Tom Walsh

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Tom Walsh (born August 26, 1964) was a contestant who appeared on the syndicated game show Jeopardy! from January 5 through January 14, 2004.

At the beginning of the 20th season of Jeopardy!, a long-standing game rule, which stipulated that winning contestants must leave after five wins, was eliminated. Under the new rules, contestants can play as long as they keep winning. This new rule allowed Tom Walsh to break three original Jeopardy! records:

Most consecutive appearances on Jeopardy! (8 days - 7 wins, 1 loss)
Highest total winnings on Jeopardy! in non-tournament play (USD $186,900 [$184,900 in his winning episodes])
Highest 5-day total on Jeopardy! (USD $154,200 during days 3-7)

Walsh's Jeopardy! records have since been broken by Ken Jennings. His milestone of consecutive appearances has also since been broken by David Madden (20 days - 19 wins) and Tom Kavanaugh (9 days - 8 wins), currently placing him fourth all-time in that category. Madden also passed Walsh and moved into second place on the non-tournament winnings list, with a total of $432,400.

In the Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions, Walsh received a bye into the second round and appeared on April 15, 2005 where he had a slight lead going into Final Jeopardy. However, he missed the final question, causing him to lose the game and be eliminated from the tournament.

As of appearing on Jeopardy, Tom reported to work for the conservative publication National Review.

Tom Walsh

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