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Local Teacher Advances To Semifinals In ‘Jeopardy!’ Teachers Tournament

EUREKA SPRINGS (KFSM) — Eureka Springs teacher Jake Allen is moving on to the semi-finals in the ‘Jeopardy!’ Teachers Tournament after finishi...

EUREKA SPRINGS (KFSM) -- Eureka Springs teacher Jake Allen is moving on to the semi-finals in the 'Jeopardy!' Teachers Tournament after finishing second.

Making it on the popular quiz show was a long journey for Allen. He said he has been trying for nearly a decade to make the cut. "I was starting to doubt it," said Allen. "I had auditioned in person three times. Twice in Chicago and once in Dallas."

Years of persistence and patience to complete an item on his bucket list pushed him every step of the way. It's a lesson the K thru 12 gifted and talented teacher hopes his students can learn from.

"As soon as they hit something that's a challenge they tend to want to just stop and go do something that they're good at or something they can do easily. So it's definitely a good learning experience for them," said Allen.

With family and friends by his side, Allen watched his fate play out on the big screen, "It was very bizarre and hard to believe, but at the same time I had been working at it for a long time."

In the meantime, Allen said he's happy to be moving forward and is excited for what the future holds.

"I've always wanted to write that novel, and now that 'Jeopardy!' is over and done with I've decided I'm gonna do that because it's the next brave thing on my list," Allen said.

You can watch Allen's fate play out next Wednesday (May 16) during the 'Jeopardy!' Teachers Tournament, which airs on channel 5 at 4:30 p.m.

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