BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WTHR) — Tyler Combs' parents always told their friends he would be on "Jeopardy!" some day.
Now as senior at Indiana University, Combs certainly has a lot of questions about his future. But if anyone can come up with the answers, it's him.
He grew up on a steady diet of "Jeopardy!" with his parents. The family played along at 7:30 every night in their Greenfield living room while watching on Channel 13.
"My parents would always say, 'Tyler will be on 'Jeopardy!' for sure.' Dreams do come true," Combs said.
For Combs, the third time really was the charm.
"It started out 18,000 took the test. Only 300 made it to the auditorium phase, then 15 people made it to the show," Combs said. "I've already beat out 18,000. That's good enough for me."
Combs said his parents were speechless when he called to tell them the news.
"The phone went silent. Then she says, 'You're kidding! This is not a joke? Are you joking? Don't be joking about this!' No mom I am not joking," he remembered.
He found out he'd be on the show — on the College Tournament — in mid-January. He taped in February. The show aired Friday night.
His main goal was to not freeze up because he's done it before.
"I competed on 'Brain Game,' and the first time I was on, I literally froze. People gave me grief for that for years," he said.
He did make two more appearances on "Brain Game" that were not so dramatic. While he can't talk about his appearance on "Jeopardy!" he can talk about the experience.
"I can reveal I answered at least one question, which I can't say about my first 'Brain Game' episode," he said.
Combs said being on "Jeopardy!" was an "amazing experience" and way better than he thought it would be.
Now that the experience is over he's back to thinking about his future. Still unsure of what the future holds, Combs joked that recommendation letter from Alex Trebek might give him a leg up.
SPOILER ALERT:
Tyler was in second place after the first round, then took a commanding lead through the Double Jeopardy! round. While he missed the Final Jeopardy! question, he finished with $28,400 and advanced to next week's semifinal games.
According to the Jeopardy! Facebook page, Combs' semifinal game will air on Monday, April 13. The final rounds will air Thursday and Friday.
"Jeopardy!" airs at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 13.