Holly Hassel, NDSU professor of English, right, and "Jeopardy!" host Miam Bialik pose for a photo during a recent taping of the long-running television trivia show.
Holly Hassel, NDSU professor of English, recently competed on long-running television trivia show “Jeopardy!” Hassel’s episode will air Wednesday, June 14 at 5 p.m.
“It was absolutely thrilling to be able to be part of the show I have watched for so long and every second was a joy,” Hassel said. “Some family members were able to attend the taping, so it was great to have moral support from them during the lead-up to the game.”
To compete on the show, Hassel said contestants first take a 50 question, online test. If a person scores high enough, they are invited to take a similar version of the test online via Zoom along with 12 to 15 other contestants.
Those scoring high enough on the second test are then invited for a mock game online with several other potential competitors. This includes playing a sample game and conducting an interview/conversation with producers.
After the third stage, representatives from the show give an 18-month window to potentially be invited to compete on the show. Potential contestants can start the process over if they are not selected. Of the approximately 100,000 people who take the test, around about 400 are invited each year to be on the show, Hassel said.
Hassel said she took her first test in May 2022 and completed the third stage the following summer. She taped her episode April 4 in Culver City, California.
“It’s a full and exciting day because one week’s episodes are taped one a single day,” she said. “I was in a group with about a dozen other players. I’ve always been a trivia lover since playing the original version of Trivial Pursuit in the 1980’s as a kid. I’ve been a regular ‘Jeopardy!’ watcher throughout my childhood.”
Hassel joined NDSU in 2018 after 16 years at the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County. She earned a doctorate in English language and literature from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She earned a master’s degree in English and a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing and philosophy from St. Cloud State University.
Hassel has been editor of the journal ‘Teaching English in the Two-Year College’ and was program chair of the 2021 Conference on College Composition and Communication. She’s been published in ‘College Composition and Communication,’ ‘College English,’ ‘Journal of Writing Assessment,’ ‘Pedagogy’ and ‘Teaching English in the Two-Year College.’
