Everyone in the room wanted the same Jeopardy! contestant to win. They cheered at the start of the first round when the category "Woodwinds" appeared. They groaned when second-round categories were announced: 'Off-Limits", "Race-Y", "X-Rated", "Your Momma!" They suspected that the man in the tailored suit, with a shirt and tie the color of money, would struggled with the suggestive board.
They were right: Time Klein couldn't beat Tom Nissley, an online books editor from Washington state, who was on his fifth show, with $151,800 in winnings as of Monday. But it wasn't about the money, it was all about competing on the show, Klein told more than 60 people gathered at the Hunterdon Central High School library last week to learn how the school alumnus and employee had fared on the game show.
It was an interactive experience: Klein of Raritan Township would share insights aloud, like "I had a brain freeze" when he missed a double-jeopardy question (one of just two answered incorrectly that evening). When contestants were filling in their final Jeopardy! question, he said "I didn't even hear the music playing while concentrating on penning the correct question.
During commercials he would lower the volume and talk about pieces that the home audience doesn't see. For instance: "Do you see how we're all about the same height?" Klein asked before explaining that contestants stand on a platform that's adjusted so that everyone appears level on TV.
At one point he admitted he had to record his "hometown howdy" twice, because the first time "my heart started racing crazy fast."
Contestants often say that working the buzzer well is vital for success on Jeopardy! "You've gotta be fast," Klein told the crowd. "But you have to wait until Alex (Trebek) has finished reading the question. What you can't see is the line of lights down the sides if the board and they light up after he's finished. We were told that we could look at the lights or listen. I found I did better listening."
Klein started off strong, buzzing in quickly enough to snag all but one answer in the "Woodwinds" category. The crowd accurately predicted that he would do well, after all he's a marching band instructor at Central - as well as co-coordinator of the theater services and an information systems support specialist. He led at the first commercial break. Part of the reason he later dropped to second, he thinksm was because he wasn't in sync with the buzzer and was getting beat to questions by opponents Tom and Jenn.
Family, friends, staff members and students weren't surprised to learn that off-camera, Klein strolled around to check out light and sound equipment. They connected with his explanation of the screen upon which contestants write their names and final jeopardy wagers and questions. "The screen is great! It's like using the (electronic) tablet" at school, Klein said.
The final Jeopardy! question was about "Skyscrapers," the clue said "after a construction boom fueled by oil and gas money this capital city now has Europe's tallest building."
Klein correctly questioned "What is Moscow?" but so did leader Tom Nissley. That meant that Klein left with $2,000, more than enough to cover his expenses to California.
"I'd go back tomorrow for no money," he said. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat even if there was not money. It was so much fun!" It was the culmination of a dream born when he was a computer science major at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Before the crowd dispersed he gave some advice. "It's like we say in the marching band: 'Prepare to do your best, go out and do your best, and if someone beats you, good for them.'"
