A teacher from Brooklyn, New York...

Maria Wenglinsky

Did you prepare differently for this Tournament versus for other Jeopardy! games?
Since I did not prepare at all for my previous appearance, I did prepare for the Tournament by watching the show more.

What was your favorite aspect of playing Jeopardy!?
The thing that I like best about playing Jeopardy! is... it really gives me an opportunity to use a Classical education.

How has your life changed since your appearance on Jeopardy!?
No, my life has not changed since my first Jeopardy! appearance.

2006 Tournament of Champions semifinalist: $10,000.
Season 22 5-time champion: $122,300 + $2,000.

At the time of her Jeopardy! appearances, Maria was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, where she taught Latin and European history at St. Saviour High School in Park Slope.

In her fourth game, with a total of $111,700, Maria surpassed Kerry Breitenbach's 5-day total of $92,400 to become the top regular play female money winner.

This following listing described Maria's Ph.D. dissertation:
Wenglinsky, Maria Henderson. The Representation of the Divine in the Posthomerica of Quintus of Smyrna. Diss. Columbia University, New York, 2002. iii, 272 pp.

Maria's turn against IBM's Jeopardy!-playing computer Watson was featured in a video posted along with a New York Times Magazine article published June 14, 2010. Maria played against Watson and Season 23 5-time champion Mehrun Etebari. The final score shown in the video was Maria: $19,200; Watson: $3,200; Mehrun: $42,400.