A sports reporter from Arlington, Virginia...

Eddie Timanus

Eddie gained nationwide recognition in 1999 as the first blind contestant to not only compete but become a five-time winner on Jeopardy! Eddie is a sportswriter for USA Today who lives in Arlington, Virginia and since his Jeopardy! appearances he has served as an occasional guest speaker for various organizations that serve or advocate for people with disabilities. A natural game player of everything from poker to board games, he says "I may not be the best, I just enjoy playing." He is engaged and will be married in July.

Hi, I'm Eddie Timanus, five-time Jeopardy! champion. Don't forget to watch me on Jeopardy! in the Million Dollar Masters tournament, but right now you're watching me on jeopardy.com.

When did you first appear on Jeopardy!?
Uh, my first appearance was in October of 1999.

How much money did you win in your previous competitions?
My total winnings for five shows was $69,700, and, of course, the Camaros.

Did you get recognized from your previous Jeopardy! appearances?
I--I gained fame to a degree, but also, lost something of an identity because when I'm seen on the street, it's "Hey, aren't you that guy from Jeopardy!?" instead of, uh... But I'm really impressed with the ones who remember my name--"Hey, aren't you Eddie?"--so... "Well, that's good..." Actually, it happens more--even after two and a half years now, it's still happening on almost a daily basis, so, that's pretty incredible.

What is your fondest memory from your previous appearances on Jeopardy!?
About my fourth show, was probably my best one where I just put it away early and nailed a Daily Double early in the Double Jeopardy! Round and just put it on ice. It was a mythology question, and I just really could pretty much play that one out for fun after that.

"A 5-time champion, he went on to become a semifinalist in the Tournament of Champions. A sports reporter from Arlington, Virginia..."

2014 Battle of the Decades invitee: $5,000.
2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions Round 1 player: $5,000.
2002 Million Dollar Masters tournament quarterfinalist: $10,000.
2000 Tournament of Champions semifinalist: $5,000.
Season 16 5-time champion: $69,700 + 2 Chevrolet Camaros.

Won $50,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on 2004-11-26.

As an accommodation for a disability, Eddie was given a card with the name of the categories in Braille at the beginning of each round.

Eddie's mother Terri Timanus appeared on the show in Season 8.