A Little Rock native who won $75,000 on Jeopardy! as a teen has returned to the game show after six years to compete in its first team tournament.
Leonard Cooper was a senior at eStem Public Charter High School when he took home the top prize in the quiz show's Teen Tournament in 2012. He graduated from eStem in 2013 and is currently pursuing a master's degree in biology at Rhode Island's Brown University, where he received his bachelor's degree.
Jeopardy!'s All-Star Games will feature a collection of some of the "winningest and most popular players in the program's recent history," the television show said in a statement. The tournament will air in a series of 10 episodes, beginning today and concluding March 5.
Cooper's first-round games are scheduled to air from Monday to Feb. 27.
"They told us they were going to be doing something new, but we didn't know what it was yet," Cooper said Tuesday. "So it was really exciting to hear back from them in general."
Even though the tournament took place in January, Cooper said he couldn't comment about the outcome of the competition because participants and their families aren't allowed to share results until the episodes air.
His mother, Judy, said it was difficult to keep her son's 2012 victory a secret.
"I had to keep a straight face," she said, recalling the Teen Tournament. "So I'm just like about to blow up, wanting to say something because I'm so proud, but at the same time knowing I had to keep everything confidential."
Now she has to keep the games' outcome to herself again.
Leonard Cooper described the experience of returning to Jeopardy! after six years as a "completely different vibe." He was 16 when he first appeared on the show. He's 23 now.
"It was definitely a different atmosphere," he said. "Coming and playing against teenagers and kids who were younger than you, versus coming in, being the youngest one there and playing against these people you've been watching."
Cooper will play on a team alongside Austin Rogers, who won more than $400,000 during a 12-day winning streak and works as a bartender in New York, and Roger Craig, who holds the record for most money won in a single show at $77,000. Five other teams also will compete for a top prize of $1 million.
The 18 contestants were chosen primarily on the basis of their previous success, with an edge going to fan favorites as determined by social media, executive producer Harry Friedman told The Associated Press.
Cooper was the only teen tournament champion and the youngest player picked to compete. His 2012 victory drew national attention when he bet $0 in his response to a clue in the final round looking for the person who said, "The eyes of the world are upon you" on June 6, 1944.
When Cooper's written answer was revealed, it said: "Some guy in Normandy. But I just won $75,000!" Even though he didn't write down the correct response -- Dwight Eisenhower -- he still won.
After his victory, Cooper appeared on The Today Show, and a headline on the website Deadspin hailed him as a "Jeopardy folk hero."
The All-Star Games mark the first time in the show's run that players will compete as teams. The full teams won't play directly against one another, with one person from each team designated to compete in a game's first round, another to play Double Jeopardy and the third to play the final round.
The winning teammates will share the $1 million top prize, or about $330,000 each. The second- and third-place prizes that will be split are $300,000 and $100,000.
Cooper said he was excited to be play alongside Craig and Rogers, who called the former teen winner a "rookie sensation."
The three had an additional edge, Cooper said, because of their geographic proximity to one another. Because the three all live in New England, they were able to meet multiple times after the teams were set via a draft to study and develop strategies.
"It was also great just hanging out with them," Cooper said. "They were great guys. I couldn't have picked a better team."
State Desk on 02/20/2019
The Associated Press contributed to this story.