This blog series is about my experience as a contestant on the quiz show, Jeopardy! I originally wrote it to share with friends and family, but a few pointed out that other fans may like to read it, too. I hope that fans of the show will find it entertaining, while aspiring Jeopardy! contestants will find it insightful as they continue their journey towards becoming a contestant.
Don’t miss the other entries in this series—especially Part 3, where I go into detail about the show’s filming process:
Two weeks after I’d visited the Jeopardy! studio to serve as an alternate contestant—and to witness first-hand the very beginning of the show’s post-Alex Trebek era—I woke up at 4:00am. I was due to arrive at the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California, by 7:00am. I powered down some breakfast and loaded my travel mug with coffee, then hit the road towards the greater Los Angeles area.
I arrived at the studio just before 7:00am, feeling a strong sense of deja vu. And, indeed, the morning and much of the remainder of the day played out as it did when I had been in attendance two weeks prior. I greeted several of my fellow contestants, went through security, and then strolled into the Wheel of Fortune studio for orientation. (Seriously, if you haven’t already, you should check out my previous blog post—it describes, in greater detail, my experience going through these same motions when I was an alternate contestant on the show.)
Just as it was during my previous day of filming, each of the contestants was friendly and incredibly excited to be fulfilling a lifelong dream. There’s something special about meeting a group of strangers for the first time who share an incredibly unique thing in common with you. I got to know several delightful individuals, including the defending champion who was returning from the previous filming day, Leah Wiegand.
The orientation began, and it included all of the information I’d heard during my previous filming day. But this time, as a main contestant now, I would be brought over with the others to the Jeopardy! studio to take part in the rehearsal. We walked in and sat down in the audience seating area—which, again, was strategically cordoned-off to ensure social distancing protocols were enforced. Then we all went up to the stage in groups of three to play a brief portion of an actual game, with Jimmy McGuire of the Clue Crew serving as host. I was randomly selected as part of the last group to rehearse.
I’ve noted in prior blog posts about the production’s commitment to enforcing COVID-19 protocols. But I’ll take the opportunity to also note here that throughout the filming days I was in attendance, every surface of the set was meticulously cleaned and disinfected by stagehands in between episodes and during breaks in gameplay. This included the podiums, signaling devices, handrails, and every single surface with which people could come in contact. The work was thorough and impressive.
Revelations On Stage
Towards the end of rehearsal, it was my time to go on-stage. At long last, I was walking onto the Jeopardy! stage, the hallowed ground I’d observed through a television screen for as long as I could remember. I was randomly placed at the podium closest to the host—the champion’s podium! I silently hoped that it would prove to be a good omen for my performance later that day.
Standing on stage, I looked up at the game board—the giant wall of 36 television screens—and realized just how massive it is. I almost felt as if I had to crane my neck to see the upper portions. Then the practice game started with Jimmy reading some clues. This was when it first struck me that playing the game in-person, standing underneath the studio lights and surrounded by television cameras waiting to broadcast your face to over 8 million people, is insanely more difficult than playing at home. Sure, that sounds obvious. But until you step onto that stage and stare up at the board, it’s impossible to fully comprehend it.
When you watch an episode of Jeopardy! at home, it’s easy to play along. That’s one of the show’s great appeals. When the host begins reading a clue, a written version is projected on your entire television screen, making it easy to read. In person, though, the clue doesn’t blow up and engulf the entire game board. Only the individual screen activates and shows the clue, the typeface of which is deceptively smaller than expected. My eyesight isn’t quite what it once was, and I sometimes have difficulty seeing words from far away. So I had to squint a bit to see the clues properly. Also, another interesting thing that occurs during an in-person game is that the clue doesn’t always immediately pop up on the screen. Sometimes, the host will start reading the clue, and there will be a delay of a few seconds before the clue pops up. If you’re training to be a contestant, I strongly suggest you practice listening to the host recite a clue, in addition to reading it. Don’t rely solely on reading the clue yourself—it’s much more difficult in-person.
My rehearsal round began, and it was thrilling. Sure, it was only a practice game, but I was playing Jeopardy! on the real stage! Each of the three of us contestants were able to ring in quite a few times, answer a few questions, and relieve some of our nervousness. As the last group in the rehearsal, we even got to practice playing Final Jeopardy!, wagers and all. I stepped off at the stage and headed back with the group to the Wheel of Fortune set, where we’d take another short break and find out who would be playing the first game of the day. I felt confident in my rehearsal game, especially because it seemed like I had a decent handle on ringing in with the signaling device… oh, that signaling device, though.
All About The Buzzer
The famed Jeopardy! signaling device, often referred to as a “buzzer”—a black cylinder with a blue button—was a tad thicker than I had anticipated, and the button itself was quite springy. During my studying and preparation for the show, I had cobbled together a facsimile of the signaling device with a dry-erase marker and some duct tape. I would stand up while watching an episode and practice ringing in. I’d answer each clue in the form of a question, and I practiced speaking loudly and clearly—or, at least as loudly as I could with two little kids asleep down the hall.
Here’s something every aspiring contestant should take to heart: the buzzer can make or break your game.
During orientation, one of the contestant coordinators told us, “I bet that when you play Jeopardy! at home, you’re able to ring in first for every answer. Well, that’s most likely not going to be the case here.” And she was correct. Every contestant who appears on the show is intelligent, well read, obsessed with trivia, and has been watching the show forever. There are very few occasions during a game when no one knows the answer to a clue. This means that to score the winnings for each clue—and, by extrapolation, have a shot at winning the game—you need to be quick on the draw with your buzzer. (In official Jeopardy! parlance, it’s called a “signaling device,” but most folks used the terms interchangeably.)
But you can’t just ring in anytime you please. During the first season of Jeopardy! with Alex Trebek as host, way back in 1984, contestants could ring in anytime, often interrupting Alex as he was reciting the clue. (If you haven’t already, go watch one of these first-season episodes, they’re markedly different from the episodes we enjoy today.) The producers quickly learned that this rapid-fire format made it much more difficult for the television audience to play along at home. This was remedied during the second season with the introduction of a timing system, a variant of which exists to this day.
Here’s how it works nowadays. There are two columns of white lights that run the length of each of the left- and right-hand sides of the game board, which you can’t see on television as they’re just off-screen. Immediately when the host finishes reading a clue, a human operator off-stage activates the signaling devices, which are synced with the columns of white lights. When the lights go on, contestants know that it’s time to ring in. It’s like waiting for the green light of a drag race—your complete attention is fixated on those lights, and fingers are ready to smash that button. But if you press the button on your device too early, the system locks you out for a fraction of a second, which can be the difference between ringing in first and losing out to another player.
In a contest where your opponent most likely knows as much or more than you, being able to ring in first is vital to a successful game. Case in point, James Holzhauer was one of the greatest players in the show’s history. He not only possessed an above average level of trivia knowledge and utilized a hyper-aggressive wagering strategy, he was also exceedingly good with the buzzer and ringing in ahead of his competitors. The buzzer is critical.
Game Time
Back in the Wheel of Fortune studio, all of the contestants were given a little bit of time to have a snack, use the restroom, and shoot the breeze. I did my best to relax while mentally preparing to play the most significant game of trivia I’d ever play in my life at some point during the day—and hopefully more than one. But, just as it happened when I was awaiting the next step in the contestant selection process, I didn’t have to wait long to play a real game of Jeopardy!
The time came to randomly select the two contestants who would play Leah, the defending champ. My name was called, along with a gentleman named John Focht. I was in the first game of the day! The big moment had finally arrived.
On my next—and final—blog post, I’ll recap the run of play. Each and every agonizing, embarrassing, and glorious moment.
Click here to read Part 5—The Game.
Follow me on Twitter—@mdouglaswhite.
