TV Talk: Pittsburgher returns to ‘Jeopardy!’
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Daniel Moore of Brighton Heights returns to “Jeopardy!” next week for the “Season 39 Champions Wildcard” tournament, just six months after his first appearance on the show that lasted three episodes and netted him $41,800.
Moore will compete on the episode that airs Monday, Jan. 22.
Moore, who works as a contract compliance analyst in the office of business diversity in the Mayor of Pittsburgh’s office, is a home-schooled New Jersey native who moved to Pittsburgh in 2008. He’s also a life-long “Jeopardy!” fan who took the online test for the show in March 2022. Moore, 33, said he was one of the 4,000 people to make it to the auditions round annually. From that pool, about 400 people per year appear as contestants on the show.
His audition via Zoom came in July 2022, minutes before he interviewed for his current job with the city. Moore received a text message from a producer in March 2023 that they wanted him to compete on “Jeopardy!” (7:30 p.m. weeknights, WPXI-TV) for episodes filming in May.
“Everybody was wonderful through the whole process,” Moore said. “It was nothing like what you expect. It wasn’t Hollywoodized or anything. The whole crew was excellent.”
Moore particularly praised host Ken Jennings for Jennings’ regular-guy approach, telling audience members on non-tape days he wears a wardrobe from “Ross Dress for Less.”
At the end of that taping, Moore learned of plans for the “Wildcard” tournament, but he didn’t get his invitation until last month. (For regular “Jeopardy!,” contestants pay their way to Los Angeles; for tournaments, the production picks up the cost.)
“I was the only person on there — both go-arounds — who wasn’t a college graduate,” Moore said. “I was on there with people who were Ivy League professors, lawyers, doctors, all of these people who wouldn’t necessarily be in the same circles, but, like the crew, all the fellow contestants were very friendly and down to earth.”
Moore said for anyone considering trying out for “Jeopardy!,” don’t hesitate or sell yourself short.
“Whether you come from (a college-educated) background or if you’re like me and have never been to college, there’s no certificate for being able to learn and to apply knowledge,” he said. “Anybody can do it. I was raised to understand only you can limit your desire to learn.”
The “Season 39 Champions Wildcard” tournament kicked off this week with 50 past players who won one or two games last season (and four second-chance competition winners). They’re competing for two $100,000 grand prizes and one of the two final spots in the “2024 Tournament of Champions,” airing later this year.
Channel surfing
Mt. Lebanon native Dave Filoni will receive the George Pal Memorial award for an influential figure in the world of animation at storytelling at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films’ upcoming “51st Annual Saturn Awards,” hosted by Joel McHale and streaming live at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at www.electricnow.tv. … Ratings for Monday’s Emmy Awards telecast fell to a new low of 4.3 million viewers (down from 5.9 million viewers in 2022), disappointing considering the high quality of the awards show but unsurprising given the competition with NFL playoff games and perhaps some awards show fatigue on the part of viewers after the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. … Magical Elves, the production company behind “Top Chef,” “Nailed It!” and “Cold Justice,” will partner with Chuck E. Cheese to develop a game show, “Chuck E. Cheese Arcade Heroes,” featuring adults competing in physical challenges in super-sized arcade games. … The third season of “Yellowjackets” won’t premiere on Paramount+ with Showtime until 2025 due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes, per Deadline.com. … HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” returns for its 11th season Feb. 18. … KDKA-TV is apparently airing a 75th anniversary special at 7 p.m. Saturday on KDKA-TV and at 8 p.m. Sunday on WPKD-TV, per KDKA social media posts. A station representative did not respond to an inquiry and as of Wednesday listings at KDKA.com show a newscast at 7 p.m. Saturday on KDKA and a “S.W.A.T.” rerun at 8 p.m. Sunday on WPKD.