Training for America’s most famous trivia game is akin to preparing for a grueling athletic competition. 

You watch film. You build (mental) muscle. You work on your timing.  

Teagan O’Sullivan, CAS/BS ’26, knows the routine well. The statistics major is a Jeopardy! champion, having won with $25,201 as a 14-year-old during the 2019 teen tournament. O’Sullivan—at least the eighth AU Eagle to appear on the iconic quiz show—will get another shot at trivia triumph on February 23 when she appears in the 2023 High School Reunion Tournament alongside 26 other competitors from the 2018 and 2019 teen tournaments. The prize: a spot in the next Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. 

“I love the game, and it’s surreal to be on the show,” said O’Sullivan, who grew up watching Jeopardy! with her grandparents. “You’re standing there with Alex Trebek and Mayim Bialik, and you can’t understand how it’s your real life.” 

O’Sullivan took the online test to appear on the show in early 2018. She spent the bulk of the time between her audition in DC and the taping at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, studying. O’Sullivan, who competed in quiz bowl in middle school, read super champion-turned-host Ken Jennings’ books and immersed herself in J! Archive, a website that tracks every game and the nearly 500,000 clues from the show’s 59-year history. She also worked her way through 400 Jeopardy! episodes. 

“You may not see the exact [answer] twice, but you can get a better idea of what pops up regularly and where to focus your studies,” O’Sullivan said. 

What she couldn’t prep for was the anxiety of being on stage and the unpredictability of the buzzer; contestants can get locked out if they ring in too quickly while the answer is being read. 

In her first appearance, O’Sullivan chose the opening category, rang in first, and missed the first clue. But she settled by the first commercial break, notching 24 correct questions and only two misses in the game. The Final Jeopardy! topic, New England, was a breeze for the Watertown, Massachusetts, native. She led by $6,700 heading into the final clue—enough to win, regardless of what her competitors wagered. All three contestants offered the correct question—What is Salem?—to the answer: Neighborhoods in this city include Federal Street, Gallows Hill, and Witchcraft Heights. 

“My aunt lived a town over from Salem, and we were there almost every day for ice cream the summer before the taping,” O’Sullivan said. 

On her next episode, she again offered up the correction question in Final Jeopardy! but she was too far behind to catch the leaders. Still, she got 17 clues right and only 3 wrong—a strong showing. 

O’Sullivan, who can’t give any details about her upcoming appearance before it airs, received a call about the reunion tournament in late 2022. Within a matter of weeks, she found herself standing on the newly-named Alex Trebek Stage. 

Teagan O'Sullivan and Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik in 2023.

The compressed preparation time included listening to the show’s podcast for hints and tips, visits to the J! Archive, and buzzer training. As she learned in her first appearance, one of the keys to a strong performance is exemplary timing. 

“When you see people on Jeopardy! with low scores, it’s often not because they don’t know the answers,” said O’Sullivan, whose expertise includes pop culture and weakness comes from the wordplay categories. “They get beat on the buzzer.” 

She also watched old episodes and practiced with a Jeopardy! pen, which gave out after so much use. She said some contestants practice with a toilet paper roll holder, which mimics the buzzer’s size and tension. 

Her nerves were mostly gone for the reunion taping, partially because the contestants have stayed in touch since their teen tournament. O’Sullivan said some of her former competitors are now among her closest friends, making playing them difficult. 

“It was so great to see all of these friends,” O’Sullivan said. “We have group chats. We FaceTime. You know their strengths. We got a lot of time to catch up, but if you win, you’re sending a friend home.” 

Just days before learning about the tournament, O’Sullivan visited with close friend Shriya Yarlagadda, a sophomore at Harvard University. Now, they will square off in the opening round. 

Tune in Thursday to see how far O’Sullivan can progress. Jeopardy! airs locally on WJLA at 7:30 p.m.