Indiana Man Ends Epic Run As Jeopardy Contestant

Terre Haute Man Joins Rare Jeopardy Alumni

Born and raised in Terre Haute, Indiana, 27-year-old researcher Harrison Whitaker has made quite a name for himself lately. The first Jeopardy super-champion of Season 42, Whitaker is a Terre Haute North graduate, although the Indiana native now calls the United Kingdom home. In high school, he started chasing a teenage dream of being on the longest-running American television quiz show. Whitaker spent 15 days on the show, with regular play winnings totaling $376,999. He will be considered for a later Tournament of Champions, in which Jeopardy contestants with the highest winning amounts and a minimum four-day win streak automatically qualify. If, for some reason, you've never heard of this amazing show, feel free to educate yourself on all things Jeopardy. Whitaker was knocked out by a question from the "Postage Stamps" category on Final Jeopardy. Here it is for your viewing pleasure:

Journey To Jeopardy

After graduating from Terre Haute North, Whitaker went on to pursue higher education. Receiving his undergraduate degree from New York University, he then completed his master's at Columbia University, and finished with a PhD from the University of Cambridge in England. The researcher says he tried out for the show a couple of times while in college, but never made it past the first online test. This past summer, he was temporarily unemployed, tired of filling out employment applications, and he decided to give it another shot. This time it worked. Harrison was in for a treat, diving headfirst into the three-stage audition process. This fascinating process begins with a 50-question Anytime Test, then a monitored Zoom test. If you survive that, you're in for a final Zoom audition that comes complete with a short interview and mock game against other hopefuls like yourself. In other words, you have to survive fake Jeopardy to even be considered for real Jeopardy (by the way...the hopefuls buzz in with pens on Zoom). Lastly, Whitaker says they never tell you that you haven't made it on the show; they simply don't call you. If they like your performance in the final audition, they will tell you that you may be contacted in the next two years or never. Once you make it on the show, and if you're lucky enough to win, you do not get a break and return the next day. The show may film up to five episodes a day, leaving your brain a little mushy when it's all said and done. My brain's a little mushy thinking about it. Here are some of the highlights from his appearance:

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Harrison Whitaker Statistics For All My Statistic Friends

If you're like me and have that weird obsession with statistics, lucky for us, there are Jeopardy fans who enjoy nothing more than compiling them. I never would have imagined there was something to track the first buzz percent rate, but Whitaker's was 47.13%, with a peak percent performance on November 24 of a whopping 63.16%. For every imaginable Jeopardy statistic you can think of, I highly recommend thejeopardyfan.com  and trying to contain yourself. You're welcome.