TAMPA, Fla. — One of Tampa's own appeared on Thursday night's "Jeopardy!" episode.
10 Tampa Bay sat down with Troy Meyer at his home hours before his appearance on the popular game show.
"Dream come true is sort of a cliché, but it really is a dream come true," Meyer said.
Meyer explained he felt nervous the night before he competed, but once he got on the Alex Trebek stage – he felt at home. Having competed and earned several titles in other trivia competitions, his focus to answer correctly took over.
"It was all just a bit of a blur," Meyer said. "It happens so fast."
It was also a dream for his wife, Genevieve Sheehan, to watch him compete. Sheehan competed on "Jeopardy!" herself in 2009.
Sitting in the audience, she recalled playing along with him throughout the game. It almost felt like she was a player's coach.
"I was so excited for him," Sheehan said. "I wanted to be his rock and his cheering squad."
Perhaps, love is a game for the couple.
The two met through a "Jeopardy!" website. Once Sheehan found out she would compete in the show, she said she played against fans online, and her first match was against her husband.
"I certainly didn't think that I would find my husband through 'Jeopardy!'" Sheehan said.
The two kept in touch but said it wasn't until Sheehan's appearance on the show that Meyer knew what she looked like.
"It's sort of the strangest way to like see someone in person for the first time," Meyer said, laughing.
The couple's unique way of meeting would later be featured in The New York Times in 2011.
This year, Sheehan also made an appearance on another game show, "The Chase."
The couple has now been together for 13 years and spends their days chasing their 10-year-old son around the aquarium or the zoo.
Aside from finishing crosswords and puzzles, Meyer is busy working on his record label while Sheehan works in the tech industry.
While Meyer was preoccupied with hopes of winning on stage, he also thought of his mother, Cheryl, who passed away last year.
"It was emotional up there without her being there," Meyer said.
Meyer said it was his mother's dream to watch him compete. She raised him as a single mother and the show allowed the two to create meaningful memories together.
Meyer dedicated his experience to his mother and said he hopes to make his following in the trivia world proud.
"I hope I don't let them down," Meyer said, chuckling.
If you want to know how Meyer did on Thursday night's episode, keep reading.
On Thursday night's episode, Meyer became the new "Jeopardy!" champion, taking home $27,600.
You can watch the returning champion compete again at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, on 10 Tampa Bay.