Meghan Schulz still remembers the first CD she ever owned — Mariah Carey’s 1993 release, Music Box. At 9 years old, the Bristol resident idolized the artist, and could usually be found singing every single word to “Hero.”
Little did Schulz’s young self realize, her passion for the incomparable “Mimi” would come in handy one day. In fact, it would win her thousands of dollars.
On Thursday, Jan. 31, Schulz showed off her Carey knowledge to trivia fanatics across America when she appeared on that evening’s episode of the classic game show, Jeopardy!. It was time for Final Jeopardy, and Schulz was in second place with $14,000, not far behind competitor J.B. Evans, who had $14,400.
As soon as host Alex Trebek read the question — “In the 1990s, this New York native had eight of her first 10 Billboard Top 40 hits reach №1” — she had the answer. It was Carey, her favorite childhood performer. Schulz was named a Jeopardy! champion, taking home $27,190. Joan Dietrich finished in second place with $7,500, followed by Evans, who guessed “Whitney Houston” and dropped to $799.
Though Schulz wasn’t as successful on the next night’s episode, having to pass the crown to winner Will Dawson, who won by $1,600, it was an experience she’ll never forget.
As Schulz continues to revel in the excitement of being known as the “Jeopardy! girl” at the office (and hearing Trebek say her name), The Times sat down with the champion to learn more about the once-in-a-lifetime experience, the reception she received from her community, and anything she would’ve done differently.
Originally from Northern Virginia, Schulz, who currently works as an environmental engineer for SEPTA, practically grew up with Jeopardy!.
“I watched all the time as a kid. My family always had it on,” she said, adding how she was on her high school’s academic challenge team. “I was kind of the nerdy, bookish type. I always loved trivia.”
Though she lost touch with the show as an adult, she took the online practice test at jeopardy.com five years in a row. Jeopardy! contestants are chosen from the pool of people who complete the quiz, which is open to anyone, but Schulz didn’t take it with the ambition of being selected. She just did it for fun.
In September 2018, Schulz was informed, much to her disbelief, that she had made it to the next stage — producers wanted her to attend an in-person audition in Center City.
“I’ve heard from many people that you don’t go to the next stage unless you take it a couple of years in a row,” she said. “They probably look for that to see who’s really interested year after year.”
Placed in a group of 30 people, Schulz was given a quickfire test followed by a mock game of Jeopardy!.
“It was to tell who would be OK on the spot, who wouldn’t freeze on camera,” she said.
Clearly, they saw something special in Schulz. One month later, she received the call asking if she’d like to be a contestant and, in the first week of December, flew to Los Angeles for the filming. Schulz explained how five episodes of Jeopardy! are shot per day back-to-back, with contestants drawn randomly in a lottery system before each. In the morning, all participated in an orientation and rehearsal, during which they learned about the mechanics of the famous buzzers.
“That was key because honestly, everyone who makes it that far knows most of the answers to the questions. The tough part is the buzzers. It’s really hard to get the timing down,” she said. “The buzzers don’t work until Alex is done reading the question, and there are lights on either side of the board that you can’t see on TV that go out when you can ring in. If you ring in too early, there’s a delay. It’s like a quarter of a second delay on your next ring.”
From the get-go on episode one, Schulz came out strong, answering the first handful of questions correctly and securing an early lead.
“I was feeling good,” she said. “And there is some luck because not everyone can know everything, and you get lucky with the categories. I feel like I had good boards for me.”
Luck was certainly on her side when it came to the Carey-inspired Final Jeopardy.
“I was in second place going into it, so if the person in first place got it right, there was nothing I could do,” she said.
But that was far from the case, and Schulz had the pleasure of making a quick change in the official “Jeopardy! Champion” dressing room before entering directly into her second game. Reflecting on the experience, Schulz is OK with the fact that she wasn’t a multi-winner. Still, there are a few things about her gameplay she would change if given another chance.
“The thing I’m kicking myself on is I got both Daily Doubles in the last round. I studied lots of wagering for Final Jeopardy, but what you really need to do in a competitive game is to bet a lot on the Daily Doubles. I only bet like $3,000, and they were good categories for me,” she said. “But in hindsight, I’m still a Jeopardy! champion.”
After coming out victorious against Schulz, Dawson went on to win approximately $70,000 over a three-day span. And she couldn’t be happier for him.
“Just meeting all my fellow contestants was really cool,” she said. “The type of person that goes on Jeopardy! is generally, I think, kind of nerdy and self-deprecating and really intelligent, and it was so neat to be in a group like that and get to make friends.”
When her winning episode aired, Schulz hosted a viewing party at Field House in Philadelphia for nearly 40 loved ones, and the outpouring of support she received was unprecedented.
“I love going to big watch parties for sporting events, and it was kind of like that but for me and for nerds. So for every question I got right, everybody was clapping, and for every question the others got right, they booed,” she said.
Schulz admitted it was weird to watch herself on television. While she’s no stranger to community theater and is a founding member of the Vintage City Sweethearts, an area dance troupe specializing in the charleston and swing, seeing herself on screen — standing next to Trebek — was surreal.
Still, if Jeopardy! calls with an invitation to compete in the Tournament of Champions, Schulz assured she’ll be on the next flight to L.A. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
