CoJMC senior makes appearance on “Jeopardy!”

Tuesday, March 6, 2018 - 1:30pm

by Molly Chapple

Alex Hotovy, a senior ADPR and history double-major, recently competed in the popular TV game show “Jeopardy!” The episode was filmed on Nov. 8. 2017, and aired on Jan. 8, 2018.

Hotovy has enjoyed watching “Jeopardy!” his entire life and the love of trivia runs deep in his family. His father is in the Trivia Bowl Hall of Fame at the University of Colorado. The interest was passed down to Hotovy and his four older siblings.

Hotovy decided on a whim to take an online test to be eligible for “Jeopardy!” The 50-question test allows competitors 20 seconds to answer each question. Once the time is up, those who scored high enough are put into a pool of names. After passing the quiz, Hotovy was selected for an audition. Auditions are held in 15 cities across the country. Fortunately for Hotovy, one of the cities this year was Omaha.

To kick off the auditions, Hotovy said, 25 people took a written test to make sure no one cheated on the online version. Next, a mock “Jeopardy!” game was played with two other contestants as well as a mock interview–exactly like the process that’s seen on the show. At the end of auditions, Hotovy was told he would be called within 18 months if he was selected to be on the show.

A week and a half later, he got the phone call. The show was filmed in the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California, and Hotovy said the entire experience was unlike anything he’d imagined.

“So much happened that I never considered: makeup, a rehearsal for the contestant interview section...” he said. “It was also an absolute blast.”

Hotovy said he enjoyed making friends with the other competitors and that they made enjoyable company. Unfortunately, however, his entire experience with host Alex Trebek was limited to what’s seen on TV.

Although Hotovy didn’t win, he said the experience overall was a great one.

“It was surreal,” he said. “An absolute whirlwind.”

Hotovy will graduate from the CoJMC this May and plans to attend law school in the fall. Watch the full “Jeopardy!” episode featuring Hotovy at http://dailymotion.com/video/x6egqey.

 

Trebek and Hotovy
Hotovy said he enjoyed making friends with the other competitors and that they made enjoyable company. Unfortunately, however, his entire experience with host Alex Trebek was limited to what’s seen on TV.