") and breaking the 5-day record of $7,070 set by Burns Cameron in 1965. Shteir's record was subsequently broken the same year by Mrs. Jane Gschwend, a housewife from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, winner of $8,250.
Elliot won an additional $1,180 in his quarterfinal match (Fleming show #1437) and $810 in his semifinal match (Fleming show #1439) of the 1969 Tournament of Champions. He lost the finals of that tournament to Jay Wolpert, and his final winnings in that tournament are unknown. He also appeared on Fleming show #2000 to play for charity alongside Burns Cameron (playing as "a businessman from Larchmont, New York") and Jane Gschwend. Cameron won $700 for his charity, Gschwend won $1,000 for her charity, and Shteir won $420 for his two charities, both aiding youth from his hometown: the Jeff Fund, for 11-year-old Bradley Gardens School student and cystinosis sufferer Jeff Kucharski, in need of a kidney transplant, and the Sherman Talley Fund, to support the comfort, maintenance, and education of a 17-year-old, 6'3", 195-pound sophomore football running back who suffered paralyzing injuries when hit while making a tackle for Bridgewater-Raritan West High School during the Falcons' 33-7 victory over South Plainfield in October 1971. The three champions also split 2,000 Bantam paperback bestsellers (Gschwend received 1,000 of them and donated them to the Lancaster County Library). Before the game began, Mel Brooks made an appearance in character as the 2,000-Year-Old Man.
Elliot Shteir is introduced along with his previous 5-day total at the top of the 2,000th episode of the Fleming era, aired 1972-02-21.
The top three champions of the Fleming era won a combined $2,120 for charity on Fleming-era Show #2000. (Shteir was given an additional $200 before the Final Jeopardy! Round after a missed Daily Double late in the game brought his score down to $20.)
Elliot died 2000-10-04 at the age of 79. According to his obituary, he maintained a dental practice in Somerville from 1947 to 1986, and then went to law school at the age of 65 and set up in legal practice with his son in 1989. |
