North Shore Native's Jeopardy Run Full Of Highs and Lows

By Danette Chavez in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 3, 2015 7:40PM

Daytime TV stalwart Jeopardy! has seen its own March Madness this year, beginning with one of the most awkward conclusions to an episode ever. And earlier this week, Michael Bilow accomplished a rare feat on the popular quiz show, managing to hit a high and low during his brief stint.

Bilow, a North Shore native and Deerfield High graduate, quickly impressed audiences in his first appearance on the show, beating out his competitors to ring in and cover categories from African-American authors to the show's wordplay staples. Even long-time host (and increasingly cantankerous) Alex Trebek seemed pleasantly surprised by Bilow's willingness to wager big and repeatedly "make it a true Daily Double." On his third day of play, Bilow hit the fourth highest daily total ever, betting over $19,000 on his "The Godfather" response to the Final Jeopardy question.

Bilow's LOL at hearing his $57,198 total on Tuesday wouldn't see an encore, as he found himself eliminated after the Double Jeopardy round on Wednesday's pre-taped show. He seemed off his game mid-week; he bit it on two Daily Doubles, ending the regular game with a negative score and failed to make it to Final Jeopardy. In interviews Bilow seems unbowed by the events, saying he was well-aware of the fleeting nature of Jeopardy victories and just wanted to "enjoy it and take a couple of shots."

The fourth time applying was the charm for Bilow, a Yale graduate and erstwhile spelling bee champ, who worked in television before pursuing a doctorate in computer science at UCLA. If you'd like to try your luck, the Adult Online Test (the first step to competing on the show) will be open from April 16-18.