’I was completely floored’: Teacher from Myrtle Beach details ‘Jeopardy’ experience
What is happiness?
For Myrtle Beach teacher Karen Bland, it’s getting a chance to make it on an episode of “Jeopardy” and meet the show’s host Alex Trebek.
Bland took the “Jeopardy” online test three times over a three-year period — and the third time was the charm. She auditioned for the show, and about a month later, she received a call saying she made it. The episode will air Tuesday night on CBS.
“The whole experience is really surreal, it just happened so fast,” Bland told The Sun News in a Tuesday interview before the show aired. “The whole process was so much fun. The ‘Jeopardy’ staff was so upbeat and made us feel comfortable and happy to be there.”
The funny part about Bland making her way on the show, she said, is her husband is the one in the family who is a longtime “Jeopardy” fan, and she initially just began yelling out answers at the television to be funny while he adamantly watched. He finally told her she should try out.
Bland took the online quiz three times, and after the third time, she was asked to go to Washington, D.C., for an audition, which consisted of more quizzes and practice rounds. A month later, she got the call that she would be heading to California.
“I was just shaking, I was completely floored,” she said after finding out she would be on the show.
Though she can’t share details about the episode prior to it airing, she said, “I did make it a goal not to cry or pass out on national TV; and I will say, I probably did OK with those goals.”
Meeting Trebek was a blur because of all the excitement, Bland said, but she commends his willingness to greet the audience and answer questions.
“I thought that was so professional and impressive. He was interesting, too, and funny,” she said.
Bland is an online teacher for students in China and has lived in the Myrtle Beach area since 2004. She said she encourages folks, even if they think they aren’t smart enough for the show, to try out if they are interested.
“Give it a shot — you never know,” she said. “It’s so worth it to do it if you get on there.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2019 at 12:27 PM.
