Waltham resident is on her game as Jeopardy! contestant

Answer: A Brandeis staff member who loves trivia

Question: Who is Waltham resident Abigail Arnold?

When the familiar Jeopardy! theme song plays this Wednesday, academic administrator Arnold will debut as a contestant on the beloved game show after waiting almost 10 years.

Arnold said she tried out for the classic show, which first aired on March 30, 1964, three times because “I’ve always really enjoyed doing trivia.” 

A fan for years, the Brandeis graduate school alumna said, “I started getting into it especially when I was in college” and would watch with her parents when she visited home.

After taking an online test, she was selected for an audition in 2021. 

But as the years passed, Arnold put the idea of being a contestant on the backburner until finally, in 2024, she received a call from a Jeopardy! staff member. 

“I was really surprised,” Arnold said, because it had been so long since the audition, and she was thrilled she’d get a chance to compete at last.

In preparation, Arnold reviewed only a few potential topics, because “you never know what the categories are going to be.”

She also practiced hitting her own homemade buzzer – a spring-loaded toilet paper holder – to make sure she was fast enough. 

She also figured out the most strategic ways to bet if she won any money.

“I felt ready,” Arnold recalled, as she, her parents and her aunt prepared to fly out to Culver City, Calif., for a December 2024 taping. However, due to the wildfires in the region, her turn was postponed until March. 

When at long last she arrived at the studio, she met host Ken Jennings and participated in practice games to get used to playing Jeopardy! in person. 

Coincidentally, one of the practice topics happened to be about Boston, which she got right.

Contestants are chosen at random for the week’s worth of shows that are filmed in one day.

Arnold said participating made her feel like “time doesn’t exist in the normal way … [and] the adrenaline is so high that everything is a blur.”

She enjoyed meeting the other contestants and staff and doing a bit of sightseeing, adding, “I was proud of myself for making it there.”

When asked how she did and if she made it beyond the first round, Arnold said viewers will have to wait until the episode airs to find out because she is not allowed to say.

Arnold’s episode will air this Wednesday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. To find your local station and learn more about the game show, visit Jeopardy.com.