"His musical taste has changed since he won $10,000 on Kids Week in 2000, but he's been playing piano for 14 years now, and he's still got that money in the bank. A junior at the University of Virginia, here's..."
2008 Kids Week Reunion winner: $25,000.
2000 Back to School Week winner: $10,000 + a trip for 4 to Universal Studios, Florida.
Hi. My name is David Hudson, Jr., and I'm a 19-year-old from Richmond, Virginia. I was homeschooled from 2nd-8th grade, and two of my ambitions when I was younger were to be a concert pianist and/or a basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers. But if you watched Jeopardy! back in 2000, you probably already knew that.
When I was 11, Jeopardy! was one of my favorite shows, and for good reason. While most kids my age earned their allowances by doing household chores, I earned mine by answering Jeopardy! questions. Yep... every evening at 7:30, I was glued to the TV watching Alex Trebek read clues to three contestants, and I would pretend that I, too, was a contestant, answering questions (or "questioning answers," I guess) throughout the show. Of course, my parents couldn't pay me $200 or $300 for a correct question, so we worked out a deal: for every $100 a question was worth, I would get $0.10. Sure, it doesn't seem like much, but it added up. I lived for the $500 questions and $1000 questions... and the Daily Doubles? Oh man... I loved Jeopardy!
So, while I was earning my allowance one night, I saw an advertisement saying that Jeopardy! was inviting kids ages 10-12 to compete on the actual show. To sign up, all I had to do was go online to the Jeopardy! web site and put in my name, address, and phone number. And as soon that episode was over, I went right to the computer and registered. Sure, I probably wouldn't hear back from them, but hey, it couldn't hurt, right?
Fast forward a couple of months, and my mom gets a call from somebody with a California area code. She thought it was a telemarketer at first, so she wasn't very happy when she answered the phone. And then when the person on the other end said that they were from Jeopardy!, she immediately thought it was some kind of joke. Nope... they were serious. I had been invited to audition for the show in Washington, D.C. with roughly 100 other kids.
I couldn't believe it! I was so nervous when I went to the audition that I actually had a very upset stomach and, at one point, thought that I wouldn't make it through the testing process. During the test, I had to excuse myself (my stomach really didn't feel like holding my food down any longer), but fortunately, they paused the test until I got back. After the test and the mock taping of the show, I went back home and drank some ginger ale.
Fast forward again to the summer, and I've just finished a week of basketball camp, waiting for my mom to pick me up. When she arrived, she gave me some very interesting news: during the week, she got another phone call from Jeopardy!, but this time, it was an invitation for me to appear on the actual show. And she wasn't joking. So many thoughts were running through my head, but it hadn't really set in that I was going to be on the show.
That changed when I was heading to the airport to leave for Los Angeles. It still hadn't really set in, but it had definitely set in to my stomach. I was sick for the whole plane ride, and when we finally touched down in L.A., I had to go straight to the hotel and sleep. And I didn't get any better the day after that. Ugh... what a way to enjoy L.A.
The next day, I wasn't feeling much better, but it didn't really matter... it was time to go tape the show. I honestly don't remember much about getting to the studio, or talking to the other contestants, or rehearsing, or even what I said to Alex. But, one thing did stand out to me: his dressing room! Maybe it was just because I was 11, but the size of his dressing room was almost inconceivable. At this point, I started to think that I should be a game show host when I grew up. And that could still happen, but who knows.
Anyway, it was time to tape the show. I went out on stage with the other two contestants, Ariel and Neville (cool kids), and stood on a lot of boxes (I don't think I had reached the 5-foot plateau yet). I looked down at the small digital screen in front of me and signed my name, then grabbed the signaling button and was ready to go.
It took me a while to get started, but once I answered the first question, that took a lot of pressure off. Everything was going well until the Double Jeopardy! round came, and then I started to feel a little light-headed. I answered some more questions, but my main focus was trying not to fall over. I had done really well in the first Jeopardy! round, but at the end of the Double Jeopardy!, I was in last place.
The Final Jeopardy! category was FAMOUS TEENAGERS, something that I didn't really feel comfortable with, but since I was in last place, I didn't really have much of a choice. I had to bet it all. At least that's what I had been taught by all of the Jeopardy! episodes I had watched for an allowance. Then the answer came up:
"This young man who turned 18 on June 21, 2000 has a dog named Widgeon and a younger brother named Harry." Funny thing is, a few weeks before the show, I was walking through my local grocery store when I saw a cover of People magazine, which was talking about Prince William's 18th birthday. And he did have a younger brother named Harry... maybe that was it?
Since I was in last place, I was up first. Alex told me that my question of "Who is Prince William?" was correct, and since I already had $5,000, my full wager brought me up to $10,000. That was great, but I was sure at least one of the other two contestants got it right too. But when they both came up with blanks, and Alex congratulated me on having the highest money total and winning the game, I was shocked. I couldn't believe it. I won! And after watching the taping of the following episode, I went back to the hotel and collapsed on the bed. It was all over.
Going back home was fun, since I couldn't tell anyone the outcome of the game. Of course everyone wanted to know whether I had won or not, but they had to wait until the show aired to find out. Then, after the show came on, I think I received back-to-back phone calls for at least an hour straight, congratulating me on the win.
For at least a couple of years after the show aired, people would come up to me and ask, "Hey, weren't you on Jeopardy! a while ago?" That got old quickly, but it was fun to feel like a celebrity for a little bit. And as far as the $10,000, I tithed 10% of it to my church and put the rest in the bank. Most of it is still there, actually, except for a little bit that I took out to buy a computer for school. Other than that, I'll probably just wait until I graduate from college to use the rest of it.
I guess Jeopardy! really hasn't changed my life too much... I'm still the typical 19-year-old college student that likes to chill with friends, have fun on the weekends, etc. But being able to say that I've been on Jeopardy! is definitely a great conversation-starter.
Kids Week Reunion Show
Being on Jeopardy! once is awesome. Definitely something you can tell the kids and the grandkids. But to be on there twice? That's just unbelievable...
So, earlier this summer, I came home from work one day and my dad told me that I got a call from Jeopardy!, asking about me and what I was up to these days. I didn't really think anything of it, so I called them back and told them a little bit about myself, like how I was about 4 feet taller since I had been on Jeopardy! (okay, maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration), how college was going, etc. Then they told me that they were thinking of having a reunion week for the past "Back to School Week" contestants, and that they wanted to have me come out to the taping as an alternate contestant, just in case someone had to drop out of the show. There was no question: I get a free trip to L.A. and to the set of Jeopardy! again? Count me in!
A few weeks later, I got another call from Jeopardy!, and there was even better news this time around: one of the contestants wouldn't be able to make it, so they wanted me to fill her spot on the show. I couldn't believe this... I was getting the chance to go on Jeopardy! for a second time? This was crazy!
I have to admit, though... I didn't really do a lot of studying this time around. Jeopardy! is such a difficult show to study for; you really have to have a good knowledge of pretty much everything. Plus, there was only so much I could learn in less than a month, so if I didn't know it already... oh well.
A few weeks later, it was time to head back out to L.A. It just so happened that the day we flew out there was my dad's birthday, so I decided to take him out there with me as a present. (I'm not really sure how much it was my decision to make, though... I'm sure there was no way my mom would let her 19-year-old son go out to L.A. with no supervision...)
The trip out there was much better this time around, except for a jalapeño omelet that did work on my stomach again on the plane ride. Other than that, we had a blast. Dad and I went on an all-day tour of L.A. the day after we arrived, getting the chance to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Sign, Venice Beach, Rodeo Drive, and the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" mansion, which was my personal favorite.
Anyway, back to the show. The next day, it was time to go to Sony Pictures Studios for the taping. When we arrived, everything was pretty much as I remembered it, except the Jeopardy! set was a little shinier, and I didn't have to stand on any boxes behind the podium this time around. What a difference puberty makes.
Although the other contestants were all from the first Back to School Week (I was from the second week in 2000), it was great to meet them and hang out with them. After we all did our video interviews, played the rehearsal game, said cheesy lines for the promo ads, and went to get touched up by the makeup artist (that really makes you feel like a superstar), it was time for the show to start.
When we went out, Johnny Gilbert was talking to the audience about the show and answering some of their questions. I don't really remember what he was talking about, mainly because I was thinking about how much I wanted both his voice and his custom-made Jeopardy! jacket (you have to see it... it's the coolest jacket ever). If he ever decides to sell the jacket, I'll definitely be first in line for it.
After he went back to the microphone, they started taping the first show. The first three contestants went on stage, and then they were joined by the man of the hour, Mr. Alex Trebek! I was shocked when I found out he was 68... he could easily pass for 40, no lie. Whatever he uses on his face works wonders. It was fun to sit back and watch the actual show being taped, but I couldn't wait for my chance to get out on stage. And, of course, they decided to put me on the week's last episode.
When it was time to tape my episode, I went up to the podium and grabbed the signaling button, and I felt just like I did when I was 11: overwhelmed. I wasn't light-headed this time, but I just couldn't believe that I was actually on the show again. That's probably why I got off to such a slow start. But I found myself enjoying the whole experience itself a lot more this time. I wasn't nearly as nervous as I was last time, and I really didn't feel any pressure this time around. I just wanted to have a great time, do my best, and look fresh in front of America for one night. And I think I was successful... especially on that last one.
As far as the money goes, I'm going to tithe 10% of whatever I win to my church again, and put the rest of it in the bank. I could go for some new shoes, maybe a new iPod... we'll see. I'll save most of it just in case it takes me a while to find a good job after school. I want to pursue a career in journalism, but, like I said in the first part of my blog, after seeing Alex's dressing room when I was 11, I really wanted to be a game show host. So, Alex, if you're reading this... as young as you look, I know you're getting up there, so if you need someone to fill your spot... CALL ME! |
