Colby Burnett

Colby Burnett
Born Chicago, IL
Occupation World History instructor at Fenwick High School
Known for Jeopardy! champion and game show King of the Nerds

Colby Burnett is the first Jeopardy! contestant to have won both the Teachers Tournament and the Tournament of Champions. Burnett, who is a teacher at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois,[1] won the Teachers Tournament in November 2012.[2] Later, in February 2013, Burnett won the show's Tournament of Champions, taking home the $250,000 grand prize. He later appeared on season 3 of TBS's reality game show King of the Nerds.[3] Governor Pat Quinn named December 18 as "Colby Burnett day" in Illinois.[4]

Education

Colby Burnett graduated from Fenwick High School. He then went on to Northwestern in Evanston where he double-majored in political science and history. He now works at his old high school, Fenwick, where he teaches several AP history courses.[4]

Early life

Colby Burnett grew up in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago.[5] He credits his mother with keeping him out of trouble, as well as enhancing his intellect by buying him an encyclopedia, which he has read from cover to cover.[6] After winning Jeopardy!, Burnett bought his mom a new home in a better area of Chicago.[5] Controversially, the high school teacher believes that Mali caused the Apartheid.[7] When asked what the greatest accomplishment of his life was, the Jeopardy champion stated, "knowing a duke of Sealand."[8]

Reception

Colby Burnett received mixed receptions among Jeopardy! fans because of his highly expressive eyebrows and a demeanor which came out as cocky.[9] However, he was received much better when he appeared on King of the Nerds.[10]

Social life

Many of Burnett's fans have raised questions about how the star acts in normal, day-to-day life off-camera, as his actions on air led to reception issues (see above). Off camera, however, Burnett is a different man. Burnett has become an influential role model at Fenwick High School due to his experience in coping with bullying. Using past personal events, Burnett is able to tell a strong and motivating story to many who are going through issues that were similar to his own.[11] While he seems like a person that wouldn't care less about others due to his actions on T.V, he shows the opposite at his job. Burnett cares for his students, and actively engages in social activities with them. He is highly regarded by every student at Fenwick High School and is loved for his sense of humor and wit.[6] Due to his remarkable brain power, he is able to greet most everyone by name when passing them by in the hallways, on public transportation, or even at restaurants and other public areas. In addition, Burnett is a regular in the crowd at many athletic events[12] hosted at Fenwick High School, and can be seen constantly cheering words of encouragement for his team or yelling ferociously at the referees on particular plays.

References

  1. ↑ "Burnett, Colby / My Home Page". www.fenwickfriars.com. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  2. ↑ "Oak Park teacher Colby Burnett wins Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament". Yahoo News. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  3. ↑ "King of the Nerds - King of the Nerds - Season 3 - Meet Colby - tbs". TBS. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  4. 1 2 "Illinois.gov - Illinois Government News Network (IGNN) - Search the News Results". www3.illinois.gov. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  5. 1 2 "Teacher Blows Tournament Champs Away In 'Jeopardy!'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  6. 1 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOKTECT_9ao, retrieved 2015-10-30 Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ "King Of The Nerds with Colby Burnett!". Spreaker. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  8. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nov4IuCAvb0, retrieved 2015-10-31 Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ "> Colby Burnett Is The Cockiest Guy To Ever Stand At A Jeopardy Podium". Barstool Sports. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  10. ↑ "Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament: Fenwick teacher Colby Burnett wins $100,000 grand prize". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  11. ↑ "Colby Burnett". IMDb. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Basketball - Boys / Basketball Home". Retrieved March 23, 2016.
Preceded by
Roger Craig		 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions winner
2013 		Succeeded by
Ben Ingram
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