The 'Jeopardy!' second-chance tournament is giving Sharon Bishop of Pawtucket another shot
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A Spanish teacher at Davies Career & Technical High School, Sharon Bishop normally doesn't let students in her class answer their phones, and she certainly doesn't take calls in class herself.
But when "Jeopardy!" is calling, you make an exception.
"I said to the kids, 'you know how I always yell at you about not taking calls during school? This is 'Jeopardy!' so I'm answering this call,'" Bishop said. "They were all instantly quiet."
That call was the Pawtucket resident's ticket back to the "Jeopardy!" stage, and a second chance at winning.
Who is Sharon Bishop on 'Jeopardy!'?
Bishop has watched "Jeopardy!" regularly since Art Fleming was the host. When they started making it easier to apply to be on the show, Bishop applied. And applied and applied.
There was a lot of "waiting and hoping and hoping and waiting," Bishop said. For about 15 years, she was in a cycle of applying, being eligible, but not making that round of play and then applying again when she became eligible to apply. She was so serious about it that she set calendar reminders.
She was close in 2018, she said, but it wasn't until 2022 that she got the call inviting her to be on the show. And it wasn't until April 2023 that she flew to Los Angeles to compete.
In that episode – which premiered July 28 – she came in second place after missing the final question on the game.
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"I played a good game. It was fun and I was very competitive," Bishop said. "I was thrilled and proud of myself."
Having lived her dream, she stayed in touch with the producer of her episode, sometimes messaging him about questions asked on the show.
When she heard that "Jeopardy!" was hosting a second chance tournament, she jumped.
"I messaged him in the name of shameless self-promotion," Bishop said. "If you were looking for a second-chance player, I think maybe I could qualify. And you know, I'd love to be there."
And a few weeks later, she got the call during class.
What is the Jeopardy! second chance tournament?
The second-chance tournament is for players like Bishop.
"The field consists of players who didn’t become 'Jeopardy!' champions in their initial appearances last season, butwhose performances convinced the 'Jeopardy!' producers that they have what it takes to win on the Alex Trebek Stage if given a second chance to compete," according to a news release announcing the tournament.
The tournament, which is divided into four groups that each play for a week, started in mid-December and will run through mid-January. The winner each week takes home a $35,000 price and a ticket to the Season39 'JEOPARDY!' Champions Wildcard competition.
Bishop is in the third group in the second-chance competition. Her first episode back on will air on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
She can't give any hints on how it goes, but she did say that it was "wonderful" to be welcomed back to the stage.
"If you are someone who enjoys 'Jeopardy!' and feels like you are not bad at answering those questions quickly, go take the online quiz (to qualify for the show). Go do it. It's a blast," she said. "The worst thing that can happen is you answer a bunch of questions. The best thing that can happen is you get to go to LA and play the game, which is awesome."
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Sharon Bishop is back in the 'Jeopardy!' second chance tournament
