UNC student gets a second shot at competing on ‘Jeopardy!’ Here’s how he did
A UNC-Chapel Hill student had better luck Tuesday in his second shot on “Jeopardy!” that the first time he competed on the popular quiz show.
Rotimi Kukoyi, a 19-year-old sophomore at UNC, barely came in first place, winning his game by $1. Thanks to a correct answer and a strategic bet during Final Jeopardy, he ended with a total of $16,001. The second place contestant ended with $16,000.
Kukoyi competed as part of the “Jeopardy!” Second Chance Tournament, which invites back contestants who have previously appeared on the quiz show but did not win. He’s the youngest contestant in this season’s Second Chance games.
He now advances to a two-day final in which he will compete for a spot in this season’s “Champions Wildcard” contest, which could lead to an appearance in the “Tournament of Champions.”
Kukoyi, who is originally from Hoover, Alabama, originally appeared on the “Jeopardy!” Teen Tournament in 2018, at the age of 14.
“While I didn’t win, the experience of meeting the incredibly kind and funny Alex Trebek and forging lasting friendships with other contestants was unforgettable,” Kukoyi wrote on LinkedIn. “Now, 5.5 years later, I’m back for a second shot in Season 39 at 19!”
Years after his first appearance on the game show, Kukoyi made national headlines as a high school senior for being accepted to 15 universities — including Harvard, Stanford and Yale — and receiving more than $2 million in scholarships.
He eventually chose to attend UNC as a Morehead-Cain Scholar, the country’s first and oldest merit-based scholarship. Kukoyi is now studying health policy and management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and minoring in biology and chemistry, according to his LinkedIn page. He plans to become a physician, according to UNC.
“Jeopardy! quickly captivated me at a young age because its clues were the answers, and its contestants had to provide the right questions,” Kukoyi wrote on LinkedIn. “This unique format mirrors the investigative process I admire in medicine. Similar to the way empathetic physicians explore patients’ conditions, Jeopardy! taught me that asking the correct questions can be equally (if not more) important than simply arriving at the correct answer for holistic understanding.”
Kukoyi was supposed to appear in a reunion contest of past Teen Tournament contestants last year, according to UNC, but he had to drop out after he got COVID-19.
Before Tuesday’s show, Kukoyi said he was thankful for the chance to play “Jeopardy!” once more.
“I’m grateful for this rare second chance on a show that’s traditionally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Kukoyi wrote on LinkedIn. “I enjoyed every moment, fulfilled a lifelong dream twice, and will forever be a proud Jeopardy! alum.”
How to watch Kukoyi on “Jeopardy!”
“Jeopardy!” airs in Raleigh and the Triangle on ABC11/WTVD at 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
To find stations that air “Jeopardy!” outside of the Triangle, visit jeopardy.com/watch and input your ZIP code.
