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Parishville-Hopkinton Central and local college grad says Jeopardy TV appearance was ‘nerve racking’

Posted 9/22/13

By JIMMY LAWTON PARISHVILLE -- A Parishville-Hopkinton graduate and SUNY Canton librarian will appear on the popular quiz show Jeopardy Oct. 4. Cori Wilhelm, a 2000 PHCS graduate who received an …

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Parishville-Hopkinton Central and local college grad says Jeopardy TV appearance was ‘nerve racking’

Posted

By JIMMY LAWTON

PARISHVILLE -- A Parishville-Hopkinton graduate and SUNY Canton librarian will appear on the popular quiz show Jeopardy Oct. 4.

Cori Wilhelm, a 2000 PHCS graduate who received an undergraduate degree at St. Lawrence University and a master’s degree at SUNY Potsdam, said the experience was nerve-racking, exciting and fun.

“I was really surprised when I got the call,” she said, noting that she had been on the list of potential contestants before.

Wilhelm took the online qualification test multiple times and auditioned twice before being selected as a contestant. She said the test is held online every January and top performers are selected from a pool of more than 100,000 people. Following that test, she was called for an audition in Boston where she competed with about 18 others.

“I got really lucky. I am not very good at sports questions and there was only one on the test,” she said.

In April, Wilhelm found out she would be on the show. The news was exciting for her as well as her parents, Llona and Fred.

Wilhelm said Jeopardy was a “big deal” for her growing up, as her mother is an avid fan of the show.

“I have been watching it since I was born, because of my mom,” she said.

Between April and August Wilhelm prepared physically and mentally for the game. She said she studied for the show, but the diverse categories makes preparation difficult.

“I studied, but some people don’t. It’s hard to know what to focus on and I’m not sure if any of the studying paid off,” she said.

Wilhelm said one thing she did practice was hitting the buzzer. She said this is one of the trickier parts of competition. An early ring actually locks a contestant out, which can be costly in an actual competition.

To prepare, Wilhelm said she used a “clicky pen” while watching the show. Wilhelm said in an average episode there are many answers that all of the contestants know and it really comes down to hitting the buzzer at just the right time.

Despite the training Wilhelm said her nerves were running high when she and her mother arrived at the studio in L.A.

Wilhelm said the atmosphere was fast-paced, with five episodes filmed in a single day. She said all of the contestants for the entire week are in attendance during the filming and their names are drawn from an envelope prior to each show.

“No one knows if they are going to be on until about five minutes before the filming starts,” Wilhelm said. “I actually didn’t go on until the last show of the first day. That was kind of cool because I got to see how it worked.”

As she prepared to take the stage, Wilhelm said her anxiety grew. Bright lights, cameras and massive video screens surrounded her.

“I was shaking the whole time. The set was so overwhelming and there was an audience of about 100 people that I’m sure only added to my nerves,” she said. “It was the most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever done.”

Wilhlem said she wasn’t the only one who felt that way. She said the atmosphere actually created a lot of support among competitors at the studio.

“There was a lot of camaraderie. Even though everyone is competing, you still want everyone to do well,” she said.

In the end, Wilhelm said the experience went by pretty fast. She said it was exciting and memorable for both she and her mother.

Although she is barred from talking about details regarding the outcome, she said she was not “embarrassed” by her performance.

“I’m definitely glad I did it,” she said. “I’d recommend everyone to try the test online,” she said.

Wilhelm said her episode is set to air Oct. 4.