One fun fact about Jen Jacobsen ’95 is that she knows a lot of fun facts. Jacobsen, who works as Grinnell’s wellness coordinator, recently had the chance to pit her knowledge against other contestants on the legendary quiz show Jeopardy! in an episode that airs on Nov. 24.
Jacobsen has dreamed about being on Jeopardy! for years. She turned down a chance to appear on the show in high school, but kept her passion for trivia. She has always loved NTN bar trivia and kept up with Jeopardy! when she had the chance.
“When I lived out East, Jeopardy! was on at 7 p.m. every night, so I’d watch it with one of my friends over dinner every night,” she says. “I really like information, and I really like competition.”
The Jeopardy! application process can be lengthy and rigorous. Applicants must pass a yearly online test as well as an in-person test and audition. Jacobsen had been taking the online test for the show for about five years before she was invited to audition in June 2008. She was not told how she did, but that they would keep her information for 18 months and could call at any time.
“After the first three or six months or the first year, I figured I’d never hear from them,” she says. “They called me in September of 2009, so 15 months after I auditioned.”
Jacobsen says she only had about a month after that call to prepare for the show, and that rather than learning anything new, she focused on reviewing and connecting the information she already knew. She had a couple of trivia books and focused on studying a little each night. Friends also pitched in.
“My friends here were really great,” she says. “They threw me a Jeopardy! party before I left and read me questions.”
Jacobsen flew to Los Angeles and filmed her part on Oct. 15. She stayed in a hotel with some of the other contestants, competed in rehearsals, and met the man himself, Alex Trebek. She found the whole process enjoyable.
“They do a great job with preparing you, to try to make you as comfortable as possible when you’re on the stage and the cameras are rolling,” she says. “The rehearsal rounds that we got to play were probably the most fun I’ve ever had doing a trivia competition.”
Jacobsen is not the first Grinnell alum to compete on Jeopardy!. Past competitors include:
- Fred Beukema ’01, who won three days in a row in March 2009 and has quailfied for the 2010 Tournament of Champions;
- Kate Pedersen ’03, who competed on the show in 2008;
- Phoebe Juel ’96 who won the 1993 College Championship, and returned in March 2005 for the Ultimate Tournament of Champions;
- Doug Zang ’88, who won two days in a row in 1996, and
- Brothers David Boyd ’87, who won in 1989, and Steven Boyd ’85, who won in 1995.
