Steve Newman, five-time Jeopardy champion (pictured in 1991, left, and now, right) and father of a UMD student returns to the show tonight.

Sophomore biochemistry major Eric Newman’s memories of middle school are full of geography questions: What bay contains the Andaman Sea? What country lies near the island of Bouganville?

The three-time geography bee champion became a whiz through his father’s constant drills throughout the day. Now, the roles have reversed.

For the last few months, Eric has been training his father, Steve Newman, 47, of Rockville, for the challenge of a lifetime: Jeopardy’s “Ultimate Tournament of Champions,” which began airing Feb. 9.

Though Newman’s first round was taped last week, the father and son are keeping mum on the outcome until the episode airs tonight at 7:30 on ABC.

Eric said he devised a three-pronged method to prepare his father.

“I’d go online to search different things that I’d think he’d be weak at,” Eric said. “Mostly modern pop culture and modern movies.”

The two also perused the almanac for name lists from philosophers to world leaders and Eric’s Quiz Bowl question packets for Jeopardy!-style materials.

In addition, Newman has been training for speed using computer and Playstation 2 Jeopardy! games.

Newman said his two sons, Eric and Adam, also provide moral support during competitions; he carries a “lucky” keychain with a picture of the two for motivation.

The 1979 university alumnus is one of 135 former game show winners competing in the 15-week tournament. The two remaining contestants will play in a final match-up against Ken Jennings, the record holder for the most money won on a game show to date. The ultimate winner will receive $2 million.

Newman made his first appearance on the show in 1991 and became a five-time champion, the maximum allowed at the time. With the $75,502 earned from his winnings, Newman paid off the mortgage on his house and took his family on road trips into all 48 contiguous states and parts of Canada. In 2003, the rules changed so a player can continue on the game show until he or she loses. Through the “Ultimate Tournament of Champions,” the game show aims to establish the definitive Jeopardy! winner. Newman competed on his high school It’s Academic quiz show team, but he focused his competitive energy on tennis in college.

“I believe Maryland had a terrific Quiz Bowl, but I didn’t know about it,” he said. “I wish I had.”

Newman watched Jeopardy! regularly, but he didn’t seriously consider applying to be a contestant until graduate school, when he began to hunger for knowledge outside of his field.

“I got kind of tired just reading computer science all the time,” he said.

Newman’s training became a constant practice and a passionate hobby.

“I read everything I could — cookbooks to almanacs to the encyclopedia,” he said, “and also I listened to books on tape while in traffic.”

After a while, he said, the joy of knowledge became the primary fuel for his studies.

“I just stopped caring about the show, so I just got better and better,” he said.