Portlander vies for 4th win on Jeopardy
PORTLAND, Ore. – A Portland educator for special-needs children is putting his life lessons to good use. He is now a contestant on "Jeopardy."
Stephen Weingarten appeared on the show for the first time on Christmas Eve, winning $23,200 that night. On the Christmas Day show, he won another $24,700 and went on to the show airing Monday, Dec. 28. He won Monday's show as well, taking home $30,398.
That's a total of $78,298 the new father has earned over a three-show winning streak.
"We're not wealthy people," said Weingarten, who lives in Portland with his wife Christine and his new baby girl, born on Halloween. "So we're going to pay off all our debts, and put some money in an account and just leave it so it's [the baby's]. And get a four-door vehicle so we have a family car. It will just allow us to get financially set, so we can do things like buy a house."
Weingarten works for the special-education department at Sitton Elementary School in north Portland. There he is one of three assistant teachers working with a head teacher to lead a third-through-fifth-grade environmental life skills program.
Even with his new-found fame, Weingarten still has his priorities straight.
"In the weeks leading up to it, I told everybody I was going to be on 'Jeopardy' and I told everyone I was going to have a little baby," he said. "People were way more interested in 'Jeopardy' than the baby. And I think they still kinda are. But I like the baby better."
Jeopardy usually airs at 7 p.m. every weekday on KATU Channel 2. However, on Tuesday a fluke snow storm coated the Portland metropolitan area, snarling traffic and leaving tens of thousands of people stranded.
The show aired at just after 1 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Weingarten will stay on the show until he loses.
- Portland journalist Michael Lee contributed to this report.
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