April 02--Michael Bilow says it was not as much of an in-your-face cackle -- as some have characterized it -- as it was a reaction of unabashed joy when he won his third straight "Jeopardy!" contest on a big wager shown Tuesday.
Bilow had bet $19,798 on his final Jeopardy question: the name of the 1972 Oscar-winning movie that comedian Rodney Dangerfield credited with inspiring his most famous line.
Bilow's answer -- what is "The Godfather"? -- was correct and, after looking puckishly into the camera, he tilted his head back and laughed.
"It was shock and being overjoyed at what I had done," said Bilow, 27, who grew up on Chicago's North Shore and is now a UCLA graduate student.
His winning run ended with the show that aired Wednesday, his fourth contest. After falling into a hole, Bilow missed on a couple of Daily Doubles in the Double Jeopardy round, eliminating him from the show. He walked away with $96,000 in total winnings, plus an additional $1,000 consolation prize, and a piece of "Jeopardy!" history.
His big gamble on Tuesday's show brought his winnings that day to $57,198 -- the fourth-highest single-contest total in the show's history, a show spokeswoman said. That achievement put his name up there with "Jeopardy!" legends like Roger Craig, Ken Jennings and Arthur Chu.
"To be in the same category as these champions who are incredibly well-known -- and loved or hated -- is amazing," Bilow said in an interview Wednesday.
Born in Chicago, Bilow grew up in Highland Park and graduated from Deerfield High School in 2005. His parents, Paul and Sharon Bilow, a doctor and a lawyer, respectively, still live in Highland Park and helped him study for the show.
His mother said it was both thrilling and nerve-wracking to be in the audience for the contests, which were filmed in January.
"I went to the doctor the next week and had never had high blood pressure in my life," Sharon Bilow said. "And he said, 'What is going on?' That's what it's like."
Michael Bilow had his first taste of academic competitive glory when he won a spelling bee in the fourth grade at Kipling Elementary School in Deerfield.
"I was this tiny kid beating much bigger kids," Bilow said. "There's a lot of risk involved, but when you win, the reward is enormous, which is ridiculous to say about a spelling bee. You fall in love with that feeling."
He was back at it in 2000, at age 12, when he "dazzled the audience with his confidence spelling tongue twisters" before he "stumbled on 'miscellanea,' " according to a Tribune story about the competition. He barely missed the national spelling bee.
In high school, Bilow participated in various academic pursuits, such as Model United Nations and the Scholastic Bowl team, of which he was captain. He credited his coaches, Marty Esgar and Michael Hinton, with helping him become a better competitor.
After graduating from Yale University with a degree in math, Bilow took a writing internship for the Disney Channel show, "The Suite Life on Deck." Now he's pursuing a doctorate in computer science at UCLA, while also performing improv comedy once a week.
These varied interests helped prepare him for his "Jeopardy!" stint, Bilow said.
"You need lots of broad -- and not particularly deep -- knowledge," he said.
In his four shows, Bilow established himself as an exciting contestant willing to take risks, said Maggie Speak, a producer for the game show.
"He was very charming and he had a lot of energy," Speak said. "And he was a little ballsy, too, right?"
About 100,000 people per year take the online test to compete on "Jeopardy!," Speak said. Of those, about 2,500 to 3,000 are brought in for auditions. Only 400 contestants are chosen each season.
Bilow had applied three times before getting the fateful call in December, he said. He knew he wanted to make the most of it and that meant taking some risks.
"I wish I could have won more," Bilow said. "But everyone who goes on 'Jeopardy!' loses at some point. You might as well enjoy it and take a couple shots and that's what I did."
gtrotter@tribpub.com
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