Newtown High School English teacher Jacqui Kaplan was recently a contestant on the ABC trivia show Jeopardy, taking on John Liu and Joseph Carlstein in a tough battle. The episode aired on October 30.
The lead changed multiple times, causing the match to come down to the final Jeopardy round. Jeopardy has been one of the most popular game shows in American history since its creation in 1964, which brought Newtown High School representation through Kaplan.
“Always been a fan since I was a kid. I always liked trivia and I did Quiz Bowl as a kid which motivated me to take the Jeopardy test,” Kaplan said.
Fans of Jeopardy have dreamed of being able to appear on the show playing nightly from their couch. A few have tried and failed to qualify for the show.
The NHS English Department and assorted friends met at Newsylum in Newtown to watch the episode. Many cheered Kaplan on from their stools.
“I play every night at home and yell to the family that ‘I know everything!’ Whenever I get a bunch of questions correct, it was cool to be able to watch Jacqui on TV actually playing,” NHS English teacher Marc Kenney said.
The actual audition process takes place in various stages with a taping a few weeks before the episode airs. Kaplan explained the process of qualifying for the show.
“Jeopardy has the Anytime Test where anybody can take the test online. If you do well on the Anytime Test you will be notified in a couple of months about the second phase of testing,” Kaplan said.
The Jeopardy Anytime Test is located directly on the official Jeopardy website as well as behind-the-scenes content and many videos of past champions. There is still a lot more to do before you go on the show.
“There was also an interview then an audition after the second test. The audition is online on Zoom where you buzz in with a pen to mimic the buzzer on the actual show. Once I got past the interview and audition process I was in the contestant pool. I had to wait a year in the contestant pool until I was selected on the show,” Kaplan said.
There are so many fans of Jeopardy across the world making a very competitive applicant field to reach the actual show. Tens of thousands of people take the online test and further audition steps but only a few hundred out of the group make it. It might also be up to multiple years before you appear on the show depending on the number of people selected.
“It was interesting to see her do all the interviewers for the show. It was exciting to see when she finally found she would be on the show. I was very proud of her,” NHS freshman and daughter of Jacqui Kaplan, Edith Kaplan said.
There have also been some common misconceptions that Jeopardy pays for you to fly out and do the show. Over the years there have been some financial struggles for some contestants to fly out to Los Angeles and film episodes as it costs an estimated $2,500 per episode for the contestant to fly out and stay two nights in a hotel. Not every person can afford that rate as well as the added burden of taking time off from work which can have an impact on a contestant’s life.
“They don’t pay for you to come do the show. You have to figure out travel arrangements yourself which puts some people at a disadvantage. The prize money has increased over the years which has encouraged more people to fly out,” Kaplan said.
No matter what the cost is, it is still a significant opportunity for many loyal Jeopardy fans and eventual contestants to test out their knowledge. Jeopardy continues strong with an average of 9.2 million views per episode. As well as running for over 60 years on broadcast television connecting with not just the loyal viewers but the people who become contestants from those viewers.
“It feels like a dream when you enter the studio and you’re under the lights. There is rehearsal in the morning before the tapings and it just hits you. I am actually on Jeopardy,” Kaplan said.
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