In some ways, Southern University junior biochemistry major Hans von Walter said, he was more nervous about attending Tuesday night's "Jeopardy" viewing party at the school than he was in taping the show back in October.
"We had a really big viewing party in the cafeteria," he said Wednesday morning from his apartment in Cleveland, Tenn.
"We had 200-300 people, which is surprising because it was word of mouth. I have to say, the viewing event ... being on 'Jeopardy' was cool, but last night was great. I didn't know how much fun I would have, even though I knew I was going to lose.
"I was so surprised that everyone was so enthusiastic. They cheered for every single question I got right."
It is college week on "Jeopardy," and von Walter competed against a student from Boston University and one from Florida State University. He led through the first round, but said the other two contestants "came into their own" in the second round. As they headed into Final Jeopardy, von Walter said, he was in third place with $10,000 and the student from BU led with $13,000.
All three got the final question regarding "Animal Farm" correct, and von Walter finished third with $17,000. The good news is that in addition to the five daily winners, the top four nonqualifying contestants advance to next week's rounds. You can tune in tonight to see if von Walter advances. If he does, he will appear on the Tuesday episode. While he knows the outcome because everything was taped in two days, he cannot reveal the results.
"I'd recommend watching because they were all really amazing and fascinating people," he said of his fellow contestants.
Von Walter applied online to be on the show in January. His 50-question test earned him a face-to-face interview in Raleigh, N.C., in June. There he took another test and then played a mock game.
"I got the call during a lab I was in on Sept. 16," he said.
He was flown to Los Angeles Oct. 16 for tapings on Oct. 18 and 19.
"They put me up in the Universal Hilton. It was very nice. The whole experience was very nice. I got to meet some very cool people."
I've interviewed several people from here who've appeared on "Jeopardy," and they all say the same things: It's way easier at home in your living room, and figuring out the buzzer is the key.
"I agree 100 percent," von Walter said. A member of the orchestra at Southern, he said the idea of performing in front of an audience didn't bother him that much, but "I was really nervous I would freeze up and, oh boy, that buzzer."
He explained that host Alex Trebek reads the answer in its entirety and then a series of red lights on either side of the game board light up. Hitting the button too early locks a contestant out.
"I'd say winning on 'Jeopardy' is 35 percent knowledge," von Walter said, "and 5 percent luck in getting the right categories on things you know, and the rest is the buzzer. If you don't have a handle on that buzzer, you will not do well."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354