Postscript

Feb 1, 2003 12:00 PM, As told to Paul Rothman

I tried out for Jeopardy several times. I lived in Los Angeles, where the show is taped, so I thought it would just be fun to try out. So I took a 50-question test, which included some of the hardest Jeopardy questions I could imagine.

I passed the test, but they never called — just because you pass doesn't mean you're going to get on the show. I ended up taking the test five times and passed four of them, but you can only take the test once a year. It was such a pleasant surprise when they finally called, and the call came the very same day I was promoted to senior security officer at The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

So they gave me the date for the taping, and I really went in there with no expectations. I knew my weak areas were science and sports, but I still managed to come up with some of the answers. Some of the answers I gave seemed to come out of mid-air. It was just dumb luck — some of the things I remembered. When I look back at the tapes, sometimes I cringe at some of the answers I gave. I'm just satisfied that I'm not an idiot. Winning on Jeopardy doesn't make me some kind of genius, but at least I know I retained something from school.

We taped the first four shows on the same day. I wasn't that nervous, because growing up in L.A., I was exposed to how the whole TV industry works, and I've met a bunch of celebrities at the Getty. My dad's a minister, so I was raised on the stage — both literally and figuratively — so I wasn't afraid of the crowd. But I did start to shake and quiver when it went down to the wire.

Since I was a four-day champion, I am eligible for Jeopardy's Tournament of Champions. I won a little less than $41,000, but I'm still waiting for it. They don't get the money to you right away, but I'm thankful for that, because it would have messed up my taxes. I've got some student loans to pay, and I don't have a vehicle yet, but I'm thinking of getting a motorcycle with the money.

It would be nice to be up there again for the tournament. It's a few more bucks, but most of all, it would be a chance to come away with another good time.

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