Henry Michaels said moments before he competed on "Jeopardy!," the gravity of the moment hit him. Michaels, originally from Morganton, North Carolina, said getting to play in the game show he’s watched for years was “surreal.”
“I had this moment of reflection as the filming start, and all of the sound cues are played in the studio, this moment where everything goes silent and then the 'Jeopardy!' theme music starts to play, where I just like sort of let out a deep breath and smiled and told myself, 'I'm on 'Jeopardy!' right now, and I want to enjoy that,'” Michaels said.
Michaels auditioned to be a contestant prior to longtime host Alex Trebek’s death. Michaels found out he would be on the show about a week and a half after finding out Trebek had died.
He said he saw Trebek as the “Dad of 'Jeopardy.'" Michaels said it was "inspiring" watching as Trebek continued to tape "Jeopardy!" episodes after his cancer diagnosis and during treatment.
Reflecting on the day he found out Trebek died, Michaels said it hit him hard for multiple reasons.
“On a personal level, it was a little disappointing to know you made it so close to having the opportunity to be on 'Jeopardy!' with the face of 'Jeopardy!'" Michaels said. "It was a mixture of sadness and a little personal disappointment."
But despite Trebek's absence, Michaels said his experience on "Jeopardy!" was unforgettable. He said he always played along at home, but hearing Ken Jennings call his name after hitting a buzzer was a thrill -- even though he had imagined having Trebek on the stage with him.
"I spent years watching 'Jeopardy!' with Alex Trebek, and of course was very familiar with Ken Jennings from his many appearances on the show, but it's just, it's different to see someone up there behind the podium that wasn't him,” Michaels said.
Michaels said he’s always been a huge trivia fan, so when preparing to be a contestant, he focused on his weaknesses, brushing up on lists, random facts, and lots of mythology.
The one thing he said he felt least prepared for was the “RHYME TIME” category in which all questions rhyme -- of course, the category came up during his episode. Similarly, Michaels said the Daily Double can be a blessing or a curse, and he found all three of them.
While Michaels didn’t walk away with a win, he said it was a “really special experience.”
"It was a little disappointing for the first few days afterward, but then it just kind of sank in,” he said. “You know, I got to do something really special, and that's a lot of fun."