UMaine faculty member competing on ‘Jeopardy!’
For $1,000: This UMaine faculty member is going to be a new contestant on “Jeopardy!” one of America’s most beloved Q&A game shows. The answer: Who is Kara Peruccio?
Peruccio, an assistant professor in both the Department of History and the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program, will grace the airwaves at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 9 as she competes on an episode of the show’s 41st season. The program is available to Bangor viewers on WVII (Channel 7) and for Portland viewers on WMTW (Channel 8). It’s been a longtime goal for Peruccio to be on the show that she’s been watching since childhood.
“I grew up watching ‘Jeopardy!’ with my family,” she said. “When we were very little, my twin sister and I would dance in front of the tv to the music during Final Jeopardy. We also had a ‘Jeopardy!’ CD-Rom game and it got pretty cutthroat; there was some body-checking to get to the mouse first to answer. I really enjoy trivia and so trying out for Jeopardy was a no-brainer!”
“Jeopardy!” has always been a show that appealed to multiple generations. It’s a family affair, but it’s worth noting that those familial ties bind tighter than most when it comes to the Peruccios.
“My twin sister Caitlin was a contestant back in 2013,” said Peruccio. “After she got on, I was extra motivated to keep auditioning when I remembered to do it!”
Auditioning for “Jeopardy!” is a multi-step effort. There’s the online qualifying test, which used to take place periodically, but now is available anytime. Get a qualifying score there and you might get an offer to audition in person. Pull off the audition and you might receive what many former contestants refer to simply as “the Call.”
It’s not an easy path, and people often must walk it more than once before finally making it to the big stage. Peruccio’s a prime example of that fact. She auditioned for the show’s College Tournament when she was an undergraduate student. She didn’t get picked then, so she took the online test and got another audition, this one right after she graduated in 2011. This one was successful — she was selected — but was working teaching English in Turkey and was unable to return to tape.
She made another attempt in 2020, but the show at the time focused on local contestants and faced other COVID-19. Finally, in September 2024, she auditioned again and got “the Call” again, only this time, she was available and ready to roll. Fourth time’s the charm, as they say. Once the wheels were set in motion, they turned quickly.
“I auditioned on Thursday, September 5, 2024,” Peruccio said. “I almost missed the audition because the email went into my spam folder! Luckily, it all worked out. They called me in early February 2025, and I flew out to Los Angeles in March.”
So what about the day itself? Contestants work long hours for the program, but meet many new and interesting people.
“One of the highlights was meeting and becoming friends with the other contestants! They were all such cool, interesting people, and now we have a group chat going,” Peruccio said. “Seeing the Alex Trebek stage was amazing, and it’s actually much smaller than you might expect.
“I also had a very supportive cheering section, so it was fun to finally see them when I got to play my game,” she said. “I think I’m allowed to say this, but ‘Jeopardy!’ tapes multiple episodes in a day, and I ended up going at the very end. It was a long but super fun day!”
Peruccio also spoke to other aspects of the “Jeopardy!” experience of which people might not be aware.
“Timing the buzzer right is really freaking hard!” she said. “Also, ‘Jeopardy!’ (rightfully) prides itself on the high quality of its production. Of the five outfits I brought to wear, they only approved the sweater you’ll see me wearing! My other options had prints that didn’t work on camera.”
One of the more difficult aspects of being a contestant on “Jeopardy!” is maintaining secrecy regarding the results. Episodes are recorded weeks in advance, usually airing a couple of months after taping, but contestants are asked not to reveal any details. Of course, this is something with which Peruccio had prior experience.
“After my sister taped her episode, she and my mom (who went with her) wouldn’t tell the rest of our family how she did!” she said. “Neither of them could make the trip out to LA with me and so I’ve been giving them a taste of their own medicine! Only my little sister knows how I’ve done. On the whole, I think I’ve been pretty successful at dodging questions about how I did.”
For our own Final Jeopardy: This northeastern university is very proud of Peruccio. The answer: What is the University of Maine?
Contact: Allen Adams, allen.adams@maine.edu