TJ Fisher, ’15, says he grew up watching game shows like “Jeopardy!” with his family. A decade after graduating from Washington and Lee University, he’s now experienced it under the studio lights – winning five straight games and earning a spot in the show’s Tournament of Champions, according to the Columns.

“My parents always encouraged me to be curious,” Fisher said. He graduated with a degree in history and theater with a minor in museum studies. He is now living in San Francisco.

When Fisher became a student at Washington and Lee, his involvement in the University Singers, his work as a University Ambassador and his experience in theater made him more comfortable in front of bigger audiences.

“I picked up bits and pieces of trivia from people, friends and classes,” he said. If anyone were to be on “Jeopardy!”, it might as well be himself, he said.

Becoming a contestant on “Jeopardy!” is not easy. In order to compete on the show, contestants must first pass the Jeopardy! Anytime Test, a 50-question quiz that can be taken only once a year, according to the show’s website. With so many qualified candidates, even if you pass the initial test, you have to be randomly selected for an audition, Fisher said.

He said he only had a month’s notice to prepare for his debut show. Fisher spent at least an hour a day practicing by building flash card decks from previous years’ questions, watching past shows and taking advantage of the online database of clues fans had compiled, he said.

“I didn’t want to waste this opportunity,” Fisher said. “I knew I’d feel so silly if I did.”

On the day of his debut show, Fisher was surprised by how critical physical reflexes were in “Jeopardy!”, he said. Focusing on not making any extra movements and channeling energy down through his thumb helped Fisher perform well with the buzzer.

On the show, there were several questions Fisher enjoyed answering, he said. One of them was a sports question about the San Francisco Giants, which he loved because of  his local connection to San Francisco.

Fisher said he always had “empathy for people under the lights”, and now that he has experienced the pressure of those three seconds before an answer, he’s even more grateful for the grace viewers give contestants.

Fisher is now debt-free because of his “Jeopardy!” winning streak. Fisher moved to San Francisco right after graduation before he had secured a job and had to unexpectedly spend money on medical expenses. Fisher said he built up more debt than he would’ve wished.

Now, he says he hopes to travel and connect with organizations he’s always wanted to do history freelance projects with but couldn’t afford to in the past.

Looking back, Fisher said his time at Washington and Lee played a role in his success on the show.

“For ten years now, I still talk every day with my friends from university,” Fisher said. His friends from Alabama came in handy for questions about the South, and having a close friend from the law school who sailed helped him with a boating question, he said.

Fisher said the most meaningful part of his W&L experience wasn’t the classroom but “the opportunity to meet so many kinds of people and learn what they’re passionate about.”

To current students who also dream to compete on “Jeopardy!”, he said he encourages students not to wait and take the test.

“I’m so grateful I did,” Fisher said.