PROSPECT — After more than decade pursuing the chance to appear on the popular game show “Jeopardy,” a Prospect native’s quest ended this summer at a studio in Los Angeles.
Fran Fried, 56, competed as a contestant on “Jeopardy” in an episode that aired Oct. 17. It was the fulfillment of a childhood dream for Fried, who is a writer, editor and DJ.
In order to be on the show, people have to take an online test to show they are smart enough, Fried said. If someone passes that, they have a chance to be called to an audition to play a mock game of “Jeopardy.”
Fried said she was first called to audition in 2004, while she was living in California.
“When you get down there they give you another 50 question test just to make sure that you are you and someone didn’t take the test for you,” Fried said. “If you get to that point, they are assuming you are pretty smart. They are also looking for personality because it’s television, it is entertainment.”
Fried didn’t make the cut in 2004 but took the test again in January. In March, Fried received an email to come audition in New York City. She was eventually selected to compete.
Fried flew out to Los Angeles on Aug. 1 to tape the show.
“They have you there for a couple hours. They put you through all these different paces — the sound levels, they try you at different podiums and lighting,” Fried said. “One of the things you don’t see is they have hydraulic risers behind the podiums for you to stand on so they can adjust the height so everybody looks the same on TV.”
One of the things that struck Fried was the size of the studio. The game board itself is nearly 20 feet tall, Fried said.
“The stage is massive. You are talking about an old motion picture studio. The ceiling goes way high. We were about five buildings down from where they filmed the ‘Wizard of Oz,’” Fried said.
Fried said when she finally got called on stage, she became unexpectedly nervous.
“I was totally calm to that point and all of a sudden a whole squadron of butterflies hit me,” Fried said. “I had to give myself a pep talk. I stopped and looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘You got this. You’ve been working at this you’re whole life. It’s show time.’”
Fried competed against Carlos Posas of Salt Lake City, Utah and defending champion Manny Abell of Lacey, Wash. Fried said she was ahead after the first round, but did not let it go to her head.
“I’m ahead after the first round but I’m not feeling cocky. Not in the least. You’ve seen enough sporting events in your life to know anything can happen,” Fried said.
Heading into the Final Jeopardy round, Fried and Posas were tied at $12,300 and Abell had $1,000.
The final category was Asian geography, which is not an area Fried is strong in.
The question, which is given in the format of an answer, was “It’s the only country that borders both the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf.” The correct answer is Iran.
All three contestants answered wrong — Fried answered Tibet. Both Fired and Posas wagered their entire winnings. Abell wagered all but $1, making him the winner.
Fried said she was heartbroken after her loss.
“I was standing there knowing I had just destroyed my childhood dream,” Fried said. “It was melting away like the German’s face at the end of [Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark]. That’s the way it felt.”
This is only the second time in Jeopardy history that a contestant won the show with only $1. The first time occurred in 1993, according to Jeopardy.com.
In addition to the low winning total, Fried’s appearance on the show was unique for another reason. She is only the third transgender contestant to appear on the show.
When she mentioned it to the people who ran the show, Fried said she was told that she was picked based on her intelligence and personality.
“Being treated like it was no big thing, and it shouldn’t be a big deal, was refreshing,” Fried said.
However, since 31 states do not have discrimination clauses against being transgendered, appearing on Jeopardy was still a big deal, Fried said.
“Given that backdrop, me being on the show is huge,” Fried said.
Although she fell just short of winning, Fried said if her appearance on “Jeopardy” helped one person feel more comfortable with themselves it was worthwhile.
“If there is anything any of us can do to move the ball forward, I hope I have been at least able to do that,” Fried said. “If someone saw me ‘Jeopardy’ and said, ‘Hey, I can do that too.’ Then it was all worth it.”
