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When a college student plays on Jeopardy!, fans most likely think that they will use their winnings to pay off their loans. For super champ Caleb Groen, he has other plans.
The law and policy student won 12 games in total, racking up a total of $349,968, including the second-place prize from his 13th game. He reached the top 20 of all-time players in regular play and broke the record for the highest payout this season. Groen, from Thousand Oaks, California, will return for the 2027 Tournament of Champions, so he won’t be gone for too long.
Now that his initial reign is over, the game show contestant will receive his payout. So, what will he spend it on?
While interning in New York before returning to Harvard Law in the fall, Groen plans to spend part of his money on a practical purchase. “I have a bike in Cambridge, and it’s been broken for a while. So definitely, I think, I’ll put some money towards a new bike,” he told ABC 7.
“But the remainder? I mean, it’s kind of enough that I’m thinking about maybe a down payment for a condo or a house or something like that. I think it would definitely be life-changing. I definitely want to up my charitable giving a little bit this year for sure. But, overall, it’s just been something very unexpected and a huge blessing.”
During an after-show chat, Groen told host Ken Jennings that he has “some promises to keep to people after coming on the show.”
“That’s very enticing,” the host said. “I want to hear some of these stories, like who loaned you money or….”
Groen also revealed that he has never been to Japan before, so he wants to go with some friends. However, he said going into his last year of law school, it might be hard, so he will probably have to wait until he is done with school.
“It’s always nice to have more money in the bank,” Groen said.
He had the support of not only fans and his school, but also his family — his mom, dad, and brother — who all attended every taping of the show.
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Peacock and Hulu
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