Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Eh, in ten years, I see myself as being--I'd like to study linguistics or language, so maybe a translator, or somebody who teaches language--a professor.
What is your favorite part of Jeopardy!?
My favorite thing about Jeopardy! is the fact that you can--it's just a friendly atmosphere, and everybody--it's fun to answer questions that nobody either knows the answer to, or cares. [Smiles] So that's what I like about it.
Who are some of your heroes?
My hero in life is probably my best friend Ally. She has diabetes and Crohn's disease but she's always positive and I love her to death.
What will you do with your winnings?
If I won 75 grand on Jeopardy!, I'd--it's probably gonna go to college, but if I didn't have to use it for college, I'd buy a whole bunch of really nice musical instruments, 'cause I play alto sax, and I'd also like to play maybe tenor and bari, so I'd probably buy some more saxes.
How did your parents help you prepare for the show?
When I was preparing for Jeopardy! my dad made me a buzzer out of a flashlight and a little buzzer circuit, so I played with that every time I watched Jeopardy!, and it made a lot of noise so everybody was annoyed, but... that was fun.
...
How did you feel going into the final round?
Well, you know, the final game, I was not--I was not sure of myself at all. I was going up against two seniors and they were both really excellent players. And so I was just happy to be at the final, let alone win.
What will you splurge on with your winnings?
I really like music, and I play the alto sax at the moment, so I'd like to buy a tenor sax, a bari sax, just a whole bunch of really nice instruments.
Will you have bragging rights at school?
A little bit, yeah! There was actually somebody at my school who has been on Jeopardy! and didn't do nearly as well. But, she--so--she's sort of a legend at our school. And so, I'm kind of happy that I'll be a legend, too, maybe.
Which categories were the easiest?
There was an Ohio category, which--and I'm from Ohio, so that was pretty easy, and then BIBLE--BIBLE QUOTES was either yesterday or today. And that was a good category for me, even though I'm not necessarily a practicing Christian, I know the Bible pretty well. [Laughs] So...
How did you determine your Final Jeopardy! wager?
Randomly. I had--I had not planned on how to wager for the 2-day. So I realized going into it I had no idea how to do it. So I was making all these grimaces, and I'm sure my mom thought I was going crazy, and she was really nervous, and then I was nervous too, because I thought there was a chance I could still lose if I made the wrong wager, but basically, I was just like, "Okay, I like $5,000! I'll wager that."
What was it like to meet Alex Trebek?
That was so great. He's a lot funnier off-camera. And he's just fun to hang around with, and it was weird meeting him, but it was awesome.
Before you go celebrate... show us that winning buzzer technique?
[Rachel hold hers right hand in her left hand up at her abdomen level and twitches her right thumb.]
Congratulations, Rachel! |
