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Aw, boo.I know!
What are they thinking?!
Tell me a little about yourself.
What motivated you to try out forJeopardy!
?Funny enough, I first auditioned for the show when I was a senior in high school.
So, that didnt work out.
Hey, it was a real blessing in disguise.Truly.
I wasmuchtoo awkward to be on the show.
Now, Im not sure thats changed really.
[Laughs] Ive always loved trivia.
Its how I found my people again and again, all throughout school.
Academic contests were one of my favorite activities.
WatchingJeopardy!and trying to get on the show is a natural outgrowth of that.
When I auditioned for the first time, I was hooked on the audition process.
You really see howJeopardy!brings together every punch in person from around the country.
It didnt necessarily mean I would win theres skill and luck involved in every game.
They go hunting for Daily Doubles or they bet big in categories theyre really comfortable in.
I also simulated the experience of playing on the show as close as I could from home.
I put my television in one corner and stood as far away from it as possible.
Sometimes I used a pen as a makeshift buzzer, and sometimes I used a toilet-paper holder.
Its not a close representation, but its the best I could do in anticipation.
No question is too small, and no research avenue is too weird or unheard of.
Youre around a lot of people who are fascinated by everything.
Its such a great place to be in to keep that love of learning going all the time.
What was your papers title?Oh God, I cant even remember the title.
I stayed away from This!
[Laughs] I opted for a slightly more academic title in the end, alas.
When I got to the studio, I personally hadnt heard of James before.
The show keeps things under wraps pretty tightly, even for future contestants.
What was your initial reaction?
Obviously that wasnt true.
It was going to be a weird experience, just go with it.
They didnt know my particular set of circumstances, of course, but it was surreal indeed.
I tried to think about literally anything else.
So I didnt see him play.
I cant imagine what it wouldve been like if I had to watch him on a roll beforehand.
When the taping began, what was your thought process like to beat this guy?
Did you tweak your initial strategy at all?I didnt have the presence of mind to tweak things.
I thought I would be more chill about it, but I was wrong.
I had to force myself to stay in the zone and stay pretty unemotional about it.
James has described his gameplay strategy as being strategically aggressive.
As far as if I was strategically aggressive, I know its definitely a controversial strategy.
Aggressive is an interesting word.
It kind of implies youre trying to throw off your opponent.
Its something you do to catch them off guard as opposed to stocking up things for yourself.
But yeah, I knew jumping around the board was a tried and true success on the show.
Lets put it that way.
Can you talk about the psychology behind why you chose to wager what you did?
If youre in second place going into Final Jeopardy, thats what you gotta be looking at.
I wagered as large as I did because our scores were so close.
Wagering isnt something Im terribly nuanced in, but I had a couple of options.
I thought James was going to bet zero because thats the logical thing to do in that situation.
I figured I bet on myself knowing the answer, and wagered accordingly.
I didnt have any opportunity to celebrate.
But I was so happy.
I invited my parents out to Los Angeles with me.
[Laughs] We found a very nice spot to have dinner afterward.
After that, we chatted at the podium very briefly.
I said I was so proud of us.
I hope you also got a high five from Alex Trebek.I dont recall, which isshocking.He was very congratulatory.
You have to understand, that day was such a blur.
A blur, but one of the best days ever.
