AN EPISCOPALIAN priest who won a popular game show in the United States four nights in a row has bowed out in the semi-finals of its Tournament of Champions.

The Rector of St Paul’s, Walla Walla, in Washington, the Revd David Sibley, first appeared on the show Jeopardy! in 2022, when he won a total of $78,000 over four nights (News, 7 October 2022). He was invited back to this year’s championships, in which he won the quarter-final, but lost in the semi-final, which was broadcast in the US last Friday.

Mr Sibley told the Church Times this week that he was “more than happy with my result”, and that he had been defeated by two contestants who “were just too fast on the buzzer”.

The last round of the semi-finals focused on the New Testament, but the question also required a knowledge of Shakespeare: “This city, now in Turkey, is the addressee of one of the New Testament epistles and the setting for The Comedy of Errors.” Mr Sibley guessed Corinth, but the answer was Ephesus. He was placed last out of the three quarter-finalists.

After his first appearance on the show in autumn 2022, he tithed his pre-tax winnings to his parish.

His success has earned him plenty of applause on social media. Rachel Parrish Hasty, who said that she was his former babysitter, posted: “I knew you were smart! Also remember your compline services you provide at age 7. Knew you would go far — very happy for you!”

Mr Sibley thanked his supporters in a Facebook post, this week: “One thing that I love about Jeopardy! is that it is, in many ways, a celebration of curiosity about the world around us. So if I can hope for any one thing, it’s that my little turn in the spotlight might inspire you to become more curious — about others, about our world — and in so doing, grow in love of God and neighbor for seeing the beautiful web in which we all live and move.”