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The Englewood native was defeated on the "Jeopardy!" that aired on Friday, July 14, ending his two-game winning streak. Through three games, Sopher won $27,202.
Sopher, who now works as a producer for a TV station in New Orleans, has dreamed of being on "Jeopardy!" since he started watching the show in 2010.
"I immediately tried out the first opportunity I got," said Sopher. "I've been trying out every year since then, but never made any progress."
Sopher finally got his big break last year when he received a callback and took part in a series of auditions. He found out he was going to be on the show via text while covering a press conference.
"I was freaking out internally," Sopher said. "It felt like the longest progress conference in my life. But it was really exciting, I had to tell my bosses I was going to miss a few days."
An avid "Jeopardy!" fan himself, Sopher said getting the news was one of the happiest moments of his grandmother's life.
"What more can a grandson wish for?" Sopher said.
Sopher's third game on "Jeopardy!" was essentially over before it started, as he was in third place after the initial "Jeopardy!" round, trailing the leader by $8,000.
Double Jeopardy! was no better for Sopher, who again found himself in third place, now trailing the leader by $23,000 entering "Final Jeopardy!". With nothing but pride to play for, this was the clue:
In 1930 this author wrote “Murder at Full Moon”, a horror-mystery novel set in a fictional town in central California
Sopher correctly guessed John Steinbeck but had to settle for third place with $11,000.
In three games, Sopher got 43 out of 53 clues correct, was two for four on Daily Doubles and correctly guessed all three Final Jeopardy! clues.
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