Kentucky ‘Jeopardy’ Winner: Seventh Grader Sets Record For One Day Winnings


A seventh grade Kentucky Jeopardy winner has set a new record for one day winnings.

Skyler Hornback from Sonora, Kentucky, wowed the crowd today when he made a large wager and won $66,600 on Jeopardy. In all of Kids Week history, nobody has ever won that much in one day on Jeopardy until now. This is also the third highest one day total in the history of the game show. Perhaps Alex Trebek will borrow some money from him now.

It was Skyler Hornback’s knowledge of Abraham Lincoln that gave him the edge when the Final Jeopardy category happened to be The Civil War. He knew so much about the President behind the top hat and beard that after maybe a few seconds of thought, he submitted his answer and wager, and was glad he did. The Kentucky Jeopardy winner had victory in the bag due to his ability to recite the Gettysburg Address from memory.

Seventh grader Skyler Hornback plans to use his winnings to fund his college education, potentially also making him a big winner in life as well. We can probably expect him to become a historian if his Jeopardy winning answer has anything to say about it.

After the big record-breaking win, Skyler Hornback said, “I never dreamed I would set a Kids Week record. It’s still hard for me to believe this small town boy from Kentucky actually appeared on Jeopardy and won!”

It just goes to show that it doesn’t matter where you’re from as long as you know what you need to when it’s your moment.

In an interview with Alex Trebek, the Kentucky Jeopardy winner said:

“Lincoln is a very intriguing figure because most people think they know him when they really don’t. There was so much behind that beard and top hat that people just do not realize. … After I wrote down the $30,000 wager, I spent quite a few moments thinking about what I had done. Then I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and jabbed the pen on the submit button before I had any second thoughts. I’m really glad I did.”

The show can be seen on CBS Press Express after 8 pm EST.

What do you think of the Kentucky Jeopardy winner setting records for one day winnings?

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