Photo by: Jake Rokeach

DU students tried out to be contestants on the game show Jeopardy last Thursday in Driscoll Ballroom.

Jeopardy’s traveling Brain Bus, including two members of the Clue Crew, made its first ever stop to the University of Denver.

Students trying out for the show were given a 10-question pre-test which only around 80 people passed.

“I didn’t pass, but I was close,” said Will Dugan, a senior. “The pre-test was really hard, and I thought the questions were a little ambiguous and confusing.”

Those that passed the first round were asked to come back later that day for a second test, which if passed would make them eligible to be contestants on the Jeopardy college championships next spring.

The second test consisted of 50 questions and a time limit of 15 minutes to complete.

Senior Abbas Jaffer made it through both rounds of testing and is now elegible to be a contestant on the college championships.

“When they called my name I was very surprised. I wasn’t expecting anything and was like wow,” said Jaffer.

Jaffer will be notified in March if he is one of the 15 college students that will appear on the show during College Championships.

Although students were the primary attendees at the event, all community members were welcome to participate. Those who were not college students received a different second-round test and will be eligible to appear on regular Jeopardy, not the college segment.

The publicity coordinator for the event, Susie Eun, was not releasing the names of all those who moved forward in both rounds.

For those looking for a chance to play Jeopardy on a more casual level, Clue Crew members Sarah Whitcomb and Kelly Miyahara hosted an audience-friendly mock version of the show, complete with official Jeopardy buzzers and opportunities to go for “daily doubles.”

Participants won Jeopardy paraphernalia including T-shirts board games, key chains and water bottles.

“Playing here is great practice for those who want to be on the actually show,” said Miyahara, a member of the Clue Crew.

Jeopardy’s visit to DU was sponsored nationally by The New York Times.

The channel which the show airs, KMGH Denver Channel 7, was the local sponsor.

“Jeopardy usually does a lot of contestant searching online but because of their schedule they were luckily able to make it to DU this year,” said Carrie Ripes, marketing communications manager for KMGH. “It would be great if we could get someone to represent Denver.”

During its contestant search in Colorado the Brain Bus also traveled to CU Boulder.

Around 750 people attended the event at DU.