Hill Top Preparatory School English Teacher to Appear on Jeopardy, Wednesday, May 31st!

“I can’t think of a time I haven’t watched Jeopardy every night.”

 

Since she was a little girl, Lisa’s evening routine has been the same: eating dinner while watching Jeopardy. As she got older, she started getting more and more answers right as she played along. This planted a seed in her head: maybe she should apply to be on the show!

 

The contestant application quiz is available to the public and can be taken once a year. Lisa says she’s taken the test at least a dozen times, and nothing ever came of it… until March of 2021. A few weeks after her annual submission, she received an email inviting her to do a Zoom test. This was the next step in becoming a contestant. 

 

A few months later, in June of 2021, Lisa was invited to do a second Zoom, only this time it was an audition, and she played a mock round of Jeopardy with other potential contestants. Ultimately, they told her she ‘would be in the potential contestant pool for 18 months. You might get called; you might not get called, so just sit tight.’

 

“So I did,” Lisa says. When January of 2023 came around and her 18 months were just about up, she thought her chance had passed. Until she had a missed call from Culver City, California. 

 

On Valentine’s Day 2023, they called again to invite her to be a contestant on Jeopardy. 

 

While she can’t say much about her time in LA, she can share a few things. For instance, she was able to bring three guests with her, so she chose her brother, her father, and her cousin!

 

Most of the day was spent watching the tapings with the other four contestants. Five contestants were brought to LA, but only three would ultimately be chosen to record an episode. Lisa was invited to be one of the three. 

 

The host that day was Mayim Bialick, and Lisa reported that she was super sweet, really professional, and even complimented her shoes! By the end of the day, she said, “I felt like [the other contestants] were my friends. You really just root for everyone!” 

 

Did she win? That’s something you’ll have to wait and find out. Her episode airs May 31st on WPVI channel 6 ABC at 7 pm.