‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Reveals Most ‘Excruciating’ Part of Being on Show
Spoiler Alert
It’s so tough! One Jeopardy! contestant recounted what the hardest part of being on the show is, and it may not be what you think. Can the returning champion win another game?
Curtis Parker, from Havertown, Pennsylvania, entered his second game with a total of $15,600. The researcher played against Will Goree, from Austin, Texas, and Donna Bowman, from Conway, Arkansas, on November 10.
Although fans are looking at Parker to see if he will win another game, it is Bowman, a theologian and professor, who shared that she has been auditioning for the show for a while. “I’ve been trying to get on the show for seven or eight years,” Bowman told The University of Central Arkansas.
She finally received the call in August to come and tape her episode in September. Bowman shared what the toughest part was about the experience — keeping it a secret. “I had to keep it secret for a whole month, and that was excruciating,” Bowman told UCA.
“The biggest thing I want people to know about playing Jeopardy! is that it is so much fun. I was nervous about falling flat on my face, but the way they treat you and prepare you, all that fear goes away before you play,” she said. Find out if Bowman wins her game below. Warning: Spoilers for the Tuesday, November 10, episode of Jeopardy! ahead!
The game was close when Bowman found the Daily Double on clue 10. She had the lead with $2,000 and wagered $1,500.
The clue in “Professors, Real & Fictional” was “2 years after a famous step, he stepped into a professorship of Aerospace engineering at the Univ. of Cincinnati.”
“Who is Armstrong?” she correctly answered. This put her way in the lead with $3,500. By the first 15 clues, the other two players were in the $2,000 range, catching up to Bowman.
The round ended with only one missed clue. Bowman still had the lead with $6,900. Parker was in second place with $4,600. Goree, a teacher, had $4,200.
In Double Jeopardy, Goree found the first DD on clue 10. The game show contestant still had the same amount from the end of the first round and wagered all of his money.
In “British Poet Laureate,” the clue was “Poet Laureate Thomas Shadwell also wrote plays & a 1674 Opera, ‘The Enchanted Island,’ based on this play.” Goree moved to second place when he correctly answered, “What is the Tempest?” This gave him $8,400.
He took the lead by clue 13. Goree found the last DD on clue 16. With $13,200 and the lead, he wagered $11,000.
The clue in “Physics by the Letter” read, “A: When a particle & an antiparticle collide, this utterly destructive outcome results.” “What is annihilation?” he answered correctly. Goree had $24,200.
By the end of the round, Goree maintained his lead with $28,600. Bowman had $10,100. Parker was in third place with $8,600.
The Final Jeopardy category was “Acts of Congress.” The clue read, “This tragedy in a North Side garage was a major factor in the establishment of the National Firearms Act.”
Only one contestant had the correct response. Parker wrote, “What is go birds?” Obviously, that was wrong, but he wanted to shout out the Philadelphia Eagles. Parker wagered $1,600, giving him $7,000.
Bowman’s response was “What is Lee Harvey Oswald’s sho…?” She was wrong and wagered $7,101, making her final total $2,999.
Goree’s response of “What is the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre?” was correct. He wagered $0, making his final total $28,600.
Goree won the game, dethroning Parker. He will return for his second game on Wednesday.
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