Rico played in the Teachers Tournament on November 11th. Thanks, Rico!
![]()
Jeanie: You did fine. I'm sorry you didn't make it to week 2 of the tournament.
Rico: Thank you. I wish I would have made it, but someone has to lose, too. James Brown ended with $0 and had a hockey jersey made that said “Jeopardy” on the back with the number 0. I admire his attitude. I should have totally worn an ugly shirt, even if it wasn't Thursday.
Jeanie: Your dream category is Classical Music?!? I have to ask, would you have gotten my neg right if it had been a clue on your show? (A Classical Mix-up for 800)
Rico: Your clue was a tricky one, due to the vagueness of it. I felt for you on that answer. At least you didn’t name “Sherman” as the capital of Mississippi. I get called Sherman in the hall, now.
Jeanie: I noticed that Katie rang in before you on the Blagojevich clue (you're from Illinois), and the next clue was the Daily Double. Did you try to ring on the Blagojevich clue?
Rico: Katie did beat me to the Blago one, and almost every other one. J She really had that buzzer working. I knew the Daily Double, but what can you do? Even in the practice rounds I kept getting beat on the buzzer.
Jeanie: Can you explain your Final Jeopardy wager?
Rico: My final wager was almost a joke. I wanted to bet all of it, but didn’t want to end with 0. I then thought “Wouldn’t it be funny to bet $5,595 so that I would be left with $205 (My district number) if I lost?” I then freaked out a little bit and left it at $5600. I figure it would be better to have a little money, just in case.
Jeanie: Is there anything else you'd like to say?
Rico: I would like to say that I am so happy I was there. It truly was a very surreal experience, but one I hope I always remember. The other teachers were all great people, and we have kept in close contact with each other. The contestant producers were amazing, too. Everything about Jeopardy! was so wonderful.
James Brown played on November 13th. Thanks, James!
![]()
Jeanie: Can you talk about your Final Jeopardy wager?
James: Sure. I had 6600 and I was really just focused on what I should do against Eli. He had 12200. In my mind, he wasn't going to go 0 so I figure if he wagered anything and got it right, then my only shot was the wild card. That's why I bet it all. If I double to 13200 then it may be a decent shot at it. Anything less than that didn't make sense given the format. It was either wager it all or go 0 and hope Eli and Karen went big and missed it. I didn't want to leave my fate in their hands so I went all in.
Jeanie: Did you come back the next day to watch the second week of the Teachers Tournament from the audience?
James: Yes I did go back the next day. Our little group of teachers became friends and we all were rooting for each other. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. There was also a reception after the taping was over.
Jeanie: Is there anything else you'd like to say?
James: I will admit to panicking during the daily doubles. I had no idea what the answers were but I didn't want to just stand there and say nothing. Lol your post said I answered immediately but wrong on the a in geo Daily Double. They edited out a bit of my staring blankly at the camera lol. Not that it matters but I thought long and hard for my wrong answer lol.
Jeanie: You did fine. I'm sorry you didn't make it to week 2 of the tournament.
Rico: Thank you. I wish I would have made it, but someone has to lose, too. James Brown ended with $0 and had a hockey jersey made that said “Jeopardy” on the back with the number 0. I admire his attitude. I should have totally worn an ugly shirt, even if it wasn't Thursday.
Jeanie: Your dream category is Classical Music?!? I have to ask, would you have gotten my neg right if it had been a clue on your show? (A Classical Mix-up for 800)
Rico: Your clue was a tricky one, due to the vagueness of it. I felt for you on that answer. At least you didn’t name “Sherman” as the capital of Mississippi. I get called Sherman in the hall, now.
Jeanie: I noticed that Katie rang in before you on the Blagojevich clue (you're from Illinois), and the next clue was the Daily Double. Did you try to ring on the Blagojevich clue?
Rico: Katie did beat me to the Blago one, and almost every other one. J She really had that buzzer working. I knew the Daily Double, but what can you do? Even in the practice rounds I kept getting beat on the buzzer.
Jeanie: Can you explain your Final Jeopardy wager?
Rico: My final wager was almost a joke. I wanted to bet all of it, but didn’t want to end with 0. I then thought “Wouldn’t it be funny to bet $5,595 so that I would be left with $205 (My district number) if I lost?” I then freaked out a little bit and left it at $5600. I figure it would be better to have a little money, just in case.
Jeanie: Is there anything else you'd like to say?
Rico: I would like to say that I am so happy I was there. It truly was a very surreal experience, but one I hope I always remember. The other teachers were all great people, and we have kept in close contact with each other. The contestant producers were amazing, too. Everything about Jeopardy! was so wonderful.
James Brown played on November 13th. Thanks, James!
James: Sure. I had 6600 and I was really just focused on what I should do against Eli. He had 12200. In my mind, he wasn't going to go 0 so I figure if he wagered anything and got it right, then my only shot was the wild card. That's why I bet it all. If I double to 13200 then it may be a decent shot at it. Anything less than that didn't make sense given the format. It was either wager it all or go 0 and hope Eli and Karen went big and missed it. I didn't want to leave my fate in their hands so I went all in.
Jeanie: Did you come back the next day to watch the second week of the Teachers Tournament from the audience?
James: Yes I did go back the next day. Our little group of teachers became friends and we all were rooting for each other. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. There was also a reception after the taping was over.
Jeanie: Is there anything else you'd like to say?
James: I will admit to panicking during the daily doubles. I had no idea what the answers were but I didn't want to just stand there and say nothing. Lol your post said I answered immediately but wrong on the a in geo Daily Double. They edited out a bit of my staring blankly at the camera lol. Not that it matters but I thought long and hard for my wrong answer lol.
The only two answers I regret was 1) not answering Disney hall. I knew it was Disney but didn't know if it was hall or theatre or what the official name was and I didn't know if Disney was acceptable. The other was missing Aegean Sea. My mouth answered before I fully thought it out to realize there are two parts of the Mediterranean that began with a.