Most Jeopardy! contestants appear cool, calm, and collected while competing on air. However, one player’s blog has revealed the behind-the-scenes moment that had him wondering if he should’ve just stayed home.
Jake DeArruda, a delivery dispatcher from Vermont, recently competed on the game show against Dee Williams and then-reigning champion Troy Meyer. DeArruda’s detailed blog gave fans an inside look at how he felt playing against Meyer.
“In most cases, contestants will never know who the reigning champion is, as the shows air months after they are taped,” DeArruda admitted. However, he knew exactly who Meyer was when they met because of his many deep dives on various quiz show statistics websites.
DeArruda shared that Meyer was “the top ranked United States quizzer in the 2021 standings in the World Quizzing Championship,” so it’s understandable that he was a little intimidated at the thought of going up against him.
DeArruda also shared that he was also relieved that he didn’t have to face Cris Pannullo, a champ with a 21-day streak.
“Should I have stayed home or waited five more years?” DeArruda joked in his post about his nerves. “Is this worse than playing Cris? Probably not.” He noted that Meyer had only won two games at that point and didn’t have the “buzzer experience” that Pannullo did.
In another post, DeArruda broke down the games he played against Meyer, who he calls “the real deal.” He also shared the advice other contestants gave him about playing against Meyer, including buzzing in “aggressively” to answer before him.
DeArruda might have been nervous to take on a trivia champion like Meyer, but it looks like all that worrying wasn’t necessary—he won the game, ending Meyer’s six-day winning streak and kick-starting his own current winning streak.
Even though his time on Jeopardy! has come to an end, Meyer is already looking ahead to future games in the upcoming Tournament of Champions.
“Cris [Pannullo] is obviously an incredible player and somebody that I’ll certainly be looking for in the ToC,” Meyer said. “[I plan] to bring my game and play as well as I can.”
DeArruda’s episodes are still airing, so it’s unknown how long his own winning streak will continue, but fans of the game show are loving his detailed blog posts about his games and his relatable nerves when it comes to facing a champion.
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