ORLANDO NATIVE TOM KUNZEN WINS MORE THAN $134,000
DURING SIX-DAY APPEARANCE ON 'JEOPARDY!'

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (March 22, 2011) -- Tom Kunzen, a 28-year-old geotechnical engineer from Orlando, Fla., earned a big payout on "Jeopardy!" by winning a grand total of $134,402 during his six-day appearance.

"My motto for playing 'Jeopardy!' was 'Go big or go home,'" Kunzen said regarding his strategy of wagering high on Daily Doubles. "I've wanted to be on the show for years, and had huge expectations for myself. I knew that I only had one shot."

Kunzen prepared for "Jeopardy!" by studying a variety of subjects, including his weaker areas such as art, poetry and Shakespeare. "I made a binder full of notes, crib sheets and printouts from of Wikipedia. I also played a lot of video games to keep the reflexes sharp."

Kunzen credits most of his success to joining a local quiz bowl team. "I fell in with the team after taking a geology course at Seminole State College," he said. "In fact, I took another class in the spring just so I could stay on the team for the rest of the academic year."

Following his win, Kuzen celebrated with a steak dinner at his hotel. He also bought a new car and is planning to use some of his earnings to buy a new home.

Kunzen hopes that he'll be invited back for the quiz show's Tournament of Champions, which features the highest-earning winners from the past season. He said, "If I'm invited back for the Tournament of Champions, I'll definitely be bringing along a cheering section."

"Jeopardy!," the winner of 28 Emmy awards since its debut in 1984, was 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 with nearly 9 million daily viewers. "Jeopardy!" is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company. It is distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and internationally by CBS Television International, both units of CBS Corp.

Watch Tom's post-game interviews here.