David Bradley, an Atlanta carpenter and writer, and returning champion, fell short on Tuesday night, finishing third on "Jeopardy!"
Bradley entered Tuesday’s night with winnings totaling $55,000. He had beat a pathologist and graduate student the previous night.
On Tuesday night, Bradley had $8,300 going into final clue. He bet every penny on the final clue, but lost it all when he answered the clue incorrectly.
Clue: It was said his “his accent which started out as pure American Middle West” became “Quite British U.”
As it turned out, none of the contestants answered the clue correctly (T. S Eliot).
Bradley, a high school dropout, did well on the show, winning $27,000 on Friday night and then another $28,000 on Monday night.
Competing on “Jeopardy!” was a lifelong dream for Bradley, who has taken an unlikely path to earn a coveted spot in the popular and highly competitive quiz show. Bradley, 55, is a high school dropout. He was kicked out of high school for skipping too many classes. His senior year GPA was 1.6.
Bradley, who is working on a documentary about old-time fiddling, said in a recent interview the experience gave him an even deeper appreciation for the game show which he has long watched almost every night.
Although he was uninterested in school as a teenager, he always had a love for reading. After high school, he worked in construction, and for several years, he worked hanging Sheetrock. All the while, he frequented yard sales and thrift stores, buying books on a variety of subjects. Many, he said, turned out to be college textbooks — science, history, physics. He read them all.
By the time Bradley was in his 40s, he found himself getting laid off repeatedly. He decided it was time to carve out a new profession. At age 45, he started going to college. He graduated from Georgia State University when he was 50. Inspired by a history class during his senior year, he wrote the book, "Martyrs of Guale: An Addison Kane History-Mystery" which is available on Amazon.
He continued to work in construction, mainly as a carpenter, while also devoting many hours to writing. He also continued to watch Jeopardy almost every week night.
About a year ago, Bradley took the Jeopardy online test, one of the of tens of thousands of people across the country who take the test every year.
He also enjoyed meeting Trebek, the host of the show in its 32nd season in syndication, with 25 million viewers each week.
“Alex is as warm and genuine and funny and human as you wished he would be,” he said.
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