'Jeopardy' player left embarrassed after Ken Jennings showed his picture as a child on the show
The former kids champion, Skyler Hornback knew what was coming.
July 14 2025, Published 8:45 a.m. ET
"Jeopardy!" contestants stand out for sharing stories about their journeys, as it allows fans to connect with them. But one player was embarrassed after the show's host, Ken Jennings, pulled out a picture from his first appearance on the show, from 12 years ago. Former "Kids Week" champion, Skyler Hornback, made his comeback to the show in the invitational "Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions" featuring past winners. During the introductions, Jennings brought up Hornback's first win on the show left him saying, "Oh man! I knew you were going to do that."
Jennings and the players were chatting away during the introductions, where the host talked about their first stints on the show. Coming to Hornback, Jennings mentioned that he appeared on the show exactly 12 years ago, and it was really hard for the viewers to recognize him now.
He explained that Hornback, during the Kids Week, alongside Alex Trebek and won the game. "Let's take a look at Skyler, back in the day," the host said, pulling out the photograph showing a young and chubby Hornback with thick glasses and a wide smile at the podium. As soon as the photo came up on the screen, Hornback was thoroughly embarrassed. "I knew you were going to do that!" he said as he nodded at Jennings.
As it turns out, Hornback appeared on "Jeopardy!" exactly 12 years to the day after his first run. Back in 2013, Hornback took the game by storm and went into Final Jeopardy with a massive lead. In the final round of the show, he doubled with the "Civil War" category. Once Trebek read the clue, "Abraham Lincoln called this document, which took effect in 1863, a fit and necessary war measure," Hornback seemed to be ready with the answer.
Trebek mentioned that Hornback, who had a great night, had great knowledge about the Civil War and was going to take the win. He then revealed that the young champ had written the correct answer, "Emancipation Proclamation." He further added that he had even spelt everything correctly, and his massive wager of $30,000 took his total to a whopping $66,000.
After winning as a kid, Hornback shared that it had a great impact on his life, as people recognized him even years after winning the show. In an interview shared on the show's website, he shared that after the big win, he was invited to appear on local radio stations and television segments, as well. Furthermore, the money allowed him to buy his first vehicle at 16 and travel abroad to Greece and Italy during high school.
On his return during the Tournament of Champions, Hornback navigated the board of answers as best he could but failed to win the show this time. Nevertheless, he gave the fans a great moment to cherish the legacy of one of America's longest-running and most popular game shows on TV.
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