Palm Springs man wins again on ‘Jeopardy!’, moves into next round of champions tournament
A "Jeopardy!" veteran from Palm Springs won again on the quiz show Friday night, moving into the quarterfinals of a champions tournament.
Dennis Chase, who was a two-time champion in 2021 and won more than $50,000 total back then, came back from second place to win in the Final Jeopardy round Friday.
In the category "the Catholic Church," Chase correctly guessed the answer for the clue "The 1456 posthumous annulment of this woman's sentence by the church was witnessed by her mother Isabelle."
The right person: Joan of Arc.
In an interview with The Desert Sun before the show aired — it had been taped, but he was legally required to keep his lips sealed — Chase recalled the lifelong curiosity and passion for learning that eventually landed him on "Jeopardy!"
Chase, 63, works as a biotech project manager. And he's the president of the Palm Springs-based Modern Men chorus. Since August, he's had to balance his full-time job, studying for the show, and taping in mid-October with rehearsals for the chorus' upcoming holiday shows on Dec. 2 and 3 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.
"I had rehearsals on Monday nights and I would come home and watch 'Jeopardy!'" Chase said. "What's interesting is if I'm in the finals of the tournament, one of the final shows on Nov. 27 is the night of our tech rehearsal, so I can tell people in the chorus, 'Hey, watch me!' But they all have to go home and watch afterwards. They've all been very supportive and excited for me. I'm used to balancing work and chorus, so balancing work, chorus and 'Jeopardy!' wasn't too bad."
Producers haven't yet announced when Chase's semifinal round will air. Next week's shows all feature more quarterfinals contestants, according to Jeopardy.com, the show's official website.
What makes a ‘Jeopardy!’ champion?
According to Chase's observations, most "Jeopardy!" champions have something in common with him: They're avid readers and have interests in many things. But that's only half of what it takes; it also requires a stage presence. When you go on the show, you have to feel comfortable in front of a crowd and not give in to the pressure, all while feeling heat from the stage lights beating down as six cameras are rolling.
"I've done musical theater and opera for more than 20 years, so that certainly helps. I'm also a project manager, so I'm used to presenting things in front of people," Chase said. "You never know what category is going to come at you. They don't tell you ahead of time or what to study. You're going to get something really esoteric that you know nothing about, but I love it when I get a mythology question because that's something that's interested me since I was five."
How do you try out for ‘Jeopardy!’?
It's not just knowledge or studying that wins "Jeopardy!" Knowing how to manage the buzzer is the hardest part. Chase said he bought a USB device to practice with that simulates a "Jeopardy!" buzzer while watching video footage from the show. But he also noticed that in his group of 27 champions, only seven were over the age of 50.
"It's a trade-off. People who are younger are going to probably be a little bit better on the buzzer, but they may not have the depth of knowledge that somebody of a previous generation has," Chase said.
Still, he encourages everyone, both young and old, to try out for the show by visiting jeopardy.com and taking an online test.
"You do an online test and if you pass that, then you do another online test, and then they do Zoom interviews or auditions on the set itself. Anybody interested can try the online test, can take it anytime and see how they do," Chase said.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs man wins again on ‘Jeopardy!’ tournament of champions
