Jeopardy

My Jeopardy Appearance

From July 10 through July 12, 2006, I appeared on the TV game show Jeopardy!. It was the culmination of a 20-plus-year dream of appearing on the show, that started with a bout of insomnia when I was 10.

I’m the youngest of six kids, and we grew up in a two-bedroom apartment. By the time I was about 10, my five brothers and sisters had all moved out. It’s not easy to sleep when you’re used to having someone in the room with you, so I’d turn on the TV to curb the lonliness.

At about 2:00 one morning, a game show came on for the very first time. . .Jeopardy!. I had heard my folks talk about the version that was on in the 60s and 70s, so I was instantly curious. . .and got hooked just as fast. I found myself waking up just to watch the show most nights, which made school the next day less than fun. The show finally made it into afternoon syndication in my market later that year, but by then it didn’t matter – I had already made it my goal to get on the show.

There were tests, and auditions, and then almost a year of staring at the phone, convinced it would never ring. Until March of 2006, when the good folks at Sony asked me to come out and pay them a visit. We taped in April, and I had to keep my mouth shut until the show made it to air. I don’t want to bore you with the details of the backstory – drop me a line if you want to hear about it – so I’ll just get into the show itself.

Night One, July 10, 2006.

I ended up competing not only against Rich, the returning champ, but a great gal named Hanna who Dawn and I met at the hotel. After what felt like an eternity, the battle was over, and I had finished the match as the champ.

Hanna and Rich were really fantastic people — I enjoyed spending the afternoon with them, and had a good time competing with them on the show.

I missed the Final Jeopardy that night - Of the world’s 10 largest islands, 3 belong all or in part to Indonesia & 3 belong to this country. My Response? “What is Japan?” which was wrong – it’s Canada. Didn’t matter, though – I had a decent lead and wagered conservatively, giving me $18,799 for my first victory as Jeopardy Champion!

Night Two, July 11, 2006

And, our returning champion. . . I’d waited over 20 years to hear those words with my face on the TV, and on July 11, it finally happened.

My second night on Jeopardy! was even more nerve-wrecking than the first. Once again, I had to face two great folks — Dena, who I didn’t get to talk to much, and Louis, a terrific guy who made the game more dramatic than I would have liked (ha ha ha). Final Jeopardy was fairly simple: On July 20, 1903 this company delivered its first product, purchased by a respected Detroiter. The answer was obvious – “What is Ford?” – but Louis had moved into within $400 of my total. He wagered that I wouldn’t know the answer, however. I bet big and became a 2-day champion with a $26,000 win!

July 12 Night 3, July 12, 2006

All good things must come to an end, and on July 12 my reign as champ ended as I faced Tom, a quiet kid from Virginia, and Susan, who was not only a librarian – but from Hawaii.

I held my ground as best I could during the early part of the game, but a poor showing during Daily Doubles coupled with some questionable responses toward the end of the game meant I was going to have my work cut out for me during Final. The category was Pro Football Geography – I felt the end approaching. And then, the Answer I took more flack for than anything else during my run – Of all the U.S. states with 2 current NFL teams, it’s the only state the Mississippi River touches. My response couldn’t have been more wrong – “What is Florida?”, but I panicked and focused more on the football than on the geography. Even though all of us got it wrong, I wagered aggressively to box out my opponents, and Susan did not follow suit – I passed the torch to her, taking $2,000 for second place and ending one of the most fun experiences of my life.

My total take was $46,799, but the money didn’t matter. I lived out a dream, and had alot of fun in the process.

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