How to watch Palm Springs resident Dennis Chase on 'Jeopardy!' this Friday

Update, Nov. 11, 2023: Chase won his game Friday night to move on to the semifinals.

More: Read the details here.

Palm Springs resident Dennis Chase has had a lifelong passion for learning. He was able to read at an early age — before enrolling in school — and has what he calls a "level of curiosity" about a variety of subjects.

That was the advantage for the 63-year-old biotech project manager when he appeared on the TV game show "Jeopardy!" in 2021. Chase is a two-time champion and won more than $50,000 over the course of three episodes. He was recently invited back for a tournament of champions, and he will appear on a Friday episode.

When can you watch Chase's 'Jeopardy!' episode?

Desert dweller Chase's latest journey on "Jeopardy!" airs at 7:30 p.m. Friday on NBC.

How did the SAG-AFTRA strike affect 'Jeopardy!'?

On Thursday, Chase explained how the recent writer's and actors strikes meant the network couldn't film new shows, and decided instead to organize champions tournaments, including a second-chance tournament for those contestants who didn't win the first time.

Chase's appearance is part of a fourth champions wildcard tournament consisting of nine quarterfinal matches with three champions each. The prices of the final round are $100,000 for first place and entry into the next tournament of champions, $50,000 for second place and $25,000 for third place.

"This came as a total bolt from the blue and none of us who got called up ever expected to be on the Alex Trebek stage again. It was nice to meet 27 other champions and spend a day with them. Everybody was really supportive and rooting for each other. It was a great experience overwell," Chase said.

Chase is also 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."

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 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."

There's also the aesthetics and how contestants appear on TV. During the taping of Friday's episode, Chase said one of the makeup artists noticed that his shaved head was shining too much on set and ran out a minute before everything was about to start.

"She took this stuff that wasn't quite like glue and more like petroleum jelly and started painting it on my head. I'm 6'1 and she's 5'2, so I had to bend over to allow her to do this. That's something that could rattle the average person. I've been on stage before when things have happened, so you have to roll with the punches," Chase said.

Why your 'Jeopardy!' host makes a difference

In 2020, the longtime and iconic "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek died and the network featured a roster of guest hosts such as actor LeVar Burton, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Katie Couric and more. When Chase appeared on the show in 2021, NFL Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the host, and he said it was harder to be a guest on the show at the time, which was also filmed during COVID-19.

"When you ring in for a question, you have to wait for a half a second after the host finishes reading the question or wait until they flash lights on the side of the board. With new hosts, you're not used to the way that person speaks, so it's harder," Chase said. "During COVID and after Alex died, there was no audience. We had double masks on all the time and couldn't invite guests."

Have any other Palm Springs residents competed on 'Jeopardy!'?

Shortly before Trebek died in 2020, Palm Springs resident Burt Thakur appeared on the show and shared his story about immigrating to the United States at age 7 from India when Trebek asked if he had "any family members back home cheering" him on.

"You know, here's a true story, man. I grew up, I learned English because of you," Thakur told Trebek. "And so, my grandfather, who raised me — I'm gonna get tears right now — I used to sit on his lap and watch you every day, so it's a pretty special moment for me, man."

Thakur defeated Christina Tang-Bernas of Anaheim and Devin Rossiter of Bakersfield, but was later defeated by Andrew Chaikin, a musician and teacher from San Francisco.

He was also a candidate for the 25th Congressional District during the 2022 election.

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 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.

Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs resident to appear on 'Jeopardy!' episode airing Friday