Chester woman gets her shot at ‘Jeopardy!’ fame this week
Delco woman appears on popular game show ‘Jeopardy!’ May 24; but will she tangle with the current king Holzhauer
CHESTER >> We’ll take champions for 100, Alex.
Delaware County residents can tune into ‘Jeopardy!’ 7 p.m. Friday, May 24 to root for one of their own. Dr. Susan Waller, of Chester, a longtime administrator at The Christian Academy in Brookhaven, will match wits and knowledge against two other contestants on the popular 6-ABC game show.
It has been a long haul for Waller to realize her dream of being a contestant on America’s favorite quiz show. About two years ago, Waller registered and took the online test. She had to log into the Jeopardy! website at a specific time and answer about 50 timed questions. A few months later, the local resident received an e-mail saying, “Don’t worry; we haven’t forgotten about you.” In March of 2018, Waller was invited to an audition in Washington, D.C. According to Waller, about 60 people were gathered in two hotel meeting rooms to meet some of the ‘Jeopardy!’ staff, get pictures taken, take another 50-question test and play a practice game with an interview question.
“The questions on both tests were similar to typical ‘Jeopardy!’ questions, varying in difficulty and in categories,” explained Waller.
In February of this year, Waller received the phone call from California with the news she had been hoping to hear. She was invited to the West Coast for a taping of the show on March 5 and 6.
The short window of time didn’t leave much opportunity for Waller to prepare for the big day, so the longtime educator reviewed lots of facts using the Quizlet flashcard app. She also used the Jeopardy Archive website to replay old games.
“Playing ‘Jeopardy!’ at home on the couch is quite different than playing in the studio,” Waller smiled.
At their own expense, Waller flew with her husband, John, to California and stayed in a hotel in Culver City, a suburb of Los Angeles that’s about three miles from Sony Studios, where ‘Jeopardy!’ is taped. A studio van picked up Susan and the other contestants from two different hotels at 7 a.m. Family and friends of contestants had to make other transportation arrangements to get to the studio to be part of the studio audience.
Waller was at the studio from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contestants spent more than two hours getting instructions, filling out forms, getting primed in makeup and participating in a practice show. The contestants had a little down time, Waller described, when they could interact with each other, finding out where people were from and what they did.
“The 12 contestants came from several different states and from Canada,” remembered Waller. “Everyone was friendly and seemed excited to be there.”
Once taping began, security was tight. Contestants couldn’t
“Playing ‘Jeopardy!’ at home on the couch is quite different than playing in the studio.”
— Dr. Susan Waller, of Chester, a longtime administrator at The Christian Academy
leave their seats in the audience without a ‘Jeopardy!’ staff member accompanying them. Contestants were chosen randomly for each game. ‘Jeopardy!’ only tapes twice a week, five shows per day. The shows that taped while Waller was there will air during the last two weeks of May.
Three games were played before lunch, and two after lunch. Contestants were treated to lunch in the Sony Studio Commissary. A group of middle school students and their teachers were part of the afternoon audience. The taping tries to match the timing of the game as seen on TV, so there are short breaks for commercials. When one game is finished, the next game starts about 10 minutes later.
“When Alex says, ‘See you tomorrow,’ to the TV audience, to the contestants, that means, ‘See you in a few minutes,’” Waller laughed.
When asked to comment about the show’s host, Waller was quick with her praise.
“Alex Trebek announced his cancer diagnosis the week we were there, but at the end of the taping, so we didn’t know about it until we saw it on TV in the hotel lobby waiting for our ride to the airport,” Waller shared. “During the taping, Alex was quite kind as he interacted with and interviewed the contestants. He also graciously answered audience questions during the commercial breaks.”
Many people have not only asked her about her experience in meeting Trebek, but they are also curious if she met or played
against the other current star of the show, contestant James Holzhauer. Now, with 21 victories and almost 1.7 million dollars in winnings, Holzhauer is the second highest winning contestant in ‘Jeopardy!’ history.
“Since we know that James returns to Jeopardy on May 20, when the Teachers Tournament, which aired May 6-17, is over, I can tell you that I met him,” Waller shared. “He was the returning champion for the first game taped the first day I was there, but I can’t reveal anything more beyond that! As contestants, we knew he had won over 20 games, but since his run didn’t start until April 4, we didn’t have any idea of the hype that would surround James and his phenomenal play. James is such a great player because he knows tons of stuff, is a fearless bettor, is a great strategist, and he has mastered the signaling device.”
Waller said that she has faithfully watched ‘Jeopardy!’ for at least 25 years. On air for more than three decades, “Jeopardy!” has won 34 Daytime Emmy Awards, more than any other TV game show. The half-hour quiz show tests contestants’ knowledge across a variety of subjects such as literature, history, science, geography, the arts, and pop culture. Each game consists of three rounds.
“Watching Jeopardy! is definitely a ritual in our family,” she remarked. “If we’re not home at 7 p.m., we DVR the show and watch it later.”
Waller is a native of Delaware County. She grew up in Trainer and graduated from Chichester High School. She’s the daughter of Eleanor and the late Bill Nealy. Her mother, Eleanor, now resides in Middletown Township. Although she earned her undergraduate degree at Grace College in Indiana and her graduate degree at Hunter College in New York City, she returned to Delaware County after graduation and has made her home in Chester
“Lots of people know about my appearance and have asked questions that, unfortunately, I can’t answer,” she explained. “Their questions are mainly about the results of the games and about James Holzhauer.”
— Dr. Susan Waller, of Chester, a longtime administrator at The Christian Academy
ever since. She also earned a master’s and doctorate in education from Widener University.
For the past 12 years, Waller has worked as the Media Center Specialist and director of Curriculum and Professional Development at The Christian Academy in Brookhaven. Her current job status is what prevented her from participating in ‘Jeopardy!’s’ Teacher Tournament. Previous to her current job, Waller taught writing, literature and education classes at Delaware County Community College, Widener University and Cabrini College. She also taught in Widener’s Writing Center and directed Cabrini’s Writing Center.
Susan is married to John Waller, former basketball coach at The Christian Academy and football coach at Ridley High School from 2001-08. They have one child, Brady, who works at a holistic wellness center. The contestant also cares for a brother with special needs.
“It was an honor to be chosen for ‘Jeopardy!’ since fewer than 1% of the people who take the online test make it to the show,” Waller proudly stated. “The best preparation for ‘Jeopardy!’ is reading. I’m thankful to my parents, teachers, and librarians who always encouraged me to read. Furthermore, I’m pretty sure that much of what I know has come from 30 years of reading student research papers. Grading them was not always pleasant, but I sure learned plenty!”
Now that the show is only days away from airing, excitement is again building for Susan and her family and friends, as well as her colleagues and the students at The Christian Academy. Waller plans to watch the show at The Blue Church in Springfield, where she leads worship each week.
The contestant said that one of the most difficult parts of being on ‘Jeopardy!’ has been in the weeks between the show’s taping and airing, when people ask her questions that she is not at liberty to answer, due to the show’s confidentiality requirement.
“Lots of people know about my appearance and have asked questions that, unfortunately, I can’t answer,” she explained. “Their questions are mainly about the results of the games and about James Holzhauer.”
Tune into Jeopardy! at 7 p.m. Friday, May 24 on 6-ABC, or visit www.jeopardy.com after the show airs, to find out all of the information that Delaware County contestant Susan Waller has kept in confidence.