Date of first appearance:
October 31, 1997
Total winnings:
$135,000 ($58,000 first five games + $42,000 in the form of two Camaro sports cars + $10,000 from the 1998 ToC + $25,000 as a Million Dollar Masters semifinalist).
Do you have a nickname associated with your performance?
Nothing more interesting than what I'm already called by folks in L.A. traffic on a fairly regular basis.
Records/stats:
5-time champ, 4 runaway games; lost my own ToC but defeated two ToC champs in the Million Dollar Masters tournament (at least I felt I belonged!); Million Dollar Masters semifinalist.
Favorite anecdote associated with being on the show?
The marriage proposals from total strangers were a nice touch. Also, it was pretty cool being on a flight that was showing my ToC flame-out as in-flight entertainment. Later on, when I got up to use the facilities, a few people recognized me and started applauding. This was embarrassing and delightful all at once.
Did being on Jeopardy! have any effect on your life?
Bigtime. As a working-class kid with no liberal arts education past high school (my degree is in electrical engineering), my first appearances were a chance and excuse to hurl myself screaming into studying all sorts of things I never thought I'd get interested in. I was just trying to win a few bucks, but ever since... well, hell, I actually like sitting through Shakespeare now. Skylines are more fun to look at and deconstruct. Art galleries aren't boring--they're cool. There are probably a hundred other things like that.
Also, various colleges have invited me to come and speak to their students about how to study and memorize stuff. That's always another great experience.
The most striking thing was how at home the folks usually made me feel, even in the most absurdly different places. I'm still trying to figure out how to share the experience in a useful way. This is a much, much smaller planet than it often seems.
Did you do anything crazy with your winnings?
I've used a bit of the money to travel a lot over the last few years, including several months on a five-continent around-the-world trip and a visit last summer to six of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (the one in Iraq got a pass for now, thanks).
Is there anything else you would like viewers to know about you?
I have the strength of ten men. Granted, six of them are dead, three tend to oversleep, and the last guy is a conscientious objector. But still. Anything else anybody wants to know they can probably find at www.bobharris.com. |
"This 5-time champ was a finalist in the 1998 Tournament of Champions. He's now a writer living in Los Angeles, California, working in print, television, and film..."
2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions Round 1 winner: $34,400.
2002 Million Dollar Masters tournament semifinalist: $25,000.
1998 Tournament of Champions 2nd runner-up: $10,000.
Season 14 5-time champion: $58,000 + 2 1999 Chevrolet Camaros (worth ~$42,000) + various parting gifts.
The official UToC web site lists Bob's residence as West Hollywood, California.
Bob won $200,000 on Super Greed and $8,000 on Smush in 2000.
Author of Prisoner of Trebekistan (2006) and Who Hates Whom (2007).
Blog at bobharris.com.
Jeopardy! Message Board user name: BobHarrisdotcom |
