For Jason Zuffranieri, trivia has been part of his life for as long as he can remember. From Academic Bowl as a teenager to the nationally ranking Quizbowl team at ASU, his passion has always been trivia.
“It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and frankly been good at…It’s been in my blood,” Zuffranieri said on a phone call on Tuesday.
These wins are a long time coming. Starting in high school, Zuffranieri said he has been trying out for "Jeopardy!" his whole life, and after nine attempts, he finally made it.
“I improved from failing the tests to failing the interviews to finally getting the call,” he said.
Now the third-highest money winner in "Jeopardy!" history, Zuffranieri credits both his extensive individual preparation and the support of the trivia community for his success. From moral support, advice from past contestants and even in-depth training from "Jeopardy!" legend, Roger Craig, Zuffranieri felt that he had a whole team rooting for him.
If given the opportunity to return to the game in the Tournament of Champions next year, Zuffranieri said he would absolutely do it all again.
“Once you’ve tasted the fruit from the 'Jeopardy!' tree, I don’t think there’s any going back,” he said.
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Kate Ourada is in her 5th semester as the editor of the podcast desk and is doing her best to spread her love of audio journalism. She works in radio as a reporter and board operator. Kate has a passion for creative writing, her cat and making niche playlists for her friends.
