A teacher from the Hudson Valley has made it to the finals in Jeopardy's "most prestigious tournament of the year." He'll now battle the two biggest names in recent Jeopardy! history.

On Wednesday, Francois Barcomb of New Paltz won his semifinal match-up for what producers say is the show’s "most competitive and prestigious event: The Tournament of Champions."

Barcomb finished with $34,801, the highest total in the semis, while defeating a university administer from Princeton, NJ and a physician healthcare analyst from Pittsburgh, PA. The 11th-grade science teacher also scored the most in the quarterfinals of the Tournament of Champions.

The tournament's two-day final will air Thursday and Friday. To win the $250,000 grand-prize, Barcomb will have to beat James Holzhauer, who won 32 straight games last season, and Emma Boettcher the contestant who ended Holzhauer's epic streak.

This past May, Barcomb finished first in this year's Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament. The Hendrick Hudson physics teacher defeated an Albany history teacher and Maryland music teacher to win the $100,000 grand prize.

Barcomb reached the Teachers Tournament semi-finals after he battled two other teachers and came out victorious, finishing with $20,600. He finished with $18,801 in the semi-finals, defeating a chemistry teacher from Austin, TX and an English teacher from Stamford, CT.

In July, we learned Barcomb was invited back to participate in the show's highly-anticipated Tournament of Champions. The teacher and 14 other top competitors were in the running for $250,000 grand prize.

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