Season 25 1-time champion: $2,200 + $1,000.
Last name pronounced like "HANE-ee".
Emily Heaney - A Freelance Costume Designer
White Bear Lake, Minnesota
June 29, 2009
I'm A. Emily Heaney, a freelance costume designer from the Twin Cities, in Minnesota. I started watching "Jeopardy!" when I was a student at Iowa State University, in the mid-80's. There was one semester in particular when a group of us would gather in the t.v. room every evening, to watch "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune", shouting out the answers, figuring out the clues, and dreaming of competing on the shows.
Over the years, around work, marriage, motherhood, I've continued to watch "Jeopardy!" Since I decided to be home with my three children, and work as a freelance costume designer, I've been able to watch the show most afternoons. I've always felt confident that I could compete, but never got around to taking the test or auditioning. Early in 2007, I wrote a life list - all the things that I would most like to accomplish in my lifetime; competing on "Jeopardy!" was one of those items. I missed the 2007 online test because I was at a production meeting or rehearsal (I don't remember which), so I had to wait another year.
January of 2008, I completed the first step in this process. I made sure I was home the night of the online test, logged onto my computer, and answered 50 questions that went by very fast. I didn't have high expectations, because thousands of people must take the test every year. And yet...
A month later, I was visiting my sister in Germany. We didn't have internet access for the first week, but I had set up my email autoreply to let people know I was out of the country, if anybody sent me an email. I was finally able to use my nephew's computer to check my email, and there it was - the notification that I had done well enough on the online test to get an audition! As I read the email to my husband and sister, I was dismayed to realize a reply was required within 72 hours of receiving the email, which had been sitting in my inbox for a week! I sent a reply, explaining that I was out of the country, but would be back in time for the audition - were they still holding my audition slot? The next day, I was notified that yes, my audition time was still available, along with the other information I needed for the audition. The second step in my journey to appear on "Jeopardy!" was imminent.
The morning of my audition, I spoke with Neil Justin, a local newspaper reporter who is the television reviewer for the Star Tribune. He was on a radio talk show, telling about his experience going to the cattle-call audition, or open audition, at the Mall of America the previous Saturday. He had taken the test, and made it to a large group audition, with a couple hundred other people (including my brother, I found out later). I called in to talk about my upcoming audition. He told me a little bit about the cattle-call audition, so I wasn't sure what to expect at the prescheduled audition I was going to.
It turns out the prescheduled auditions are much more elite. There were only nineteen of us at the audition, at 3 p.m. on March 10, 2008. There had been two earlier auditions that day, and two more were scheduled for the next day. But still, that's only about one hundred people, out of the hundreds, possibly thousands of people who took the online test, and chose Minneapolis for their audition site. There were people from Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and North and South Dakota at the Minneapolis auditions, as well as from all around Minnesota.
The audition took over 2 hours. We took another written test, provided personal information for the interview, and played the game. The contestant coordinators were friendly, personable, and made us feel comfortable and relaxed. Glenn, Maggie, and the rest of the "Jeopardy!" group want the contestants to succeed and to have fun. I was feeling confident, certain that I did well on the written test and that I played the game well. Glenn coached us as we played, how to select the categories and dollar amounts, to speak clearly and loudly, to answer in the form of a question (very important!!), and how to use the signaling device. I had a tendency to move my arm forward as I was pressing the button, maybe trying to get closer to the judge's table or to be more noticeable; Glenn told me to relax, and just keep my arm tucked in at my side. We also were encouraged to clap for other auditioners as they competed, and to keep our energy up, and to fill in answers when those playing missed them. It was informal, loose, and fun. But it was also exhausting! The anticipation of the audition, the excitement of playing, staying energetic, talking about myself, focusing on the categories and clues - it was as draining as costuming "Chicago" or "Guys and Dolls"!
And then I waited. And waited. And costumed eight shows. And traveled with my children, and dealt with several family deaths - my brother-in-law, and three aunts. Then in February 2009, I spent a rare afternoon at the movies with my friend RPK. Being a conscientious theater/moviegoer, I turned off my cell phone while we watched "Frost/Nixon". After the movie, I turned my phone back on and noticed a voice message, which I assumed was from one of my children, so I didn't listen to it right away. I gave RPK a ride home, then I thought I better listen to the message, in case I needed to pick up milk on my way home, or one of the kids had a broken bone, or needed stitches, or some other minor catastrophe.
It was a message from Maggie Speak with "Jeopardy!" and she needed to talk to me right away. This was it! I was shaking and starting to hyperventilate; I almost pulled over on the freeway, I was too excited to drive. I had to call my husband, and tell him, "I can't make dinner tonight. 'Jeopardy!' called, and I'm too excited." When I got home, I had to tell RPK in a private Facebook message, since he was with me when the message was left on my phone.
I spoke with Maggie the next day, and it was definite - I was chosen to be a contestant on "Jeopardy!" I had a month to prepare - I had just signed a contract with a regional theater, as costume designer for their production of "Hedda Gabler", and I would be gone in the middle of the rehearsal process; I had another show lined up for later in the spring, and had to let the artistic director know that I would be gone for the first read-thru. Stacia's response was, "But what if you're like that guy who won so many times?" She had greater faith in my abilities than I did, at that moment. I told her we would figure it out, if it came to that. I also got some great trivia books from the library; one of the books was strictly a question-and-answer type trivia book, with twelve or thirteen different categories, and as I read through the questions, I realized some of the information was similar to clues that I had heard on "Jeopardy!" I also found some sports trivia books, including "The Smart Girl's Guide to Sports", and "Numbelievable"; both of these books were great resources for various sports topics. I knew sports was one of my weak areas, and I wanted to bone up. We also invited some friends over on Pi Day (3/14, get it?) to play Trivial Pursuit, and eat pie.
On St. Patrick's Day, I flew to Los Angeles. I even came out ahead on my flight, because Northwest Airlines had overbooked the flight and needed volunteers to take a later flight. I got a $300.00 flight voucher, and a roomier seat without paying the extra fee. Score!
The morning of my tape date, I took the shuttle from my hotel to Sony Pictures Entertainment, with eight or nine other contestants. We started talking about ourselves, where we were from, what we did, our families, etc. It turns out the returning champion, from the previous day's taping, was on the shuttle, but she didn't mention it. We found out at the studio.
We all practiced what we would say to Alex Trebek, our "Hometown Howdies", and rehearsed on the stage with the signaling devices. Glenn was there, acting as Alex, to again coach us through category selection, answering in the form of a question, and even on how to correct ourselves (something I should have remembered later). I even got to play Final Jeopardy during the rehearsal, and practice wagering and writing out the response (which I knew, btw!).
Then, we took our seats in the audience. We were kept separate from the rest of the audience, even family and friends; we couldn't even say "hi". I wasn't chosen for the first game, the second game, or the third game! I watched as other contestants played, thinking the answers in my head, always saying "What is..." or "Who is...". I also pretended to be holding the signaling device, pressing down with my thumb.
Something unusual happened during that day's tapings. Nobody was giving a correct response to the Final Jeopardy! clues! After each game, we were all taken back to our green room, where the winner would change clothes for the next game, the second- and third-place finishers would gather their belongings to leave, and the waiting contestants would wait some more. We would also discuss the Final Jeopardy! clues and answers - I knew the answers to the first two games, but none of us knew the answer to the third game's clue.
After a lunch break for the remaining contestants, we came back to tape the fourth game that day. My name was finally drawn! I drew the number two spot, in the middle, and was mic'd for the game. As the categories for the first round were revealed, I was glad one of my strong areas came up - Shakespeare Quotes. The returning champion got to choose the first clue, starting with another category. As soon as I had control of the board, I went to the Shakespeare category. And somebody beat me to the first answer! I finally got the $600.00 answer, after the other two contestants missed it. Then I was on my way. I finished that category, with two more correct answers, and moved on to a movie category. I finally started to relax - my knees were shaking a little bit at the start of the game, but I was fine by the time we got to Double Jeopardy! I wouldn't say any of us three dominated this particular game, but I got both Daily Doubles in the second round, which helped me, since I answered them correctly. And I finished the round by answering the last clue correctly, putting me ahead going in to Final Jeopardy. I hesitated on that last clue, because it was "Peace Garden State", and the first state that I thought of was New Jersey, which is the Garden State. But the category required a compass point in the answer. Then I remembered North Dakota is the Peace Garden State. It's amazing how quickly this thought process occurred, that I was able to give the correct answer within five seconds.
This was the fourth game of the week, remember, and once again, nobody had a correct response on Final Jeopardy! The category was "Slang Term Origins", and my first thought was to bet nothing; this seemed like such a broad category. I knew I didn't have to bet everything, because I had the most money going into Final Jeopardy, but I also didn't want to risk not betting enough. As the music was ending, I tried to write "What is a patsy?", but I ran out of time, couldn't add the "y", and I wrote so quickly that my "a" looked like a "u". I realized just before Alex started talking that it looked like I had written "putz". In my head, a voice started screaming "Oh my god, it looks like putz. Oh my god, it looks like putz!" I didn't even hear what the other contestants' responses were, or how much they had wagered; I was in a slight state of shock! When Alex got to me, he didn't even read my response; I'm not sure what he thought I had written.
I won the game, by a margin of $1.00. There were gasps from the audience when my wager and final dollar amount were revealed. If I had wagered better, or followed my first instinct, I could have had a more impressive one-day total. But I still felt good about how well I played the game. I accomplished my goal of making it to Final Jeopardy, and I can now say, I am a Jeopardy! Champion!!
It's been hard to keep the details from my friends and family. I want everybody to be surprised when they see me play. So many people are waiting anxiously to see how I did. They keep joking that they'll know, when I show up in a new expensive car, or buy expensive jewelry, or suddenly take a trip. I then tell them, "Everybody wins money, but nobody gets paid until AFTER the game, or games, air." This helps to keep them wondering how I did. I am looking forward to watching my winning game with some of my theater friends at Paul Bunyan Playhouse, in Bemidji, MN. My first episode airs while I'll be working on Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple", starring some of my closest friends, and with one of my favorite directors. We'll be able to watch the show together, maybe even in the theater, before a performance. This may be my favorite part of the whole experience, watching their reactions to my appearance on "Jeopardy!" Even if they make fun of me for writing "putz" on national television. "All's well that ends well", as the Bard says. AEH |
