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Just her luck.
East Islip High School social studies teacher Patsy Lester got her shot to appear on “Jeopardy! this month” — only to face off against record breaking champ Amy Schneider.
Nonetheless, the Patchogue woman’s Jan. 7 appearance on the hit game show became a thrill of a lifetime. She finished in second place to Schneider, won $2,000 and returned home with valuable lessons on teaching and coaching.
“I now have firsthand experience of what it’s like to be under pressure and have my mind go blank on a fact I know,” said Lester, who is also the mock trial team coach at the high school. “I’ve always been sympathetic to test anxiety, but now I really know what it’s like.”
Lester’s defeat was Schneider’s 28th straight win. Schneider’s $42,200 in winnings on that episode made her the first woman to win more than $1 million on “Jeopardy!” The Dayton, Ohio, native is still “Jeopardy!” champ — now having won 34 straight games.
Patsy Lester finishes second to millionaire Amy Schneider
Because “Jeopardy!” films multiple shows per day — well in advance of the air dates — Lester witnessed firsthand the encyclopedic dominance of Schneider. Before Lester’s episode was recorded, she watched Schneider “plow through eight other contestants in four shows before mine filmed,” she said.
“So I was definitely feeling nervous,” she added. “The show itself goes so fast. I felt like I blinked my eyes and it was over.”
Lester, who grew up in Bayport, explained that the most difficult part of competing on “Jeopardy!” is the buzzer timing.
“When the host reads the clue, a person on set enables the signaling devices and big lights flash to let the contestants know they can ring in,” she said. “If you hit the buzzer too soon, you get locked out and can’t ring in.”
Final ‘Jeopardy!’ with Patsy Lester
She tried out for ‘Jeopardy!’ for ‘fun’
Lester said she first tried out for ‘Jeopardy’ during lockdown at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. She took the online contestant test and hoped for the best.
“I took the test for fun,” she said. “I’ve always been a ‘Jeopardy!’ fan, but never expected to actually get on the show.”
After she took the test, Lester learned she had a qualifying score. Over the next year, she was contacted multiple times to take more tests, be interviewed and play a practice game — all via Zoom.
Producers from the show finally called Lester last August and invited her to fly out to Los Angeles to appear on the show.“
I thought it was a prank call at first,” she said.
Top photo: Lester appearing as a contestant on “Jeopardy!” on Jan. 7.
