Dan Moren, a two-time Jeopardy! champion, who appeared on the game show on May 7, 8, and 9, spoke out about his experience. He shared what the biggest challenge was coming off of the show.
“In the end, the biggest challenge coming off Jeopardy! has been acclimating to the real world,” Moren wrote in his alumni Cornell University’s digital newspaper, Cornellians. “That’s not due to newfound fame or fortune—but because, having achieved something I so long considered a pipe dream, I’m not sure where to set my sights now.”
“But it hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm for trivia, or for learning new things. Maybe now’s finally the time to brush up on Medieval Italian literature,” Moren concluded.
Moren is an author, tech journalist, and podcaster from Sommerville, Massachusetts, so he has plenty to fall back on after his short-lived Jeopardy! fame. He left with $36,500 across all three of his games.
The writer had a long journey to get on Jeopardy!. He first took the tryout test in 2010. He repeated it yearly without hearing back. Once he did, he then retook the test in front of a proctor, had Zoom interviews, and had to wait some more. “So when I got the call asking if I’d like to come out for a taping, my heart pounded like I’d just run a 5K,” Moren wrote.
After that, he watched old episodes and read about what other contestants did brushing up on categories such as world capitals, state nicknames, and U.S. presidential terms. “My wife and I honed my Final Jeopardy wagering strategy—the part that had me most worried, math not being my strong suit. I even hooked a signaling device up to my computer so I could figure out the timing to buzz in,” he shared.
“Every once in a while, I’d remember that I was actually going on Jeopardy! and my pulse would ramp up. Just getting the call had been the fulfillment of a lifelong dream; it was hard to imagine stepping on that stage. But, more to the point, it felt like a vindication of a life full of eclectic interests.”
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
