Professor Carrie Klaus’ road to Jeopardy! began at the advice of her children.
“My kids convinced me to take the online test . . . to try out for Jeopardy! a couple of years ago, in December 2021,” Klaus told The DePauw. “ Over the next few months, I advanced through two more rounds of auditions, both of which took place on Zoom.”
After moving through the proctored test and the mock game, Klaus did not hear back from Jeopardy! until February 2024, when she received a call inviting her to film an episode in Los Angeles.
“I was a little nervous,” Klaus said of filming in early April, “but mostly I was just focused on enjoying the experience.”
On April 2, Klaus arrived at Sony Pictures early, joining several other contestants for a day of filming. Contestants met in the Sony green room to watch other episodes film.
“They film five or six episodes on a single day, so I got to meet and hang out with a bunch of other contestants,” Klaus explained. “When it wasn't our turn, we would wait in the green room (backstage) and watch each other compete.”
Reflecting on the experience, Klaus noted, “I've watched Jeopardy! on TV and played board game versions at home for years, first with my grandmother and my parents and now with my kids, so I was just really excited to go out to the Alex Trebek Stage and play Jeopardy! "for real." It was one of the most fun things I've ever done.”
Klaus’s episode will air Monday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. EST.