Jeopardy fans will see a Tallahassee resident as a contestant this week. Jolynda Chenicek says she has checked off a bucket list item at 52 years old.
“I think I’ve been watching it since high school, and I’ve always loved to play along,” Chenicek says. “Jeopardy is something I watch every single day just about. We record it.”
Chenicek is a history teacher at Florida Virtual School. She took the Jeopardy Anytime Test, available free to anyone online, early last year. She was invited to take two additional tests as she worked her way through the process, then she got the call last March.
“They wanted me to come on the show, so it was quite an adventure to get to that point." Chenicek put together her own study guide of trivia, focusing on her strengths. Then in May, she went to California to be on the popular quiz show.
“It felt really cool to be in that area,” Chenicek says. “We got to see a lot of memorabilia and Emmys and things like that. So, just seeing that was a pinch me moment.”
Her family had to foot the bill for the trip. Her husband and two adult sons were in the audience, and the show does not pay travel expenses for contestants. The price was worth it, she says. “Getting to meet other people that are as enthusiastic about it as I was - was just such a dream... It was just an incredible amount of fun.”
In case you’re wondering, Chenicek says host Ken Jennings is as nice as he seems and put everyone at ease.
“Hearing him say my name was so fun…Everybody there was amazing. I was so impressed from the whole process, very particular about things like making sure my name is pronounced correctly and things like that,” Chenicek says, grateful to Jennings for “trying to help us get the nerves out.”
After this experience, she encourages everyone to stop putting off their dreams.
“Go for it and take that chance,” Chenicek says. “It’s never too late to go after something that you want.”
Chenicek is preparing a big viewing party for family and friends in Tallahassee. She can’t reveal anything about her episode, so you’ll have to watch to see how she did. Her episode of Jeopardy airs Thursday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. on WCTV.
