I WON ON JEOPARDY, BABY.

Byline: JILL PAINTER

Staff Writer

Brian Robin was a self-proclaimed geek as a teenager. He read everything he could get his hands on, and to this day, he never leaves home without reading material.

That didn't make him cool, but it made him a fine candidate for "Jeopardy."

Robin, a senior account executive for Reseda-based Brener Zwikel & Associates, showed off his penchant for trivia knowledge in an episode that aired Tuesday.

"It's one of the most fun things I've ever done in my life," Robin said. "It was an absolute blast to be in a zone like an athlete would be and to completely block out everything around you and to be able to display that knowledge and intellect n front of millions of people. It was an absolute rush."

Robin, who lives in Quartz Hill, isn't an athlete, but he has dealt with them most of his career. He once made a living as a sports writer and now works as a public relations employee at professional golf tournaments.

He missed the first question, then dominated his opponents for nearly the rest of the show. He earned $2,000 for knowing an answer under the "Make it Singular" category. The answer was Phalanges. The question, what is phalanx, of course.

Robin, however, didn't get the "Final Jeopardy." The answer was: "In 1839, Thomas Buchanan, cousin of a U.S. president, became the first governor of this future country."

Robin guessed Brazil, but he was wrong. Lucky for Robin, his opponents didn't get it right, either. The answer was Liberia.

Robin won the show and $8,599. He'll be on today's show as well, but contestants aren't permitted to divulge how far they advanced. Robin, 42, was a contestant on "Win Ben Stein's Money," on Comedy Central in 1998 and won $5,000.

"I have an ability to retain useless knowledge," Robin said. "A show like Jeopardy really rewards you to summon useless knowledge in five seconds. It's just a gift."

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