GREENFIELD — If a heat map could track the level of excitement coming from a group of people watching a game show, Greenfield would be lit up in bright red this week.
Greenfield-Central High School graduate Tyler Combs continues to rack up wins on his run through the “Jeopardy!” College Championship, winning in his semifinal match Monday, April 13, after running away with a first-round victory on Friday, April 10.
He’ll now appear in the two-part final on Thursday and Friday (April 16 and 17), at 7:30 p.m. on WTHR-TV (Channel 13).
Combs — a senior at Indiana University who is finishing out the semester online at his parents’ Greenfield home — has amassed quite a following during his television debut.
“I’ve been getting a lot of pictures and videos from friends of them watching with their families. They’re all freaking out hanging on the edge of their seats,” said Combs, who was in a jovial mood Tuesday after watching his second consecutive win. He has not been allowed to discuss his performance on the show at all until the episodes air. They were taped more than two months ago.
Combs has kept things exciting in the first two rounds — using decisive stretches and daring wagers to seize command of both games.
The first night, his buzzer was on fire, as Combs answered a string of consecutive questions to hold on to the lead, making him untouchable in the Final Jeopardy round. He answered 29 questions right and only one wrong when buzzing in.
In Monday’s show, he trailed most of the night until a late flurry put him in range heading into the Final Jeopardy clue. He wagered his entire total — $16,400 — and nailed the answer to double his score.
One of the other players, Kayla Kalhor of the University of Florida, also got the correct answer and also wagered almost all of her money, but she was too far behind to overtake Combs. The third contestant, Beni Keown of Northwestern University, who led for much of the game, gave an incorrect answer and finished third.
Combs breathed a heavy sigh of relief and then broke into a smile after host Alex Trebek read Keown’s response to the clue.
Combs got off to a slow start. He was in third place heading into Double Jeopardy but moved into contention after finding and correctly answering both Daily Double clues in the second round.
Combs has been self-isolating and watching the show with his parents — Hobert and Vicki Combs — who were in the studio audience during their son’s run on the popular television game show. While they already know the outcome, it’s still thrilling to watch, said Combs, who spends the duration of each show live-tweeting and corresponding with friends and family via Twitter and Zoom.
“People have been giving me a hard time for stressing them out so much, after being in third then coming back for the big finish in the second round,” he said.
Combs thinks it’s a blast to track feedback from his family and friends from IU. He’s gained 200 new followers on Twitter and Instagram since his “Jeopardy!” run began.
Keeping his success on the show a secret has been challenging but fun, said Combs, who taped the show in Studio City, Calif. Feb. 3-4. Despite ongoing prodding, he has not spilled any details.
“On the whole it seems like I‘ve had everyone firmly in the dark about whether I made it out of the initial rounds,” said Combs, joking that the acting class he took as a sophomore at IU is finally paying off.
While he can’t share details, Combs promises that the tournament play in the final rounds this week will be intense. In the two-match finals, the players’ scores over both games are added up to determine the champion.
Contrary to what people may think, Combs doesn’t get to keep the monetary winnings he racked up in his first two rounds — $28,400 and $32,800.
The monetary amounts are a point system designed to advance winners to the final round. At the end, there’s a $100,000 cash award for first place, $50,000 for second and $25,000 for third.
So, no matter what, Combs and the other two finalists will have quite a nice take-home prize when the finals conclude.
“It’s been an awesome ride so far,” Combs said. “I’m excited for everyone to see how it ends.”
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Tyler Combs will appear in the two-match finals of the “Jeopardy!” College Championship on Thursday and Friday (April 16 and 17).
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Channel: WTHR-TV (Channel 13)
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