During dead week last semester, Kevin Brown hit the books, memorizing all the U.S. presidents, state capitals and world capitals — but not in preparation for finals. Instead, the environmental engineering senior brushed up on trivia for “Jeopardy! College Championship,” on which he will represent the University during the Feb. 2 airing.
Brown competed against 14 other students representing schools like Northwestern University, Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley.
After taking an online test to apply for the Alex Trebek-hosted game show, he said he attended a casting call in downtown New Orleans. Brown said he found out he earned a contestant spot on the Monday of dead week in December.
“Every time I get to tell someone about it, it’s like getting that call all over again,” he said.
Brown said he regularly tuned into “Jeopardy!” throughout his adolescence, and the tradition carried over to college. From Evangeline Hall, he would watch the show while on the clock as a residential assistant.
Fellow RA and information technology junior Kaileigh Thompson said she thinks it is interesting “Jeopardy!” caters to a collegiate demographic.
“I know [the show’s] been around for a long time, so I think it’s really cool that we have someone to represent us and someone to represent LSU,” Thompson said.
Brown said his “Jeopardy!” trip was a “real Hollywood experience.”
He said all the contestants flew out to Los Angeles last Sunday, where they were free to roam the city until Tuesday when filming began. After filming 10 episodes in 48 hours, Brown said it was the most intense experience he ever had.
From behind the scenes, he said he was surprised by how scaled-to-size the set looked. Though he did not get to talk to Trebek much, he said the host is conversational and has the show’s format “down to a science.”
While Brown remembers “a lot of makeup” from filming, he said he draws a blank on 90 percent of the “nerve-wracking” process.
“It’s all up to timing and knowledge, but mostly your endurance,” Brown said.
He said the college championship version of the game show holds an added appeal for viewers because each contestant represents something greater than themselves — their schools. While Brown University and Columbia University usually reign as the “perennial favorites,” Brown said it was exciting to represent a school better known for its athletics than its academics.
Though he will not be able to compete on the show again, he said the “Jeopardy!” experience was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I was just so excited to represent LSU in something we normally aren’t represented in,” Brown said.