Jeopardy!
What is one TV show you can appear on that will make you really cool in the hallway?
From its familiar theme to its catchy Final Jeopardy ditty, there is something about the venerable TV game show that transcends time and generations.
A Cuyahoga Falls teen finds herself in the spotlight and on a show she watches with her family thanks to landing a coveted spot on the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament.
Jasmine Wheeler, 14, will appear on the show at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on WOIO (Channel 19) in Cleveland.
It turns out, Jasmine’s father, Doug, has been trying for years to get on the quiz show.
For Jasmine, it took just one try.
“I didn’t think I would get in,” said the freshman at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson. “Then they called and I just freaked out.”
Making the cut after taking a test and attending an audition meant a trip to Washington, D.C., where this year’s teen tournament was recorded over the summer.
It also meant a chance to meet Alex Trebek.
“He is a lot funnier than you would expect,” Jasmine said. “He seems so serious on TV.”
The whole experience for Jasmine’s mom was nerve-wracking.
Brandi Wheeler said she was proud of her daughter, but was more nervous than the teen was during the taping.
“I was definitely more nervous than she was,” Brandi Wheeler said. “She was as cool as a cucumber.”
Trivia is a way of life for the Wheeler family. Jeopardy is must-watch TV and they compete as a family — along with Jasmine’s sister Camille, 13 — weekly at On Tap in Stow.
Jasmine said her strong categories are Russian history and chemistry, but it’s not something she brags about in the hallways at school.
“I try to keep it on the down low,” she said.
But since news has gotten out about her appearance on the show Tuesday — she’s not allowed to say how she fared — everyone at school is pretty excited. The school is even hosting a watch party on campus on Tuesday for her classmates.
“People I have never talked to before are now asking me when the episode will air,” she said.
Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.