A New Brunswick man who is no stranger to quiz competitions will face a mighty challenge this week.
Sean Thompson of Quispamsis will be one of the contestants on Wednesday’s episode of Jeopardy!.
“Jeopardy! sort of stands at the pinnacle of quiz shows in North America,” said Thompson. “I wanted to test myself on the biggest stage available and that was it.”
Thompson said he filled out an online test in mid-2017 and had to answer at least 35 of the 50 questions correctly.
He was then invited to an in-person audition in Toronto, where he completed another 50-question test, a personality quiz, and did some mock game play.
This past November, Thompson received the call he had been waiting to get for nearly a year.
“I got the phone call as I was walking through the [Saint John] City Market to catch the bus home,” he said. “I just screamed ‘I’m going to be on Jeopardy!,’ hugged my manager who I was walking with, and ran out of the place like a mad man.”
Thompson flew to Los Angeles to tape the episode in early December and said he feels good about his performance.
He said it was quite an experience being on the other side of the podium and admits he was a bit nervous.
So, I’m going to be on Jeopardy next week!
Look for my international television debut next Wednesday, January 30, on WBZ-TV, YesTV, NTV, or whatever the heck your local station is! #Jeopardy #lifegoals pic.twitter.com/KiCAevsLnz
— Sean Thompson (@SeanDThompson) January 24, 2019
“Thank God there are podiums and lecterns because for the entire Jeopardy! round, I think my knees were shaking like they were in an earthquake,” Thompson said.
Mastering the buzzer was tricky, he said — the system has a quarter-second lockout if you try to buzz in before host Alex Trebek finishes reading the clue.
But being part of his high school’s Reach for the Top team helped him prepare for the pressure, Thompson said.
“It was a great experience, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
