Jeopardy! Question, Seattle Edition: This Seattle resident’s 15-year career at the University Book Store prepared her to appear on “Jeopardy!” in June 2012 and win nearly $60,000.
Answer: Who is Kathy Wright?
If you watch “Jeopardy!” — the popular television quiz show, you inevitably find yourself shouting answers at the screen and believing you could do better. Seattle resident Kathy Wright actually did. Wright, a bookseller at University Book Store, appeared on three episodes, which aired in June, and won nearly $60,000.
“My grandparents watched it religiously,” says Wright, who grew up in the Magnolia neighborhood. “When we visited them, it was sacred “Jeopardy!” time when the show aired. I’ve been watching it for around 40 years now.”
For fun, Wright took the online “Jeopardy!” test in February 2011, which qualifies people to become potential contestants. It was her first attempt and she received a callback for an in-person audition.
“I thought I did poorly at the audition, so I didn’t bother to keep studying. When I got ‘The Call’ saying I’d be on the show, I was in disbelief, but very excited. I also thought, ‘Oh no! I only have a month to get ready!’” said Wright.
“Jeopardy!” questions span a wide range of topics — geography, food, literature, current events, pop culture — and contestants with a wide breadth of knowledge typically do best. Wright credits her lifelong passion for reading as essential to her success.
“I was always walking around with a book in hand,” says Wright, who is a graduate of Queen Anne High School and the University of Washington. “In class, I was the girl who inappropriately rose her hand to answer every question. Finally, with “Jeopardy!” I found a place where those smarty-pants tendencies had a practical application,” Wright said.
Her knowledge literally paid off. She won $38,398 during her first round. In a happy coincidence, her first Final Jeopardy! question was a literary topic regarding Stephen King. She similarly aced other book categories such as “War Poetry” and “Recent Nonfiction.”
To prepare, Wright asked friends to brief her on their areas of expertise. Her brother, a librarian at Seattle Central Public Library, schooled her in English royalty and Shakespeare. The knowledge helped her almost sweep the category of “Shakespeare’s Women.”
“There was a question about the wives of Henry VIII, and I got it because my brother reviewed it with me. I felt like fist pumping the answer — Anne of Cleves — yeah!” recalled Wright.
Her brother, David Wright, accompanied her to the taping in Los Angeles. “What strikes you when you’re in the audience is how fast it goes,” he said. “I developed a healthy respect for the contestants up there.”
Being on the show requires full concentration, but there is time for fun in addition to the games. A highlight was meeting host Alex Trebek, the face of “Jeopardy!” for nearly 20 years. While he’s known for his cool and calm countenance, he is surprisingly funny off-camera.
“He’s hilarious and quite the character!” David said. “He’ll come out and talk to the audience, which was so much fun. He makes jokes and some of them are... surprising! I asked him whether he was going to grow his mustache back, which is probably what people ask all the time.”
Kathy still misses the famous mustache, which became part of the Wright family’s lore. “In college, someone told me my dad looked like Alex Trebek because of the mustache, so Alex always reminded me a bit of my dad,” she said.
Wright taped her shows in February 2012 and was relieved when they finally aired it so she no longer had to keep the results a secret. Her coworkers good-naturedly tried to deduce the results, but she “didn’t crack.”
“Reading opens up so many opportunities to learn about different worlds, and the more you read, the better off you are. Kathy is witness to that,” said Magnolia resident Louise Little, director of human resources at University Book Store. Little’s own mother was a “Jeopardy!” contestant decades ago.
“We’re just so proud of her! The store was abuzz the morning after [the show]!” Little said.
Wright, a fan of travel literature, plans to put her winnings toward seeing some of the sights she’s read about. She also plans on investing it in the next generation of potential “Jeopardy!” contestants: her 15-year-old son’s impending college tuition.
While she enjoyed her time on “Jeopardy!” Wright is happy to be back at the University Book Store and answering her most favorite questions of all — those that help fellow readers. “When somebody comes in and can’t remember an author or title, we love being able to help,” Wright said. Just don’t be surprised if she starts phrasing everything in the form of a “Jeopardy!” answer.
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