���ϲ�����

Fans of Jeopardy! within the ���ϲ����� community received a big surprise on a recent episode when host Ken Jennings introduced one of our own, Marianne McGowan, as a contestant.

McGowan, a visiting lecturer in the English Department, had told very few people she would be appearing. And while she did not win her episode, which aired on September 27th, 2024, she did make ���ϲ����� proud, coming in second place with a very respectable final score of $10,400. 

 “The two women I was up against were very quick on the buzzer,” McGowan said. “That is something I struggled with. But I told myself going in I at least wanted to come in second place, so I was able to do that.”

McGowan has been teaching in the First Year Writing Program at ���ϲ����� for four years, and has been a writing tutor for the Center for Academic Success and Advising (CASA) for ten years. She is a former journalist for the Associated Press.

She flew out to the Jeopardy studios in Culver City, CA, in June with her son and admits to being a “nervous wreck” leading up to the taping. But she says the producers do a great job of putting everyone at ease once you arrive at the studio.

“The staff is great and they make sure everyone has a good experience,” she says. “They tape five episodes per day, so you are part of a group of 11 contestants who are in from all over the country. It was a lot of fun.”

For the contestant interviews, McGowan shared a story about her most prized possession, which is a collection of letters written by her father when he was serving in the Navy overseas during WWII. 

“We didn’t know this box of letters from my father existed until recently,” she says. “It’s so interesting to see his handwriting and hear his voice through his writing.”

McGowan is not the first in her family to appear on Jeopardy! She has a cousin who was a multi-time champion, she says. That history helped encourage her to take the test that leads to an audition if you do well enough. She first auditioned for the show in 2019, prior to the pandemic, and after a few additional tryouts received the call to appear on the show back in February. 

“At that point it had been so long that I wasn’t sure about doing it,” she says. “I feel like the show has changed since Alex (Trebek) died. I think it’s more geared toward a younger audience. But my kids encouraged me to go on. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”