Merv Griffin invented the American television game show named Jeopardy! It is a quiz competition where contestants are given general knowledge cues in the form of answers and must phrase their responses as questions. If you’re a fan of the show, you might be wondering how are all the contestants within the same height as each other even with obvious differences in body proportions?
Contestants on the show Jeopardy! actually stand on adjustable platforms to give the impression that they are all of the same height on camera. These are adjusted before the show is shot.
The Story of Rebecca Wald on Jeopardy!
Rebecca Wald has tried to keep quiet about her winning ways on Jeopardy! for the past three months. She has kept most of her friends and family in the dark about the outcome of her participation in taping the popular trivia show in Culver City, California, in December.
My husband was the only person who was in on it. I think I would have exploded if I couldn’t tell someone. They are very strict about what you can divulge to the press or on social media. They told us you can tell anyone who can keep their mouth shut. My children are terrible liars; they would not have made it three months.
Rebecca Wald
Wald, a 43-year-old private practice psychologist in Mount Washington, has won $43,200 as a two-day Jeopardy! champion.
Wald attended the Baltimore Home School Community Center, where she is a member since she home schools her children, to see her first performance on the show on Friday night with around 30 friends.
It seems that most who watched were convinced I hadn’t won. I’m a really good liar. I had a good poker face. Everyone in my family, including my children, thought I had lost.
Rebecca Wald
In 2000, Wald relocated to Baltimore to finish an internship at the University of Maryland Medical School. She was born in Elmira, New York, and attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, before going to the University of Iowa to get her doctorate in clinical psychology. With her husband, Michael Nutt, she has two children, ages 11 and 8.
Wald’s participation in Jeopardy! has been in the works for almost a year. Despite taping her portion in December, she began her preparations in January with an online qualifying test. She attended an in-person audition in April in Washington, D.C., and a written qualifying test, before learning she had been chosen for the show on Election Day in November. (Source: The Baltimore Sun)
What did Rebecca Wald do with his Jeopardy! Earnings?
Like most game show winners, Wald has a list of things she wanted to buy with her winnings. She made one major purchase after winning: a hot tub.
That was one of these things that I would never spend real money on. To have this windfall seems like something that I should do.
Rebecca Wald
Wald stated that she intends to travel and make more purchases. But those will have to wait for one tiny detail. At the time, she hasn’t gotten the check yet but already assumes that a huge chunk of it will go to taxes. Wald has also had to deal with some of the realities of her newfound celebrity.
Some online critics have been harsh with her, ripping apart her responses and mocking any inaccurate replies she’s given on the show. She also received access to a hidden Facebook page of former Jeopardy! Contestants as a result of her performance on the show. Contestants which has served as a type of support system.
You get a lot of support there. All the former contestants are like: People are terrible, but you’re the one that won.
Rebecca Wald
(Source: The Baltimore Sun)