1990 Super Jeopardy! quarterfinalist: $5,000.
Burns appeared on the original version of Jeopardy! hosted by Art Fleming in 1965 (appearing in games #446-#450, aired 1965-12-13 through 1965-12-17), winning a record $7,070 in 5 games ($5,210 in his first four), with his top winnings for a single day coming in at $2,750. He returned to play 3 additional games in the 1966 Tournament of Champions, which aired 1966-10-17 to 1966-10-21, to become the Grand Champion and take home an additional $4,040 + a weeklong trip for 2 to Blackbeard's Castle in St. Thomas aboard Pan Am + a trophy called the annual Griffin Award. (Burns had to forfeit the trip when he asked to have it rescheduled when his daughter was hospitalized.) While Burns's cumulative total of $11,110 is believed to have stood for the duration of the Fleming era, his 5-day total was broken twice in 1969, by Dr. Elliot Shteir, a dentist from Somerville, New Jersey, winner of $8,230, and Mrs. Jane Gschwend, a housewife from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, winner of $8,250. All three of these champions returned to play for charity in the special show #2000 (Cameron as "a businessman from Larchmont, New York" playing for "Camphill Special Schools, Beaver Run, Glenmoore, Pennsylvania"). Cameron won $700 for his charity, Gschwend won $1,000 for her charity, and Shteir won $420 for his two charities. The three champions also split 2,000 Bantam paperback bestsellers. Before the game began, Mel Brooks made an appearance in character as the 2,000-Year-Old Man. Brooks asked Cameron while congratulating him, "Burns is your--is your first name?" "That's right," Cameron replied, "as in 'third degree.'" Brooks replied, "Burns? "Third Degree Burns"? I thought I came on to do the jokes?!"
Burns Cameron is introduced along with his previous 5-day total at the top of the 2,000th episode of the Fleming era, aired 1972-02-21.
Burns Cameron shakes hands with the 2,000-Year-Old Man.
The top three champions of the Fleming era won a combined $2,120 for charity on Fleming-era Show #2000. (Shteir was given an additional $200 before the Final Jeopardy! Round after a missed Daily Double late in the game brought his score down to $20.)
Jeopardy! Message Board user names: GrandChamp65, Third Degree |
