Jeopardy Game in Saigon

Jeopardy Game in Saigon

Alex Trebek died of cancer today at the age of 80. He was an iconic announcer on the Jeopardy television show and will be difficult to replace. He will be missed by his many fans.

I have loved Jeopardy all of my life. One of my dreams was to be a contestant on the show. My friends all encouraged me to give it a shot because I was so good at it. But it was not to be.

We used to play in my college dormitory room all the time. We often created our own games. The college even had a contest with teams in one of the lecture rooms. I was, of course, the captain of my team.

Eventually I went to South Vietnam to train South Vietnamese soldiers. My family sent me a boxed Jeopardy game to play with my friends. I honestly thought no one would want to play, so I just left it on my bunk. Someone came in my room, saw it, and began shouting, "A jeopardy game! I love Jeopardy!"

The next thing I knew soldiers were flocking to my room to play Jeopardy. We had some great games before we ran out of questions and the excitement died down. But what a wonderful memory.
4 likes ·   •  6 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on November 08, 2020 13:18 Tags: personal-stories, vietnam
Comments Showing 1-6 of 6 (6 new)    post a comment »
dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Clare (new)

Clare O'Beara Thanks, Jimmy.


message 2: by Alarie (new)

Alarie I've always loved it, too. We had the game and would play it with kids in our neighborhood. We also had one person act as announcer and read the questions, otherwise I'd have stood NO chance with my bad vision. I was quite good at it in my high school and college years, but find my brain doesn't react quickly enough now. Plus I don't keep up on all the pop culture. My husband qualified twice, but they put you on a waiting list. "If we don't call in 14 months, you didn't make it." A cousin did get on and came in second, winning a nice beach vacation.


message 3: by Jimmy (new)

Jimmy I wonder if they prefer people who are a bit outgoing in the interviews.


message 4: by Alarie (new)

Alarie I'd imagine so, since stage presence counts. My cousin is pretty much an introvert, but also sang solos before an audience, so he does have a lovely voice for speaking as well (so does my husband).
I bet how wild a back story they have matters, too. My husband's background is pretty interesting, but I imagine he'd hold back telling it.


message 5: by Jimmy (new)

Jimmy I probably would have been way too quiet at a young age.


message 6: by Alarie (new)

Alarie This was more when we were in our 40s or early 50s, I think. Time flies.


back to top