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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 is now one of 36 college students from across the country competing in the “Jeopardy! National College Championship,” which will premiere Tuesday on ABC.
The nationally televised game show that @LSUHSS political science student Stephen Privat will represent LSU on Feb. 8, competing for $250,000.What is @Jeopardy National College Championship?Read more about his experience: https://t.co/cGJ7DNmC4u pic.twitter.com/tvfPoFvVAb
— LSU (@LSU) February 2, 2022
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. Though he wants to gush, he’s not able to offer any spoilers until the episodes air.
“It’s hard not to give stuff away, I have to choose my words carefully when talking to people,” he said. “But I do want it to be as big a surprise as it can be.”
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 believes Greek Mythology is the category he would be most successful in if he had freedom of choice, crediting his exposure 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.
Without giving away too many details, 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.
