Chime In I’ve Always Been a Generalist—and on ‘Jeopardy!,’ It Paid Off Stories You May Like Meet the New Chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees Move Over, R2-D2: Here Come the Trash Robots With a ‘Last Lecture,’ Hockey Coach Offers Words of Wisdom Why becoming a two-time champion on the legendary quiz show felt like ‘a vindication of a life full of eclectic interests’ By Dan Moren ’02 Everybody feels good about “Jeopardy!” when they play at home. Shouting answers from the comfort of your couch—or a bar stool—there’s no pressure to be right, no real money at stake. Make it a “true Daily Double”? Of course! Bet big on Final Jeopardy? Why not?! When you get on the show, though, it’s a different ballgame—something to which I can attest, having recently fulfilled a lifelong dream of being a contestant. My episodes aired in early May 2025, but they were the culmination of a lengthy journey. I took my first tryout test in 2010, and repeated that ritual over the years. You don’t get any feedback on the tests; you don’t even find out how many answers you got right. So I’d take it, then resign myself to hearing nothing and occasionally looking through my spam filter—just in case—until it was time to start the cycle anew. This time, though, I did hear back. I was invited to re-take the test live with a proctor, then do a Zoom audition with a handful of other hopefuls. Then I got to wait some more. On the "Jeopardy!" podium. Frankly, chances are you won’t get picked; there are way more people in the pool than they need. Each step of the way, I tried to put it out of my mind, because who knew if it would happen? So when I got the call asking if I’d like to come out for a taping, my heart pounded like I’d just run a 5K. Then the work started. I watched old episodes to get into the right mindset. I read about others who’d been on the show, and took their advice by memorizing details like world capitals, state nicknames, and U.S. presidential terms (none of which ever came up). My wife and I honed my Final Jeopardy wagering strategy—the part that had me most worried, math not being my strong suit. I even hooked a signaling device up to my computer so I could figure out the timing to buzz in. Every once in a while, I’d remember that I was actually going on “Jeopardy!” and my pulse would ramp up. Just getting the call had been the fulfillment of a lifelong dream; it was hard to imagine stepping on that stage. When I got the call asking if I’d like to come out for a taping, my heart pounded like I’d just run a 5K. Then the work started. But, more to the point, it felt like a vindication of a life full of eclectic interests. Plenty of people devote themselves to studying a single field—perhaps even a single work, organism, or idea—but I always struggled to find one subject I’d be content learning about for the rest of my life. I’ve always loved knowledge for knowledge’s sake. First and foremost, I probably have my parents to thank (or blame?) for my interest in learning: now retired, they were both professional librarians, and their enthusiasm for knowledge and encouragement to seek it out was a defining characteristic of my upbringing. At left, with a pal in his undergrad days. I have fond memories of hefting open our giant Webster’s Dictionary, with its onionskin pages and thumb indexes, to look up a definition at their urging. My time at Cornell provided an even larger array of options, like a sumptuous banquet. While I always knew I wanted to be a writer and figured majoring in English was a foregone conclusion, I spent as much time as possible taking classes from other departments: Near Eastern studies, computer science, astronomy, theater, anything that struck my fancy. I always struggled to find one subject I’d be content learning about for the rest of my life. My reasoning, ultimately, was that if I wanted to be a writer, I had to know what I was writing about. Stories You May Like Meet the New Chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees Move Over, R2-D2: Here Come the Trash Robots (I was reminded of how much time I spent outside the English department when I discovered that one of my fellow “Jeopardy!” contestants was a classmate; Christen Aragoni ’02 and I had shared the same major, but never crossed paths.) Over the years, I’ve had several careers: in IT and web development, journalism, podcasting, and even novel writing. I’ve long considered myself a jack of many trades. I suppose some people might be kind enough to call someone like me a “Renaissance man”—but both terms seem like polite ways of saying “can’t pick a lane.” Nerding out with host Ken Jennings—himself a legendary champion. The good news is that “Jeopardy!” is one of the few places where broad-if-not-deep knowledge pays off: I came out as a two-day champion, something I still type with a certain degree of trepidation, as though the title might be rescinded. But earning that status was no cakewalk. My three games pitted me against some fierce contestants—and more than once, an outcome came down as much to luck as to skill. Though I was leading going into my first game’s Final Jeopardy round, the category was “The Grammys,” a weak subject for me. Knowing that, I took the unorthodox approach of wagering $0—and squeaked out a win when none of us knew the correct answer was the Beatles. My three games pitted me against some fierce contestants—and more than once, an outcome came down as much to luck as to skill. (The question: “Best New Artist at the 7th annual Grammys, this band would be nominated the next six years, but not again until the 39th and 67th events.”) My second game started a little rough when I was unable to come up with “egg drop soup,” a dish that I’ve eaten roughly 1,000 times; you can see the panic in my eyes as my brain fails me. But thanks to some conservative Daily Double wagers and categories that played to my strengths—“Notable Author Initials”!—I secured a runaway lead that made the final round moot. Unfortunately, the “Jeopardy!” board giveth and it taketh away. My third game started strong, but I fell off a cliff in Double Jeopardy, including blowing a Daily Double about the popularization of the word “expletive” from the Watergate tapes. And I was unable to answer the Final Jeopardy question: “This work has 10 main narrators, seven of them women, including Fiammetta and Lauretta.” (The correct response is The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio’s collection of short stories from 14th-century Florence—which the winner, a history professor, knew cold.) In the end, the biggest challenge coming off “Jeopardy!” has been acclimating to the real world. One of Moren's six novels. That’s not due to newfound fame or fortune—but because, having achieved something I so long considered a pipe dream, I’m not sure where to set my sights now. But it hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm for trivia, or for learning new things. Maybe now’s finally the time to brush up on Medieval Italian literature. Dan Moren ’02 is a tech journalist, podcaster, and the author of short stories and novels, including All Souls Lost and the five-book “Galactic Cold War” series—and yes, to his amazement, a “Jeopardy!” champion whose two-game winnings totaled $33,500. He lives in Somerville, MA, with his family. (All images provided.) Published May 27, 2025 Comments Sally Beecher 27 May, 2025 As the mother of this Cornellian, I will ascribe his predilection for collecting facts to another Cornellian, his grandfather, W. Stewart Beecher, Class of 1926. His favorite instruction to us, his kids, was, “Let’s look that up!” Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Cornelliana ‘Good Health, Tempered Courage, and Sound Common Sense’ Cornelliana It’s a Storm, It’s a Blizzard, It’s … a Big Red Snowpocalypse! Alumni In the Wake of War, Alum Works to Ensure There’s ‘No One Left Behind’