MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SENIOR JOEY BEACHUM
WINS $100,000 GRAND PRIZE IN
THE 2008 "JEOPARDY!" COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP

Watch the exclusive interview!

(CULVER CITY, CA) May 16th, 2008 - Joey Beachum, a 22-year-old political science major at Mississippi State University, took first place in the prestigious 2008 Jeopardy! College Championship, taking home $100,000 in cash winnings. 

Beachum emerged victorious after a two-week competition by outscoring 14 undergraduates from across the country. The special series of episodes were taped at the Kohl Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“The experience was nothing short of an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Beachum. His fondest memory was having his fiancée Nicole Dilg in the audience for his victorious moment. “Right before the final scores were revealed, I looked out into the crowd and saw Nicole watching me live my dream--I will never forget that.”

Beachum, who hails from Tupelo, Miss., is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force  through AFROTC. His favorite pastimes include playing soccer and baseball. He is currently teaching himself how to play the piano and violin. When asked what he’ll do with his winnings, Beachum said, “We have a wedding coming up in a couple of years, so I definitely need to save for that, however we do have a beach trip planned.”

Danielle Zsenak, a senior at Marquette University, finished second in the tournament, winning $50,000.  Third place winner Andrew Chung, a sophomore at Harvey Mudd College, pocketed $25,000. 

Jeopardy!, a winner of 27 Emmy awards since its debut in 1984, was recently inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most awards won by a TV Game Show. The series is the #1-rated quiz show in syndication, and has held that title for over 1,000 weeks. 

Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. It is distributed by CBS Television Distribution, a unit of CBS Corp. 

For interview opportunities with the contestants, please contact the Jeopardy! Public Relations Department at the numbers listed below.

To read contestant blogs and watch exclusive interviews with Alex Trebek and the Clue Crew, visit the College Championship site!