Feb. 18 - $11,000
Feb. 19 - $13,800
Feb. 20 - $12,000
Feb. 21 - $26,300
Feb. 24 - $20,000
TOTAL CASH $ 83,100
PLUS JAGUAR X - TYPE $30,525
GRAND TOTAL $ 113,625
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Who Is.... Travis Troyer
A friend of mine from college called me in February of 2002 to inform me that she had just taped Jeopardy. Although she finished in second for her show, she related to me how much fun she had with the experience.
She recommended that I try out, because the two of us would watch Jeopardy and play Trivial Pursuit sometimes during our college days.
I went on the website and signed up for a contestant search coming to Baltimore in March of 2002. Why not?
I got the call that I had been selected for the search, and I headed down to a hotel in Baltimore on March 13th, 2002. Here's where the journey all began. We sat down in the room, and started the test. I was doing OK, but I definitely did not think that I would make the 35-answer cutoff. Then, God smiled down on me. I remember getting a question about the lead singer of Destiny's Child, and felt quite confident in my answer. I looked around the room and noticed many people struggling with an answer. My endless days of MTV, VH1, and BET had finally paid off.
I believe that only five of us passed the test out of our group of about eighty. In the mock-game round, I tried to be as energetic as possible. It was quite easy to be energetic with Maggie Speak in the room. I was fortunate enough to be allowed to play two mock games since we only had five people. I thought that was a good sign. The mock round was over, and we were given the traditional "if you don't hear from us in a year, then try again" speech. I thought I had a shot, but I knew I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Besides, if nothing came of it, at least I got to play hooky from work one day.
A few days later, the Jeopardy tryout had mostly left my mind. I had a busy summer last year, so I really didn't have the time to dwell on it. Then, in September, when I had completely forgotten about it, I got a phone call at work. Some guy introduced himself as being from Jeopardy. Being the recipient of many prank phone calls from my friends, I at first didn't take it seriously. But as the conversation continued, I suddenly realized that this was no joke. They wanted me to be on Jeopardy! I was so nervous on the phone that I couldn't give a definitive answer whether or not I'd be able to tape on October 30th. I had to get off the phone and then call back ten minutes later to say yes (I didn't give an answer the first time under the guise that I had to talk to my boss, knowing damn well that if my boss didn't let me go then I'd just quit my job). The next month would be filled with actually taping and watching Jeopardy again (I hadn't watched Jeopardy except in occasional Saturday reruns for about six years) and playing sporadic Trivial Pursuit games to pique my brain.
At the end of October, my mother, six of my friends, and I made the journey out to LA. I didn't tell too many people of my trip, as I didn't want anyone to know that I went in case I didn't get on (you know how they have to tell you that there's a chance you may not get on). I flew in the day before taping, and just spend the evening having a nice dinner with my friends. Surprisingly, I had little trouble sleeping that night. I woke up the next morning and went to meet the shuttle. In my contestant group, I had the privilege of meeting both Jackie Harrison (who was the kick-ass defending champ from the previous shows) and Max Levaren (who would end up being bumped from our week and would kick some booty a few weeks down the road). Both were friendly and cordial, as were most of the contestants. I got the call to be on the Tuesday show, the show immediately following Jackie's fifth show. I started off slow, but picked up steam toward the end. I ended up taping four shows my first day. I missed three straight Final Jeopardys before pulling out the last Final Jeopardy of the day.
Big props to my 11th grade English teacher for getting me interested in "The Catcher in the Rye."
My fifth show was taped one week later (which meant another three days off work--woo-hoo!). I always joked with my friends that one of my ideal categories for Jeopardy would be rap music. I joked because I knew it would never happen...or so I thought. God intervened once again and made it a Double Jeopardy category for me. There ain't much better in life than winning $2000 for saying "What is Original Gangster?" I won my fifth game, and then was told that I would be in the Tournament of Champions.
It all seemed so surreal at the time, and it still does to this day. I had to wait over three months for the shows to air, but the wait was worth it. The little Maryland town from which I was sprung was incredibly supportive and overjoyed to see me on TV. Watching it brought back some wonderful memories.
Of course, the Tournament of Champions rolled around about one month after my shows. I was excited to return to LA with my posse and to meet some true whiz kids. I spent my free day before the Tournament soaking up some rays in Santa Monica. It was a nice break. I really didn't have time to study too much for the Tournament, but I went in with the philosophy that there are some things that I'd never learn given any amount of time. I just wanted to enjoy myself. The morning of the Tourney, however, I woke up quite nervous and quite congested (thanks springtime allergies!). I had this sense of unease about me. I went down right at 7:30am to meet the other contestants, just not quite feeling myself. Then, something quite special happened. As I met up with the group and said my greetings, Max walked up to me and gave me a big hug. A weight was lifted right then and there.
I would still get nervous throughout the day, but that gesture just reminded me what I was there to do...enjoy one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. Throughout the day, I would get to meet fifteen incredibly smart and incredibly fascinating people, each of whom I can now call a friend.
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To learn more about each contestant simply click on a name below.
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