Lisa Brown, an adjunct lecturer who teaches anthropology and sociology courses online for Florida International University (FIU), will appear as a contestant on the game show Jeopardy! on October 1. Although she lives out of state and does not teach on campus, Brown is part of FIU’s faculty.
Jeopardy!, which has been airing in its current format for 41 years, remains one of the most popular game shows in the United States. The program attracts a weekly audience of about 20 million viewers.
Brown taped her episode earlier this year but is prohibited from sharing specific details about her performance before it airs. She cannot reveal whether she won or advanced to additional episodes, nor can she discuss which categories she excelled in or how she performed during “final Jeopardy.” However, Brown described her experience positively: “It was really a great adventure and so much fun,” she said. “All of the contestants were so nice. It didn’t even feel like we were competing against each other, which obviously we were, but everybody was cheering for everybody else.”
The show features contestants answering questions—referred to as “answers” on Jeopardy!—from various topics including history, geography, literature, science, entertainment, and sports. Contestants respond by phrasing their answers in the form of a question.
Brown offered some insight into how others might secure a spot on the show. She noted that approximately 120,000 to 130,000 people take the free online test each year. Of those participants, about 2,500 to 3,000 are invited to an interview and participate in a mock game over Zoom. Ultimately only around 400 individuals are selected to compete on air.
Reflecting on her previous attempt at joining Jeopardy! ten years ago—which was unsuccessful—Brown emphasized that both luck and skill play roles in being chosen as a contestant. She said remaining calm during interviews helped her succeed this time: “I was able to answer the questions a little bit more confidently,” Brown said.
Her advice for prospective contestants is straightforward: “It sounds really trite to say,” she acknowledged, “just be confident and be yourself.”
Regarding preparation strategies for appearing on Jeopardy!, Brown believes intensive studying is less effective than building general knowledge through education and curiosity over time. She holds an MA in Asian studies from FIU (2019) and completed a doctoral degree in anthropology (2022), both earned through a dual-degree program at FIU. Her dissertation focused on a caste-based minority community in Japan.
Brown also highlighted the importance of mastering the buzzer used during gameplay: “The biggest preparation that I did was trying to simulate the use of a buzzer because that’s a big part of Jeopardy,” she explained. To practice her reflexes at home while watching episodes with her family—a tradition shared with her husband and son—she used a toilet-paper dispenser as an improvised buzzer substitute.
She pointed out that ringing in too early can penalize contestants by temporarily locking them out from responding after the host finishes reading each clue: “The buzzer is the hardest thing to practice and can really be the determiner,” Brown stated.
As viewers prepare to watch her episode this week—and with students among those anticipating results—Brown maintained modest expectations regarding outcomes: “I tried to keep my goal modest,” she said. She added that success would mean avoiding embarrassment rather than winning large sums: “I just don’t want to embarrass myself and become a meme.”
Jeopardy! airs nationally at different times depending on local broadcast schedules; Miami-area viewers can watch it weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on ABC affiliate stations or stream recent episodes via Hulu or Peacock through the official website.
