How did you prepare for today's show?
Last time I didn't do much to prepare, but this time I, uh, I bought a couple of those Ken Jennings books and I studied those, so... hopefully I'll do pretty well.
What are some of your other favorite activies?
Um, I really enjoy just, uh, listening to music and, uh, going out to the movies a lot. I see pretty much every movie that comes out. Yeah.
What did you do with the money you won on the last show?
The last time I was on the show, I didn't really win any money, but I won a trip for 4 to Florida all expenses paid, and we had a really good time.
What will you dod with the money if you win this time?
The money I win on today's show, um, probably gonna pay off some of my credit cards and, uh, maybe go on a little vacation. |
"In 1999, his nickname was 'Curtles the Troll', and he wanted to save lives as a surgeon. Now he's a psychology major. Maybe the nickname had something to do with his change of heart. He's a sophomore at Scottsdale Community College. Here's..."
2008 Kids Week Reunion player (2008-09-17).
1999 Back-to-School Week player (1999-09-10).
I remember the first time I went on Jeopardy! like it was yesterday. Back then, I wanted to be a doctor more than anything else in the world. I was always big into music, growing up in Queens, NY, everyone else was too. It wasn't the nicest neighborhood, but it wasn't too bad. I remember I was so nervous at the audition. It was my mom's idea for me to go, I was so nervous. There were so many kids there I didn't think I had a chance of being chosen. When I got the call to be on the show, I couldn't believe it! I told EVERYONE. I continued to tell people for years. I tried to study everything I could, but it was way too hard. I had never been more nervous in my life when I arrived at the studios for the taping of the show. Fortunately, when I met the other contstants, they seemed as nervous as I was. That relieved my stress a little. I had trouble using the signaling button during the rehearsal game. I would always buzz in too early and that would put a delay on when I could buzz in again.
Just when I thought I couldn't get any more nervous, it was time to start the show. Waiting backstage to be called was so scary for me at the time. More than just for myself, I didn't want to let my family down. When my name was called, I tried to walk out as calmly as I could muster. At the time, I had a lisp so when Alex was talking to me, I tried to keep my responses to a minimum. The game didn't really go my way. I continued to buzz in early like I did in rehearsal, so I ended up coming in third place. After the fact, I regretted that I didn't do better, but I was very proud to be chosen out of so many of my peers to appear on the show. I still have the computer I won on the show to this day, and I took my family on the trip to Florida that was my consolation prize. It was an unforgettable experience.
Kids Week Reunion
The second time around, I wasn't as nervous to go on the show as when I was a kid. I read a couple of books by Ken Jennings and studied some trivia books and felt prepared. The show was amazing! The first time around, I had trouble buzzing in on time. This time, I did much better and I'm proud of how I performed. I really appreciate the opportunity that was given to me, and I'm going to put my winnings towards my education. Hopefully, there'll be another reunion in another 9 years. We'll see. |