Date of First Appearance:
June, 1991. Tournament of Champions in October, 1991
Total Winnings:
[From memory, you might have to check] $84,899 [J! Archive note: Mark's total was actually $82,899], then $5,000 from the Tournament (which I did not win). I believe I made it to the quarterfinals in the Tournament. [J! Archive note: Mark actually made it to the semifinals in the Tournament of Champions.]
Records/Stats:
5-time undefeated champion; during the four final games, I was double my nearest opponent going into Final Jeopardy! At the time, I was the second-highest money-winning player in Jeopardy! history. In my second game, I earned close to $31,000, which at the time was the second-highest one-day total in Jeopardy! history.
Favorite Anecdote:
Alex was amazed that I play over 100 musical instruments [and still do...even more now!]. He was also amazed that I speak seven languages [now nine with Thai and Lao].
Did being on Jeopardy! have any affect on your life?
Jeopardy! has had a great affect on my life. Not only was it great fun, but it was gratifying to be so successful [lucky] on the show. I never expected to do so well!
Did you do anything crazy with your winnings?
I used my winnings to repay debts [probably pretty typical], and then I used the remainder to travel to the South Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand for almost two years. Prior to Jeopardy! I was educated in England [Masters and Ph.D.] and I lived in Europe for five years between 1969 and 1975.
Anything else you would like the viewers to know about you?
At the time of my first Jeopardy! appearance, I was working as an investment analyst and as a radio programmer and host for KXLU-FM in Los Angeles. My shows, "Classical Fiasco" and "Early Music," are still on the air after eighteen years, although I have associate programmers who continue the show when I am in Asia. I am still doing investment-type of work on a part-time basis; however, I am also living in Thailand for most of the year [and I have been since November, 2001] where I have been involved with the sale of an oil refinery to the Royal Government of Cambodia. This is still going on after more than three years! In the meantime, while I am living in Bangkok, I teach English for Reuters, Thailand [as well as private teaching], I perform on ethnic flutes, keyboards and 12-string guitar at restaurants, clubs, and private parties, and I write articles for "Big Chilli Magazine," which is The City Magazine in Bangkok [the equivalent of Los Angeles Magazine here]. I am still involved with business, both in Thailand and California, which brings me back to the USA several times a year. |
"He was the top winner of the 1990-91 season. He's a musician, writer and teacher living in Bangkok, Thailand..."
2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions Round 1 player: $5,000.
1991 Tournament of Champions semifinalist: $5,000.
Season 7 5-time champion: $82,899.
While Mark's one-day total of $29,400 (#1585, aired 1991-06-21) was not enough to beat the single-day cash winnings record of $30,600 set by Frank Spangenberg the previous season in his fifth game (#1241, aired 1990-01-15), it was the second-highest single-day winnings amount at the time, and it remained the third-highest one-day total through 1998, earning Mark a spot on the list of the 13 highest one-day winners available on the Jeopardy! web site 1997-1998. |
