Brandeis administrator makes appearance on “Jeopardy!”
Fulfilling a life-long dream to compete on America’s premiere game show, Abigail Arnold, GSAS PhD’20 has her day in the limelight.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jeopardy Productions, Inc.
April 11, 2025
The answer is… “Jeopardy!” The question, for Abigail Arnold, GSAS PhD’20, Assistant Director of Operations and Academic Administration for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Brandeis, was: If you could be on any game show, what would it be?
Arnold, who tried for nearly a decade to get onto “Jeopardy!” finally had her chance to demonstrate what she knows about trivia while participating on her favorite show. The “Jeopardy!” episode in which she appears will air nationally on Wednesday, April 23.
“It was a super fun experience to be on the show,” said Arnold about her television debut. “You are allowed to have three guests join you. My parents and my aunt – who are also big fans – were able to travel with me to Los Angeles and be in the audience while I was competing.”
“To try out for ‘Jeopardy!,’ you start by taking an online test; this used to be offered only at set times but is now offered throughout the year,” said Arnold. Hopeful contestants can throw their hat in the ring only once per year.
Applicants who pass the online test are moved forward and engage in a Zoom audition (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was an in-person audition). Arnold came close twice before: the first time was in 2015, and the second time was a few years later. Both times, she auditioned in person but ultimately was not chosen. The third time was the charm: after attending a Zoom audition in 2021, she finally received the call that she’d been selected in December 2024. She taped in front of a live studio audience three months later.
One of the hardest things about this experience was keeping mum about how she did while awaiting the countdown to April 23 when all will be revealed. Nevertheless, while Arnold could not divulge details about how she fared on “Jeopardy!,” she was able to talk about applying to be a contestant, preparing for an appearance on the show, and what it’s like to be a contestant.
It takes more than just boning up on trivia. She said, “Knowing what to study is a wild card because you never know what the categories are going to be in advance.” On a more pragmatic level, she adds, she followed the recommendation to practice working with a “buzzer,” a handheld button that contestants push to signal that they have an answer. Since that’s not exactly a common household item, those in the know about “Jeopardy!” suggested a clever solution: just use the spring-loaded bar from a toilet paper holder as a prop.
Fun Fact: Arnold's father was a game show contestant too. He appeared on “To Tell the Truth” at age 17. His claim to fame was riding the entire New York City subway system on a single token in record time!
Other insider takeaways from Arnold:
- Ken Jennings (the show host) is really nice.
- All contestants get hair and make-up done the day of the recording.
- Contestants do practice competitions at the studio before the taping starts.
- Contestants stand on risers to make them look to be about the same height.
- “Jeopardy!” producers shoot a week’s worth of shows in one day, so contestants must change into different outfits for each episode in which they appear.
- After the show airs, “Jeopardy!” posts Q&A videos with the contestants on their website.
You can catch “Jeopardy!” on WBZ-TV/CBS in Boston at 7:30 p.m. weeknights or find the listing for your market on the “Jeopardy!” website.
