‘Jeopardy!’ Contestants & Fans Speak Out About Interview Segment

Martin Holmes April 30, 2025, 10:18 am

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There is a lot of preparation that goes into being a Jeopardy! contestant, from researching facts, expanding trivia knowledge, and practising buzzer technique. However, one area that is less focused on is preparing anecdotes for the contestant introductions segment.

On Tuesday (April 29), a user on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum asked, “I’m always intrigued by the little intro interviews on Jeopardy. If you were a contestant, was it difficult for you to find an anecdote?”

Several former contestants jumped into the comments to share their experiences, including 2025 Tournament of Champions quarterfinalist Mehal Shah, who revealed “the show gives you a 5 page form to fill out.”

“They ask for some freeform ones but also have interesting prompts like “tell us about the most romantic thing you’ve ever done or has been done for you” or “what is your most prized possession,”” he added. “You might not have a good answer for everything but everyone will be able to come up with some good stories for it.”

Steve Luck, who appeared on the show last month, said the intro section “was the part I was by far the most nervous about. The one I picked wasn’t my most interesting anecdote but it was the one I knew I could tell as quick, concise story.”

Josh Martin, who competed on Jeopardy! last July, shared similar sentiments, writing, “I was also more nervous about the interview than the gameplay. I was pleased I got my anecdote out how I wanted without stumbling.”

“I still anxiety spiral if I think too much about mine!” added former contestant Alicia Korenman. “Why didn’t I plan something more substantial to say about it ??? “I worked in a comic book store and have a tattoo of a comic book character” ok and?????”

Laura Blight, who appeared on Jeopardy! in April 2024, revealed how she believes her anecdote got her on the show. “It was about meeting Merv Griffin (the founder of Jeopardy) and I worked hard to mention it in my Zoom audition. I hadn’t done that in my several previous auditions,” she said.

Another Reddit user added, “When I auditioned, we had to write 5 things on the paperwork they gave us. I had such a hard time thinking of them that since then (about a decade ago now), I’ve kept a list of stories to tell in case I ever get on!”

Kristen VanBlargan, who appeared on the show last month, noted, “I have a knack for finding myself in bizarre situations, so my original draft of my anecdotes was unwieldy. In the end I pared it down to about 20 anecdotes and fun facts. They let you choose your top five.”

2025 TOC contestant Alison Betts added, “I really enjoyed those interviews onstage, and I always love watching them at home. I’m a storyteller at heart, and I love when people nail an interview. If they can tell us something quirky and interesting about themselves, it’s a great window into who they are as a person.”

“Extra bonus points when they can have a fun back and forth with Ken!” she continued. “Honestly one of my favorite things about tournaments, aside from the game play, is how loose and fun the contestants can be with Ken and one another in the interviews.”

Others wanted to know how host Ken Jennings continued to come up with anecdotes during his record-setting 74-game winning streak back in 2004. “I always wondered how much info they needed on Ken Jennings to do those interviews for 74 shows straight,” said one Reddit user.

In a 2020 interview with Vulture, Jennings admitted to sometimes “making up” stories because he’d run out of things to say.

“After my first round of shows, I was out of fun stories. But every week, Jeopardy! would call and be like, “You’re taping again next week, we need more stories for your cards!” I didn’t have any other stories to share. I’m gonna admit that sometimes I’d make things up,” he said.

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Jennings continued, “I wouldn’t pretend to be a hero or anything, but you can put anything on those cards. The show doesn’t fact-check that stuff. Alex [Trebek] would look at my card and be like, “Hey, Ken, it says here you really like airline food.” And I’d be like, “I do Alex, I kind of think it’s a fun treat!” He has to tilt his head and look quizzically at you regardless of what you say.”

One Reddit commenter remembered how Jennings and Trebek “flipped roles for a few episodes. Ken would ask Alex questions as if he were a contestant.”

“Foreshadowing,” replied another user, referencing how Jennings would ultimately go on to take over as host following Trebek’s passing.

What do you think of the contestant intros? Do you like them? What would your anecdote be? Let us know in the comments below.

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