Emily Frey ’04, visiting assistant professor of Russian literature at Swarthmore College, won four rounds of “Jeopardy!” earning herself $64,503.
“It’s a show that really rewards liberal arts knowledge, I think. There aren’t many categories that come up on things like science, and when they do, they tend to be things I remember from taking two courses in chemistry when I was an undergrad. It does tend to be things like knowledge of history and languages,” she told the Swarthmore Phoenix. that the four shows, which aired in late October and early November, were filmed August 22nd in Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, Calif.
Frey told the Phoenix that the liberal arts education she received at Amherst College helped her excel in “Jeopardy!”
She prepared for the competition by watching old episodes of the game show, and watching documentaries to bone up on such things as state and country capitals.
“A lot of it has to do with speed, I think. The buzzer is a huge part of it and I knew that, but I didn’t know how true that was going to be,” she said. “Eighty percent of the clues are buzzer races.”
She is hardly the first member of the Amherst community to compete on the game show. While still in his senior year, Ben Bishop ’09 won over $114,000 in four rounds, and returned for the 2009 “Tournament of Champions.”
Ann Danielson ’91 and Gwyneth Connell ’00 each took part in the annual College Championship. Several alumni have competed on the show, including Scott Turow ’70 and Katherine Duke '05.