Frank Spangenberg
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant
Frank Spangenberg (born July 26, 1957) garnered fame in 1990 when he set the five-day cumulative winnings record on the game show Jeopardy!
, becoming the first person to win more than $100,000 in five days on the show. He has been called one of the "veritable legends" of the show.
Department (now the Transit Bureau of the New York City Police Department
), won $102,597 in five days. On his fifth and final appearance, he set a one-day record of $30,600. Prior to 2003, winners were retired after five consecutive victories and due to a winnings cap in place on Jeopardy! at the time, Spangenberg was only able to keep $75,000 of his total winnings; he donated the remaining $27,597 to the Gift of Love Hospice, a facility operated by the Missionaries of Charity
.
Shortly after he won his first five games in 1990, he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman
and played the Jeopardy! home game on the show with Dave. He would also later appear on its successor program The Late Show
as a member of the New York City Transit Department choir.
Spangenberg also won Jeopardy!' s Tenth Anniversary Tournament in 1993, winning $41,800, and earlier appeared in the 1990 Tournament of Champions
(winning $5,000 for being a semifinalist) and Super Jeopardy! (winning $5,000 for being a quarterfinalist), then later in the 2002 Jeopardy! Million Dollar Masters (winning $10,000 for being a quarterfinalist) and 2005 Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions
tournaments. He won an additional $105,199 in the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, which, when combined with his original appearances and other tournament winnings, increased his grand total to $259,596.
In 2007, Spangenberg was one of sixteen former game show contestants invited to participate in GSN
's Grand Slam tournament. Seeded twelfth in the tournament, Spangenberg was matched up with former United States Navy officer David Legler, who had won a then-record setting $1.765 million on Twenty One
in 2000. Spangenberg only won one of the three rounds of play against Legler and lost after his allotted time ran out.
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Frank Spangenberg (born July 26, 1957) garnered fame in 1990 when he set the five-day cumulative winnings record on the game show Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, becoming the first person to win more than $100,000 in five days on the show. He has been called one of the "veritable legends" of the show.
Biography
Spangenberg, at the time a member of the New York City Transit PoliceNew York City Transit Police
The New York City Transit Police Department was a law enforcement agency in New York City that existed from 1953 to 1995. The roots of this organization go back to 1936 when Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia authorized the hiring of Special Patrolmen for the New York City Subway system...
Department (now the Transit Bureau of the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
), won $102,597 in five days. On his fifth and final appearance, he set a one-day record of $30,600. Prior to 2003, winners were retired after five consecutive victories and due to a winnings cap in place on Jeopardy! at the time, Spangenberg was only able to keep $75,000 of his total winnings; he donated the remaining $27,597 to the Gift of Love Hospice, a facility operated by the Missionaries of Charity
Missionaries of Charity
Missionaries of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in 1950 by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, which consists of over 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries...
.
Shortly after he won his first five games in 1990, he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
and played the Jeopardy! home game on the show with Dave. He would also later appear on its successor program The Late Show
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
as a member of the New York City Transit Department choir.
Spangenberg also won Jeopardy!
Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions
The Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions is an annual tournament featuring the longest-running champions from the past season or seasons of the TV quiz show Jeopardy! The tournament began in the show's first season in 1964 during Art Fleming's tenure as host, and continued into the Alex Trebek era of...
(winning $5,000 for being a semifinalist) and Super Jeopardy! (winning $5,000 for being a quarterfinalist), then later in the 2002 Jeopardy! Million Dollar Masters (winning $10,000 for being a quarterfinalist) and 2005 Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions
Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions
The Ultimate Tournament of Champions was a special fifteen-week single-elimination tournament that aired during the twenty-first season of the syndicated game show Jeopardy! that began airing on February 9, 2005 and concluded on May 25, 2005, covering 76 shows in all...
tournaments. He won an additional $105,199 in the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, which, when combined with his original appearances and other tournament winnings, increased his grand total to $259,596.
In 2007, Spangenberg was one of sixteen former game show contestants invited to participate in GSN
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
's Grand Slam tournament. Seeded twelfth in the tournament, Spangenberg was matched up with former United States Navy officer David Legler, who had won a then-record setting $1.765 million on Twenty One
Twenty One (game show)
Twenty One is an American game show which aired in the late 1950s. While it included the most popular contestant of the quiz show era, it became notorious for being a rigged quiz show which nearly caused the demise of the entire genre in the wake of United States Senate investigations...
in 2000. Spangenberg only won one of the three rounds of play against Legler and lost after his allotted time ran out.