2022 LSU Gumbo - Book - Page 181
When political science junior Stephen Privat got a text
from “Jeopardy!” asking if he would be available for a phone
call the following day, he thought it was a scam. But the
next day, he took the call with the show’s producers, who
confirmed he was in the final running to be a contestant on
his lifelong favorite game show.
“I wasn’t sure if it was real or not. Like, why would
you just send a text?” he laughed. “I had already kind of
forgotten that I had even applied for the show, so it was all
super sudden.”
Privat was one of 36 college students from across the
country competing in the “Jeopardy! National College
Championship,” which premiered Tuesday on ABC.
On Feb. 8, Privat won his section in the quarter-final
round of “Jeopardy! National College Championships.” His
victory advanced him to the semi-final.
Privat said since the announcement, he’s been flooded
with calls from friends and media hoping to hear if he won
the $250,000 cash prize.
The actual application and audition process for
“Jeopardy!” is surprisingly simple. It requires a 15-minute
test comprising 50 questions. If you do well enough, you
are invited back for two rounds of auditions, including a
mock game.
The most tedious part of the entire audition process,
Privat recalls, was the break between taking the first quiz
and finally being on the show. He took the first at-home
test in September 2020, and waited about 7 months before
coming to the competition as one of the only Louisiana
natives.
“At that point, I had even forgotten that I auditioned; I
was more worried about school and classes.”
In the months leading up to the competition, Privat
prepared for the show by binging past seasons, each time
using a pen as a makeshift buzzer to practice speedy
responses. He took history and geography quizzes, and
even recalled some of his classes at LSU being helpful in
remembering information.
“I was in a class about Alfred Hitchcock, and you never
know, there could have been a movie category that had a
question about that,” Privat said.
Privat believed Greek Mythology to be the category he
would be most successful in if he had freedom of choice,
crediting his knowledge to “Percy Jackson” books in his youth.
Rehearsing, Privat said, was a dramatic shift from
clicking his pen while watching episodes on the couch. Not
only did he have a bonafide buzzer, but was surrounded
by sound effects and studio lights as he grew comfortable
with the environment.
He expressed overall satisfaction with his experience on
the game show, especially in terms of feeling prepared to
be on stage. His favorite takeaway was the friendships he
formed with other contestants from across the country.
“Everyone there was really cool. It was a great
experience to meet them all,” Privat said. “We have a group
chat together. I hope we stay in touch.”
Privat said the “Jeopardy!” application process was
much less daunting than others would think, and that he
would be happy to see more LSU students try to get on the
show.
“It’s far less complicated than people think,” Privat said.
In the quarter-final round he went up against Ella
Feiner, a Princeton University senior and Jasmine
Manansala, a Rice University junior. After a tough game,
Privat won his round with $14,3000.
Privat said he is relieved that he can now discuss the
game with friends and family, after having to keep details
confidential for three months since filming in November.
“I’m bad at keeping secrets so it’s good to now be able to
openly talk about it,” Privat said.
Privat admits that he had forgotten how close the scores
were until re-watching the show last night with friends.
Re-watching the show also reminded him of a few tough
questions.
“The two questions that stood out to me were the daily
doubles back to back that I got both wrong. I lost a lot of
money. So at that point I was pretty nervous,” he said.
Despite a few stumpers, there were a few questions that
he was particularly happy with. His favorite question was
a Shakespeare one that he didn’t initially buzz fast enough
for. This worked out in his favor though, after Princeton’s
Feiner gave a wrong answer.
“I’m glad she buzzed her answer first,” Privat said. “I
was actually going to say Julius Caesar, but because she
got it wrong I was able to go with my backup answer that
ended up being right.”
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