WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - He'll take 'Consumer Protection' for $200, Alex.
Richard Cordray, director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will appear on Jeopardy! on Feb. 5, about 27 years after he won $45,303 as a contestant on the game show.
He will be part of a Battle of the Decades between former champions as the show celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Jeopardy!, with its long-time host Alex Trebek, quizzes contestants about a range of categories from pop culture to science. Participants must answer in the form of a question.
Cordray was an undefeated, five-team champion in 1987. In a video posted online by the game show, he said he used his winnings to buy a car and repay his father for money he had borrowed to go to law school.
"It was exciting, it was intimidating ... you recognize suddenly as you get there that two out of three contestants lose their game," said Cordray, an Ohio native who was that state's attorney general before joining the consumer bureau.
In the video, Cordray said he was surprised by how many people watched the show, and he recalled receiving "a couple of marriage proposals," but he noted he is now happily married.
Jennifer Howard, a spokeswoman for the consumer bureau, said Cordray would not take any money if he won. The show has already been taped.
The two contestants facing him, both season 10 alumni, won more than twice as much money as Cordray won on the show.
As for studying, Cordray said in the Jeopardy! video, "Back then I used books. Nowadays I think people use the computer." (Reporting by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Karey Van Hall, Toni Reinhold)
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