[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the June 24 episode of Jeopardy!]
It’s through the break within the first spherical of Jeopardy! that host Ken Jennings has the contestants share one thing about themselves, and for brand spanking new participant Graham Hicks, a lighting designer from Ottawa, Ontario, within the June 24 episode, it was his historical past with the sport present’s late host, Alex Trebek.
“I had the chance a number of years in the past to mild a charity fundraiser for the College of Ottawa, and one of many extra well-known alumni from College of Ottawa is a person named Alex Trebek. When Alex Trebek walked into the room, it was like you would hear a pin drop. All people simply [went], ‘Oh, hi there. It’s him,’” Hicks recalled.
“That’s a complete different degree,” Jennings agreed.
“Only a actually charming man. Actually pleasant, actually charismatic. It was a very nice occasion,” shared Hicks.
Jennings then remembered his personal expertise with Trebek. “I bear in mind the primary time I noticed him stroll out on the high of my first present, I used to be like, ‘I can’t imagine it. He’s actual. That’s Alex Trebek.’ Very thrilling,” he shared. Jennings’ first present was June 2, 2004. Watch the intro and Trebek strolling out beneath:
Hicks confronted off in opposition to returning champion Drew Basile, a graduate pupil from Birmingham, Michigan with a three-day whole of $53,282, and Erin Buker, a stay-at-home mother from San Pedro, California. Buker had a unfavorable rating (the second lowest within the present’s historical past) on the finish of Double Jeopardy! and subsequently didn’t proceed, leaving Basile and Hicks to face off within the last spherical. With $26,400, it was a runaway recreation for Basile at that time. Each gamers acquired Last Jeopardy! improper, nonetheless. (In Names within the Heavens, the clue learn, “When this physique was found in 1978, Persephone was steered as its title,” and the proper reply was “What’s Charon?”)
Following the episode, Hicks posted about his expertise on the present on the Reddit thread for the sport. “Thanks for the type phrases, of us. This was an unbelievable expertise for me, and if I needed to get beat, I’m glad it was by a giant-slayer with ToC written throughout him. He’s frighteningly fast on the buzzer, and clearly well-prepared, and I stay up for seeing how far he can go!” he wrote.
“Large respect to Erin, that’s a tricky state of affairs to be in and lots of people would have let it knock them down. As a substitute she dug in and stored swinging like a tricky competitor ought to,” he continued. “Final, an enormous because of John Barra and the entire studio group, they take unbelievable care of their contestants in a very worrying state of affairs. I’ve labored within the broadcast world for a very long time, and that group is on the highest of their recreation. I’m completely glad I acquired the chance to play a real Each day Double, not to mention get one proper!”
One fan complimented Hicks’ gameplay however famous, “he erred strategically in not searching Each day Doubles throughout his uncommon alternatives to take action, for instance in choosing Presidential Nicknames, a class Drew clearly knew properly, as an alternative of taking a stab at different classes within the prime DD values. In the meanwhile Graham solely had 9,000, however had he discovered the DD and doubled it, he may need minimize into Drew’s unstoppable tear.”
In response, Hicks admitted, “I’d like to let you know I used to be operating a method there… I needed to re-learn my buzzer timing throughout morning rehearsal, and I felt like I used to be barely maintaining with the selection of subsequent questions once I acquired them. Watching the sport, there are entire classes I don’t even bear in mind seeing, not to mention answering appropriately! Simply goes to indicate – the power to step again and see the entire board is among the issues that makes a champion, and Drew undoubtedly has it!”
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