‘Jeopardy!’s Rian Robertson Details 15-Year Journey of Getting on Show

Jeopardy! Novelty Socks

$9.97

Buy Now

Talk about a dream come true! Jeopardy! contestant Rian Robertson, who has won two games do far, detailed his experience of getting on the game show. He shared that he has tried for 15 years.

Robertson, from Ottawa, Ontario is entering his third game with a two-day total of $25,901. The software developer opened up in a new interview about how long it took to get on the show, his wife’s reaction, and more.

He talked with CTV News on Monday to talk about his Jeopardy! experience. “It was very surreal. A long-time coming because I’ve been trying to get on this show for quite a while,” Robertson told the outlet. “15 years, I think.”

“I’ve been watching it since a kid with my dad,” Robertson told Newstalk 580 CFRA.

The Jeopardy! champion shared that he last auditioned in the summer of 2024 and went through multiple audition iterations, including in-person and online.

Find out if Robertson wins his third game on October 5 and learn more about his life below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rian Robertson (@whoisrianrobertson)

His Wife’s Reaction

When Robertson got the call to ask about his availability, he told his wife, who wasn’t very excited at first because she thought he was just getting another audition. “No, they only ever phone call you when they want you to come down to L.A. to be on the show,” he explained. “She was excited. I was excited. Everyone was excited!”

He shared that he didn’t think there was any one way to prepare for Jeopardy!, but he said once he got the call, he “went into overdrive” on studying and used it as a way to get out of chores.

Robertson then shared that during his second win, when he was the only contestant to have the correct response, his wife let out a loud scream in the audience that was edited out of the episode. “It threw everyone off!” he said. Robertson said he knew right away it was her screaming. “She’s kind of loud and emotional at times, so it was thrilling.”

Robertson’s Family

He and his wife Kristina recently celebrated their anniversary. They have four children together, as he mentioned in the video.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rian Robertson (@whoisrianrobertson)

Related

'Jeopardy!' Fans Beg Show to Bring This Element Back As it Celebrates Milestone

Although their names and genders aren’t known, Robertson did say he has “two older daughters.” They both watched his second game with him, and they said at the beginning, “Dad, you’re losing.” He also has a son, according to his radio interview. The fourth child is unknown.

More On His Job

According to LinkedIn, Robertson is the cofounder and head of AI and relationship intelligence at Bloks. He has worked there since 2017 and has held many different positions. Robertson has also worked at BlackBerry, Cavendish Farms, Visual8 Corporation, and TD Bank.

Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock