Under the category of Western Illinois University alumni, a future clue may include a former Leatherneck and current band director at Princeton High School in Princeton, IL who will appear on Jeopardy! on Friday, Sept. 19. The question – Who is 2015 music teacher education graduate Steven Olson?
Olson had the chance to test his knowledge in the popular trivia game show hosted by Ken Jennings, an opportunity he has looked forward to since he was young.
“I’ve watched Jeopardy! consistently since I was a kid and so it was an absolute dream come true,” Olson said. “I was lucky to have the summer off leading up to my taping so I did do some preparation. Ken Jennings is every bit as nice and funny as you would expect.”
After taking a test online, he was selected to take a test on Zoom with the Jeopardy! casting team. He was selected to have a live audition via Zoom with some mock gameplay and an interview. He said there are some excellent resources online put together by fans of the show that have tracked every clue used in the game, so he spent much of the summer making his own games and studying areas he may not be as familiar with.
Once he stepped foot on stage, he said it was everything he could have ever imagined.
“It was very surreal to walk into the stage that I’ve seen so many times on TV and see it in real life,” Olson said. “The team at Jeopardy! was extremely welcoming and I really enjoyed meeting the other contestants from my tape day and talking to them throughout the day. Walking on stage and being announced as a contestant was indescribable. I was as stressed as I have ever been in my life.”
Olson said he felt very lucky to be selected and encouraged all his fellow Leathernecks to take their own shot at whatever they feel they can do.
“I would encourage someone reading who loves trivia and playing at home to take the test and see what happens,” Olson said. “Go Necks!”
To learn more about WIU’s music teacher education program, visit wiu.edu/musiceducation.