Cal Poly student appeared on ‘Jeopardy!’ as a high schooler. Now she’s back for reunion show
Just a few years after she made her debut on “Jeopardy!” as a high school senior, Cal Poly student Audrey Sarin is returning to the popular TV quiz show to test her smarts again.
Sarin, 21, will appear on “Jeopardy!” on Monday as part of the show’s High School Reunion Tournament, which brings together college-age competitors who previously competed in two teen tournaments.
Described as a “first-of-its kind twist on the traditional College Championship format,” the 14-day tournament features 27 former contestants vying for a $100,000 grand prize and a spot in the Tournament of Champions, according to a news release.
Sarin, who’s poised to graduate from Cal Poly at the end of spring quarter with a degree in marine sciences, will face off against Rohit Kataria, a junior at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, and Maya Wright, a senior at Emory University in Atlanta.
“I really hope the viewers get excited about how excited we (are) to be there,” she said. “It’s just a fun starstruck moment.”
Cal Poly student grew up watching quiz show
Now in its 39th season in syndication, “Jeopardy!” is “the top-rated quiz show on television” with a weekly audience of more than 20 million viewers, the release said.
Sarin grew up watching “Jeopardy!” with her grandparents — a common experience for contestants her age, she said.
“Like many people who watch ‘Jeopardy!’ at home, we’d yell the answers at the television screen,” said Sarin, who hails from Redmond, Washington, about 15 miles east of Seattle.
“My grandparents always said, ‘Hey, you’re really good at this,’ ” she recalled. “I thought they were just being nice because I’m their grandkid and they like to boost my ego a little.”
Washington state native went on ‘Jeopardy!’ as teen
After taking an an online test for high schoolers as a junior, Sarin auditioned for “Jeopardy!” in person in San Diego and earned a spot on the show.
Sarin was a high school senior when she filmed her “Jeopardy!” appearance at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City in December 2018, although the episode didn’t air until June 2019 — right after she graduated.
Sarin described the experience as “completely surreal.”
“I got to practice with the real screen and the real buzzers. ... It was a dream come true,” she said.
Even so, Sarin said, “It’s an experience I thought I would never have again. ... I never thought it’d be more than a fun story I got to tell at parties.”
Reunion tournament reunites former rivals
When Sarin got an email in October asking if she’d be interested in a “Jeopardy!” reunion tournament, “I thought it was some sort of scam,” she said.
Once she was assured of the email’s authenticity, however, the Cal Poly senior jumped at the chance to appear on the show again — and hang out with her former rivals.
“We’ve practically grown up together,” said Sarin, who’s stayed in touch with some of her fellow teen tournament contestants via a “massive group chat.”
“That was the most exciting part — getting to see my friends again,” she said.
To prepare for her return to the “Jeopardy!” stage, Sarin practiced buzzing in — “I struggled with the buzzer the first time around,” she said — and brushed up on her knowledge of college mascots, college sports and other university-oriented topics on the chance those might appear as categories.
Of course, she acknowledged, “There’s no way to study for ‘Jeopardy!’ other than be a curious person throughout your life.”
Filming her second appearance on “Jeopardy!” in January was noticeably different, Sarin said, in part because she made her debut on the quiz show before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first time she appeared on “Jeopardy!” she invited 10 people to cheer her on in the audience. This time, she could only bring three: her roommates.
“They are by far the most COVID-conscious show on the set,” Sarin said of “Jeopardy!” “The only time i was unmasked the entire weekend was when I was on the podium.”
After getting introduced to original “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek in 2018, Sarin got to play with a different host this time — “The Big Bang Theory” actress Mayim Bialik, who shares hosting duties with Ken Jennings.
“She’s an amazing host, but of course Alex was an icon and we all miss him very much,” Sarin said of Trebek, who died in 2020.
Although Sarin can’t disclose how well she performed on “Jeopardy!” until after the episode airs, she said, “It was definitely a phenomenal experience.”
How to watch
Watch “Jeopardy!” at 7 p.m. Monday on KSBY-TV.
