Local trivia buff's 'Jeopardy' run lasts two nights

by Ross Courtney
Yakima Herald-Republic

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Lance Durbin got the right answer -- or question -- on Final Jeopardy. He just didn't have enough money to bet.

Durbin, a Yakima resident with a community college degree, placed second in the "Jeopardy" program that aired Friday night. That ended his two-day run on the classic TV trivia game show.

"I think 'Jeopardy' is sort of the Rolls Royce of game shows, so if you can win on 'Jeopardy' you have some pretty good bragging rights," he said after watching the program with his wife, Marcia, and 9-year-old daughter, Emma.

Durbin, 45, was the winner on the show televised Thursday and kept $29,799 in prize money. His second-place finish Friday earned him a $2,000 consolation prize.

Durbin entered Final Jeopardy on Friday trailing Ric Leach of Florida, and the final category was "Presidents."

Both men correctly responded "Who is William?" to the clue about the third most common first name behind James and John among U.S. presidents. However, Durbin ended up with about $3,000 less than his opponent.

The programs Durbin was on were filmed in February in Culver City, Calif.

Durbin said he didn't really practice for Jeopardy, although Wednesday night trivia contests at Bert's Tavern are one of his favorite pastimes.