JEOPARDY! Winners are welcome to sit in the audience of Wheel of Fortune, according to competitor David Maes.
Even though David didn’t advance to the following round, the producers insisted he visit the green room, or the Wheel of Fortune set, nonetheless.
The Jeopardy! player responded to a discussion thread on a fan forum about his brief appearance on the game show.
David commented on his experience and said: “Kristina was one of the first people I got to meet and chat with on the tape day, and Troy is even more likable in person than he already appears on screen.”
He shared: “I struggled to figure out buzzer timing at first, and right before the Double Jeopardy round, a staff member told me I was coming in just a little bit early.
“I made my adjustment and finally got into a groove.”
“And if you’re a future participant, I definitely recommend sticking in the green room (a.k.a. the Wheel of Fortune stage) after your game,” he said in conclusion. “Watching, commenting, and cheering on live games with fellow contestants was a fun.”
In response, a supporter enquired: “Instead of the audience side, they allowed you to hang out in the green room after you played? Fun!”
Jeopardy! champion Troy Meyer, who had a six-day winning streak, was David’s opponent.
After the contestant’s defeat, viewers of the game show discussed their hypotheses for why they hadn’t been successful in winning again.
Troy has won the previous six games for a total of $214,802 going into the competition.
He was opposed by delivery dispatcher Jake DeArruda and research associate Dee Williams.
The 48-year-old host Ken Jennings began the broadcast by recapping how the music executive from Tampa, Florida, “survived another close game” the day before.
In the last Jeopardy, the champion had a slim advantage, he said, adding that Troy had been “a really powerful player in that third round of play.”
Sadly, for Troy, that wouldn’t be the case this time around.
Prior to Final Jeopardy, Jake, a relative newbie to the programme, was in the lead with $27,800, followed by Troy with $15,600 and challenger Dee with $6,600.
All three competitors were unable to correctly identify the American title for the 2007 French biopic La Môme, and Jake was declared the winner and walked away with a total prize of $22,797.
Troy lost the game after placing all of his winnings on the Final Jeopardy question in an attempt to win and extend his streak.
Troy’s run concluded with him “ranked 21st of all time in regular winnings,” and in 9th place for the highest 5-day totals.
