WENTZVILLE, Mo. – A man from Wentzville is reflecting on a 25-year journey to appear on “Jeopardy!”, despite a twist in the episode’s airing.
Brad Miller grew up watching the trivia show with his family, inspired by a cousin who was a contestant in a 1975 “Jeopardy!” tournament. Miller knew he wanted to follow in his cousin’s footsteps.
The process started in 1999, five years after Miller moved to St. Louis. The initial test had 50 questions, and applicants needed to get 35 right to move on to the simulation test. Only 7 to 10% of applicants passed the first round.
Miller tried again in 2000 in Chicago and 2003 in Rhode Island, but didn’t pass. He took a break but later returned when the test became an “anytime test” once a year. With more knowledge tools, he eventually made it to the real audition simulation.
After being selected as a potential contestant, Miller waited 17 months before getting the call to appear on the show. Unfortunately, his episode was preempted due to breaking news about the Trump verdict.
Despite the setback, Miller sees a silver lining in his experience on “Jeopardy!” Two days before getting the acceptance call, he was at his father’s funeral. The final category on the show was about American banking, a personal connection for Miller whose dad was a banker.
During Final Jeopardy, he was the only one to answer correctly, attributing his knowledge to a Jim Croce song, which had significance because his dad’s name was Jim.
Though the journey had its ups and downs, Miller is grateful for the experience and the opportunity to be on “Jeopardy!”
