Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament

The Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament is an annual tournament on the American television game show Jeopardy! It features full-time teachers of students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The tournament debuted during Season 27 (2010-2011) and has been played every season since (except for Season 37), always during any of the three ratings sweeps periods (November, February, or May), with the exception of being held from May 25th to June 5th 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Format 
The Teachers Tournament follows the same 10-game format as the Tournament of Champions, College Championship, and Teen Tournament. The first five games are the quarterfinals, where all fifteen participants play in groups of three. The winners of the five games advance to the semifinals. The players with the four highest scores among non-winners advance as "wild card" players. The nine semifinalists compete in the next three games. Then the three semifinal winners advance to the two-day finals, in which cumulative scores from the two games are added to determine the championship (contestants' scores start at $0 in each game).

 Prizes 
 Cash 
The person who wins the tournament receives a $100,000 prize. The first runner up gets $50,000; and the second runner up gets $25,000. Teachers who are eliminated during the semifinals go home with $10,000, and teachers who are eliminated during the quarterfinals go home with $5,000.

 Tournament of Champions 
In addition to the aforementioned cash prize, the winner also earns an automatic spot in the next Tournament of Champions, although one winner (Larry Martin in 2018) died from pancreatic cancer before reaching that tournament. So far, two Teachers Tournaments winners have made it to the finals of the Tournament of Champions (Colby Burnett in 2013 and Francois Barcomb in 2019); only Burnett won the event. 2016 winner Jason Sterlacci is only other winner to advance to the semi-finals of the Tournament of Champions. Burnett was also invited back to the Battle of the Decades in 2014 where he advanced to the semifinals, and was team captain in the All-Star games in 2019, where he drafted 2017 Tournament of Champions finalist Alan Lin and November 2000 College Champion Pam Mueller as his team members. His team finished as the second runner-up in the event. He was invited to the Invitational Tournament in 2024. 2015 winner Jennifer Giles also competed in the All-Star games, as a member of Team Buzzy Cohen. She was invited to the Invitational Tournament in 2026. John Pearson was the alternate in the All-Star games.

List of participants
 Finalists Semifinalists Quarterfinalists Season 27 (May 2–13, 2011) Winner: Charles Temple1st runner-up: Lori Kissell2nd runner-up: Larry DeMoss Kathy CasavantDan CrosbyMatt PolazzoElisabeth RaabJohn ShoeCharley Tinkham Grafton BrownCatherine CarsonJudd HessCaitlin MillatViki RaddenSally Umbach Season 28 (February 15–28, 2012) Winner: Patrick Quinn1st runner-up: Brooks Humphreys2nd runner-up: Justin Hofstetter Leslie DeckerLisa JohnstonNate RiceMary Ann StanleyKathryn WendlingCatherine Whitten John BottiBrad BrownJessica Dell'EraSteven EvenhouseElissa HoffmanPian Wong Season 29 (November 7–20, 2012) Winner: Colby Burnett1st runner-up: Michael Farabaugh2nd runner-up: Kate Wilson Whitney CollinsMarcia EdmundsonJohn HinesDrew JoanidesBrenton MontieMarion Penning Tina Baybay-BykovRobin CheneyFrancesca LeibowitzDiana NorthChris PaeTerry Parker Season 30 (November 11–22, 2013) Winner: John Pearson1st runner-up: Mary Beth Hammerstrom2nd runner-up: Becky Giardina Eli BarrieauAnne BaxterPatrick DillonMaryanne LewellKatie MoriartyTimothy Shuker-Haines Cathy BloedornJames BrownKaren CafaroKati SorensonMichael TownesRico Vazquez Season 31 (February 2–13, 2015) Winner: Jennifer Giles1st runner-up: Cathy Farrell2nd runner-up: Adam Elkana-Hale Mary BayerLydia CuffmanEric HackKate La Rivière-GagnerErin McLaughlinColin O'Grady Tracy AlexanderChris GrinvaldsMartha JacksonMichael JonesMaryLou McKennaJay Singleton Season 32 (May 2–13, 2016) with its second week at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., presented by Farmers Insurance Winner: Jason Sterlacci1st runner-up: Kaberi Chakrabarty2nd runner-up: Jill Gilbert Peter BuchholzLauren GilmoreCory HarrisBill KnuthChris TemproNicole Throckmorton Greg GreenzweigHannah KrugDianne LeeIan MillerTenaya SniderTerrie Trebilcock Season 33 (May 8–19, 2017) presented by Farmers Insurance Winner: David Clemmons1st runner-up: Nan Cohen2nd runner-up: Mary Parker Gail AnshelesMichael CampHolly CannonSara HolubSusannah NicholsEduardo Sevilla George DeaneLindsey HenryDennis McDonaldStephanie MitchellGraham TobenCody Vest Season 34 (May 7–18, 2018) presented by Farmers Insurance  Winner: Larry Martin1st runner-up: Claire Bishop2nd runner-up: Steve Mond Jake AllenErika EasonScott MontanaroRachel NiegelbergKatherine SaxbyJudy Tymkiw Beth BinderLee DiGeorgeIndi EkanayakeBob JulianMary Alice KorthRanjani Sheshadri Season 35 (May 6–17, 2019) presented by Amazon Alexa Winner: Francois Barcomb1st runner-up: Conor Quinn2nd runner-up: Sara DelVillano Matthew BunchTrevor CrowellJoe RengstorfJulia Rosinski BaileyDave RowswellBenjamin Schwartz Tara BaxterAlexandra BicksVicki Leibeck-OwsleyMariah Minges KlusmanMelissa OkeyEllie Walsh Season 36 (May 25-June 5, 2020) Winner: Ben Henri1st runner-up: Meggie Kwait2nd runner-up: Will Satterwhite Amanda BaltimoreJenna HallJong Ho KimKatie LaBargeSam MatsonLauren Schneider Lipton Peter GouveiaIvory JohnsonMatt JoyalAnne PuljuAllison ThomasMary Kate Trausch

 Catherine Whitten and Justin Hoffstetter in February 2012 are the first pair of contestants to marry each other. Their marriage took place in January 24, 2015. Maryanne Lewell and Michael Townes in 2013 are the second pair of contestants to marry each other. Their marriage took place in Canada in August 2017.

 Mary Parker and Cody Vest are the first two teachers contestants that teach in the same school.

Category:Jeopardy!