If “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek asked one contestant on a handful of summer episodes what university he worked for, his answer would have been, “What is Ball State.”
Scott McFadden, head of serials cataloging in Bracken Library, has been watching “Jeopardy!” since college. In 2005, he decided he would try to get on the show.
“It’s just about the only game show that I watch. I’ve always enjoyed it,” McFadden said. “It’s a nice, fast-paced game that sort of rewards having a good breadth of knowledge.”
McFadden said working at the library helped him prepare a little, but his thirst for knowledge and knack for remembering odd facts were what really propelled him in the competition.
“Working in the library, I’ve come across a few odd facts here and there, but contrary to people’s beliefs, librarians don’t just spend time reading books here in the library,” McFadden said.
Despite taking the online quiz every year, McFadden was only called for an in-person audition three times. In the summer of 2017, he drove to Chicago, and the third audition proved to be the charm.
In February, McFadden flew to Los Angeles on his own dime to be a contestant on “America’s favorite question-and-answer game.”
Film day started at 7 a.m. when a studio van picked contestants up from their hotel and took them to Sony Studios in Culver City, California. After signing a few papers, getting hair and make-up done and playing a practice round, it was time to film.
A weeks-worth of episodes are filmed in one day, so McFadden knew he had won three episodes before returning home.
“It was a little nerve-wracking, but at least for me, you kind of get into a rhythm,” he said. “You know, people kind of talk about getting in the zone and you’re up there and you’re concentrating a lot and you’re following the game pretty fast so I didn’t get too nervous, or if I did, I was able to move past that.”
Winning big
McFadden won his first game on the Wednesday, June 27, episode by a margin of $1. Afterward, he had about ten minutes to change his clothes and regroup for the second game, which he won, bringing his earnings to $59,602.
He again won the Friday game, eventually losing the Monday, July 2, game, but not before bringing his total earnings to $80,401. He answered 96 questions total, missing only 12, according to The Jeopardy! Fan.
And while he knew he had won in February, he won’t receive the money until at least four months after the episode’s air date, putting pay day in mid-October. McFadden said he plans to use the money to pay off bills, fix up his house and take a trip to England with his wife of four years, Donna.
“It’s hard to say where we’ll go because you know the whole country is just very attractive, but we’d love to see the scenic parts out in the country,” McFadden said. “We’re very fond of the British TV show ‘Midsomer Murders,’ which is filmed in the central counties, the rural area, and we’d like to see that area where the farmland and the countryside is, but I’d also like to see London and the historic sites there.”
Donna said she was excited at the prospect of visiting another continent, but she is looking forward to seeing more than just the sites England has to offer.
“I just like watching him looking at everything, his little face lights up,” she said. “We went to Universal Studios and we saw the Harry Potter thing for the first time, I’m not really into Harry Potter but he is, and his little face just lit up when he saw everything.”
A returning champion?
Since returning to Muncie, McFadden said he has been recognized by numerous people.
“I do occasionally get stopped in the grocery store or something by people who recognized me and want to say congratulations so that’s nice,” he said. “I don’t know how long it will last, but it’s always very nice.”
That celebrity might be extended should McFadden be asked back for the show’s Tournament of Champions. Contestants who win five shows are automatically asked back. After that, the remaining spots are filled by contestants with the most earnings.
Currently, McFadden sits in the middle of the list on the official Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions Tracker. If he doesn’t get asked to return, though, he said he was happy with the time he was already given.
“The best part was just the fact that I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time and I finally made it,” he said. “The excitement of just being there and seeing the set in person and seeing Alex in person and getting to see the behind-the-scenes stuff, it was just finally achieving one of my bucket list things.”
Contact Brynn Mechem with comments at bamechem@bsu.edu or on Twitter @BrynnMechem.
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