National Ground Water Association

Congratulations to NGWREF Assante 2010 Scholarship winner William Greer Mackebee on winning the Jeopardy! 2012 College Championship quarterfinal round on Monday February 6. The Duke University senior will be advancing to the next round.

How did you end up on Jeopardy? (Have you always wanted to be on it, or did you just happen to try out? What was the audition process like?)

I grew up watching Jeopardy at home with my parents, so it's been a distant dream for as far back as I can remember. The audition process starts with an online test for every version of the show (regular, college, teen, etc.). In Los Angeles, a producer told us that almost 12,000 prospective college players took the online test last year. If a test-taker scores above a certain threshold, his name goes into the pool of those eligible to try out in person. From that pool, 300 are randomly selected to audition in one of four cities; mine was in Washington, DC. At my in-person audition, we took a written test and then played a simulated version of the show (unfortunately run by the contestant coordinators, not Alex Trebek) in front of the audition group. I left the hotel conference room not knowing how well I did and whether I stood even a remote chance of being chosen as one of the fifteen contestants to fly out to California and compete in the tournament. With that in mind, I was obviously ecstatic when I received a phone call instructing me to leave my schedule open in early January for the taping. The whole process took almost a full year; I took the online test in January 2011, auditioned in Washington that May, got the call just after Thanksgiving, and taped in early January 2012.

What was the most surprising thing about the show's production and your experience with it? How is actually participating on the show different from what you think just answering the clues from home?

Actually playing the game on set was extremely different from shouting out the answers from my couch at home, but two experiences in particular stand out. First, I was blown away by how down to earth the fourteen other contestants were. I expected the competition to be cutthroat and our time in the green room to be exceedingly tense, but I truthfully came away with a set of new friends at schools around the country. Second, the show's pace of filming was very quick; each game (which takes 30 minutes to show on television) only took about 45 minutes to film. With the one-two punch of the quick pace and my nerves, I don't remember very many specifics of my time on set. My time taping has been rendered pretty much a complete blur. Some of the details came back to me while watching the show last night, but most of the game was as new to me as it was to everyone else.

Was it hard to keep quiet about the results of your episodes?

My parents and a Duke friend from Santa Barbara came to the taping, so I wasn't the only one holding my secret. It actually became a bit of a game for friends to try to coax my game results out of me. I think I held pretty tough though. Normally contestants have to wait four or five months for their shows to air. I only had to wait one month, so I suppose I lucked out on that front.

What was it like having so many of your friends support you in K4 last night?

I was overwhelmed at the number of friends who showed up to the K4 watch party. I expected a decent turnout based on the Facebook event RSVPs, but I can't help but feel grateful for the amazing friends I have.

What is it like to be talked about by the Duke community? The Knoxville community? Do you feel like you're really representing them?

My parents had a watch party at a restaurant in Knoxville last night, and apparently everyone was glad that I didn't come across as an East Tennessee yahoo. We're not usually portrayed in the best light on national television. On campus, I can't deny that it was a bit awkward to overhear strangers on the plaza talking about "that Duke guy on Jeopardy." That said, I've certainly milked my fifteen minutes for all its worth. Searching for "Greer" on Twitter last night was impossibly entertaining. I never realized so many people across the country had passionate opinions of Jeopardy contestants. I'll leave it at that.

How did you feel when you read the Final Jeopardy question?

There wasn't really enough time to have any relevant emotional response. I was hopeful when Alex told us the clue would be in Colonial History, and lucky for me I knew the answer right away. With the year given in the clue, I really couldn't think of anyone else it might be. I guess growing up below the line helped me figure Mason and Dixon out, too.

The tournament was recorded in early January and will air through February 14.
Interview provided by William Greer Mackebee.

Watch his pregame interview here.

View past NGWREF past scholarship winners here.