A ‘Jeopardy!’ Win 24 Years in the Making
March 14, 2025 at 03:02AMMore than 60,000 people a year take the first step to auditioning for Jeopardy!: a written test. If you pass that, you do a little mock round, talk to the producers, and hope you get the call to come on the show. Harvey “H-Bomb” Silikovitz knows that all too well; since 2001, he’s auditioned for the show 10 times. Thankfully, the tenth time was the charm, and he finally appeared on the show this week. For The Ringer, Claire McNear answers every question (questions ever answer?) you might have about this tale of perseverance.
Silikovitz immediately stood out. First, there was his name: He informed the room that he answers not just to Harvey but also to his nickname, H-Bomb. Then there was his calm demeanor in a room filled with jittery Jeopardy! aspirants: During his turn in front of the producers, he cheerfully spoke about his passion for finding karaoke spots while traveling abroad and belted out part of “La Bamba.”
And finally, there was the fact that Speak and the other producers seemed to know him. At a panel ahead of the audition, Speak had called out to him in the audience. “You’ve tried out how many times, Harvey?” she asked. Las Vegas would be his ninth audition, he said. Nine auditions? I thought, aghast: Auditions are often multiple years apart. How long had this guy been trying to get on Jeopardy!?
from Longreads https://longreads.com/2025/03/13/a-jeopardy-win-24-years-in-the-making/
via IFTTT
Watch