|
The
Rose-Hulman
Institute
of
Technology
English
Professor
Richard
House's
success
on
the
nationally-syndicated
"Jeopardy!"
television
game
show
was
stopped
on
April
7 by
an
assassin.
A
Final
Jeopardy
question
about
the
assassination
of
Russian
leader
Leon
Trotsky
stumped
House,
ending
a
two-night
winning
streak
in
which
House
collected
$45,602
by
showcasing
his
knowledge
of
literature,
sports,
state
mottoes,
show
business
and
other
trivia
on April
3-4.
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Jeopardy! Champion: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology English Professor Richard House stands with "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek after winning on April 4. The show was tapped in December. House won two nights on the syndicated televised game show. (Photo courtesy of Jeopardy! Productions Inc.) |
House
had
previously
correctly
answered
the
Final
Jeopardy
question
to defeat
four
other
contestants
by a
slim
$5
margin
over
the
course
of
two
shows.
However,
on
April
7,
House
answered
that
Diego
Rivera
had
assassinated
Pablo
Picasso,
instead
of
Trotsky.
The
losing
bet
meant
that
he
lost
to
one
of
the
challengers.
The
segments
were
taped
in
December
in
California.
House
had
been
barred
by
show
officials
from
telling
his
Rose-Hulman
colleagues
and
students
how
he
did
on
the
show.
He
can't
reveal
how
many
nights
he
wins
on
the
show.
"It
was
a
fun
experience,"
House
told
Terre
Haute
television
station
WTWO.
"When
you're
out
there
on
that
set
and
the
theme
music
starts,
it's
a
pretty
intense
experience."
A
small
group
of
House's
students
watched
the
April
8
episode
at
Rose-Hulman's
Chauncey's
Lounge
in
the
Hulman
Union.
The
students
were
impressed
with
their
professor's
performance
on
the
show.
"I
think
he's
probably
one
of
the
smartest
men
on
campus,
to
be
honest,"
Benjamin
Collins,
a
former
House
student,
told
WTWO.
"It
couldn't
have
happened
to a
more
deserving
guy.
And,
I
guess
overall
it
doesn't
bring
a
whole
lot
of
name
to
the
school,
but
it
brings
something
to
the
(Rose-Hulman)
community.
It
brings
excitement
to
the
community."
House,
35,
and
his
wife,
Traci,
hosted
a
"Jeopardy!"
show
watching
party
for
Rose-Hulman
colleagues
and
family
friends on
April
3
in
Terre
Haute.
Emotions
in
the
house
ran
high
throughout
the
30-minute
show,
especially
when
he
hit
the
second
Daily
Double
in
the
second
round.
He
took
the
lead
for
the
first
time
of
the
game
by
correctly
answering
the
question
after
risking
$3,000.
The
concluding Final
Jeopardy
category
was
Sports
Firsts.
The
answer:
The
first
baseball
World
Series
game
played
outside
the
U.S.
was
played
in
this
city
in
1992.
House's
correct
question:
What
is
Toronto?
He
won
with
$16,801,
just
$2
ahead
of
the
defending
champion.
Other
"Jeopardy!"
categories
on
the
April
3
show
included
Literature
Puzzles
Me
(which
he
correctly
answered
"Catcher
in
the
Rye"
and
"Howard's
End"),
10
Letter
Words,
Iowa
State
Fair
(the
category
for
his
successful
Daily
Double
question),
Questions
From
a
1927
Quiz
Book,
"I"
Pod,
Annual
Events,
Opening
Number
from
Musicals,
African
Geography
and
Who
Might
Have
Said
It.
On
April
4,
House's
lightning-quick
trigger
finger
and
strategic
wagers
allowed
him
to
lead
for
most
of
the
show,
thanks
to a
Double
Jeopardy
question
dedicated
to
“Plays
and
Playwrights”.
He
scored
$3,000
on a
question
whose
answer
was
the
play
“Waiting
for Godot”
by
Samuel
Beckett.
“I
actually
had
an
e-mail
from
one
of
my
undergraduate
professors
congratulating
me
on
making
$3,000
on
Samuel
Beckett,”
he
told
The
Tribune-Star
after
the
televised
viewing
on
April
4.
The
Final
Jeopardy
topic
was
“Show
Business,”
which
House
admitted
isn't
his
best
category.
“Not
nearly
as
good
as I
felt
about
‘Sports
Firsts’
in
yesterday’s
game,”
he
told
The
Tribune-Star,
describing
his
emotions
going
into
the
final
round
only
a
few
thousand
dollars
ahead
of
contestant
Mary
McGee,
a
college
adviser.
The
final
question
—
“The
wings
of
this
created
in
1948
represent
the
‘muse
of
art;’
the
atom
represents
the
‘electron
of
science’”—
was
answered
correctly
by
both
House
and
McGee.
The
correct
answer,
“What
is
The
Emmy?”
first
took
McGee
up
to a
total
score
of
$28,798,
but
House
wagered
just
enough
for
his
correct
answer
to
place
him
at
$28,801,
a $3
difference,
but
enough
to
take
the
second-day
championship.
“The
pace
of
the
game
changes,”
he
said.
“You
can
tell
it’s
fast
when
the
contestants
get
through
all
of
the
questions.”
Earlier,
House
stated,
"Just
the
timing
on
the
buzzer
has
a
lot
to
do
with
who
wins."
"I
always
tell
people
that
I
married
the
smartest
person
I
know,"
Traci
House
told
the
Terre
Haute
Tribune-Star.
"I
know
if
he
could
get
on
the
show
that
he
would
do
well."
House's
"Jeopardy!"
taping
came
three
weeks
before
Traci
gave
birth
to
the
couple's
first
child,
Sophia.
"Jeopardy!"
host
Alex Trebek
commended
House
for
putting
the
show
over
the
impending
birth.
"You
put
"Jeopardy!"
ahead
of
your
wife
and
baby
. .
.
Good
for
you!,"
stated
Trebek.
During
the
contestant
introductions
on
the
April
4
show,
House
revealed
that
he
and
Traci
once
visited
all
the
locations
named
in
James
Joyce’s
book
“Ulysses”
--
in
order.
On
April
7,
House
informed
Trebek
that
he
is a
member
a
rock
band
that
features
Rose-Hulman
faculty
colleagues.
"I
was
never
a
hardcore
fan
until
I
knew
I
was gonna
be
on,
at
which
point
I
was
studying
the
show
every
night,"
House
said.
This
spring,
House
is
teaching
courses
in
technical
communications
and
contemporary
American
fiction.
He
also
serves
as
faculty
adviser
for
Rose-Hulman’s
weekly
school
newspaper,
The
Rose
Thorn.
He
earned
his
bachelor’s
degree
from
Illinois
Wesleyan
University,
and
master’s
and
doctorate
degrees
from
the
University
of
California-Irvine.
Local
media
coverage
of
House's
appearance
on
"Jeopardy!"
can
be
found
at:
http://www.tribstar.com/local/local_story_095003525.html
http://mywabashvalley.com/content/fulltext/?cid=9162
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