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The Englewood native, who now works in New Orleans, appeared on "Jeopardy!" last week, winning twice, got shoutouts from Gayle King and the Louisiana Secretary of State, and took home more than $27,000.
"It's a dream come true," Sopher, a producer for WWL TV, said. "I definitely feel a lot of gratitude to all of the people who were so supportive me. I got so many people reaching out from all different parts of my life."
Sopher has wanted to be on "Jeopardy!" since he first started watching the show in 2010. After years of trying out and not hearing back, he found himself on the "Jeopardy!" stage. And he did not disappoint. Sopher won two games before falling in his third outing. Most impressively, he got all three Final Jeopardy! clues correct.
"I really didn't think I was going to win," Sopher said. "I just felt like we had a very high caliber quality of contestants that week."
Having spent years playing along with "Jeopardy!" at home, Sopher confirms playing the game in-person is much harder than it looks.
"There's an added amount of pressure," Sopher said. "You need to try and bring your nerves down as much as you can, I couldn't find a way to do that but winning my first game helped bring my nerves down. I was jittery from anticipation."
Sopher said his nerves probably led to him whiffing on some easy clues or making some guesses that might puzzle someone watching at home. But at the end of the day, he will always be a two-day "Jeopardy!" champion.
"I was just happy I could compete at all, let alone win two games," Sopher said.
Englewood has also shown its support for Sopher. Sopher said his grandmother has been getting flooded with congratulations when she walks around town.
"She's been feeling the love and that means a lot to me," Sopher said. "She's been an avid watcher of "Jeopardy!" and I'm glad I could make her proud."
Sopher said his mom told him a synagogue delayed starting services so everyone could watch his episode.
"It's been really cool to see the support from the community," Sopher said.
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