A recent contestant for Jeopardy! hails from the Mat-Su.
The answer is: The small Alaskan town he lives in. The question is: What is Chickaloon?
Jeopardy! is a television game show. Contestants are presented with general knowledge clues in the form of answers. They must phrase their responses as questions.
The show has been running for 43 seasons. Over seventy-five thousand people try to get on it each year. It is easier to get into Harvard than to get on Jeopardy!
Ron Clarke of Chickaloon has attempted to be a contestant on Jeopardy! since 1989. Jeopardy! and the Clue Crew were in Anchorage that year. Every night for a week they ran clues in the Anchorage paper. People mailed in their answers.
Lucky applicants gathered in an auditorium to experience what it might be like to be on the show. Fifty questions were fired off, one every fifteen seconds. The topics ranged from chemistry to world capitals.
Clarke has been hooked ever since.
Aspiring Jeopardy! contestants now take tests online. Those with high scores move on to auditions and further testing. A few make it into the Contestant Pool. Clarke completed tests several times but never made it into the Contestant Pool. Until this summer.
Being in the Contestant Pool did not guarantee he would be on an episode. It meant he might get a call in the next two years. But Clarke didn’t have to wait. The call came within ten days. He packed a bag and headed to Los Angeles for filming.
Clarke booked a hotel near Hollywood Boulevard. He laid two roses on the Hollywood star of the late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek (truh BEK). He arrived on the set at 7:30 a.m. with twelve other people.
The assembled contestants were briefed. They practiced at each of the lecterns. They went to make-up and wardrobe. A stage manager and assistant stage manager made sure everyone had what they needed. Five episodes would be taped in a single day.
The action began. Two contestants were chosen at random to face the returning champion. All three took their places at the lecterns. They had no idea what the clue topics would be. Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings read out the first clue. Signaling devices went off. The winner advanced to the next episode.
At the end of each game, participants filed back into the Green Room. The waiting contestants cheered and whooped. They cheered for the unsuccessful contestants as well as for the winners.
Participants were word nerds and science geeks. They enjoyed instant camaraderie from the moment they met. They were more friends than competitors. Everyone was jazzed to be there. It was the polar opposite of cutthroat reality contests.
The supportive atmosphere extended to the production crew. Many have worked at Jeopardy! for decades. The current host, Ken Jennings, is as whip-smart, generous, and gracious as the original host Alex Trebek. The announcer, Johnny Gilbert, is ninety-eight years old. He has been with the show since the 1960’s. Everyone cultivated a positive, fun, and competent work environment.
Contestants that did not advance to the next game can never be on
Jeopardy! again. But for Clarke and others, winning was secondary to the whole experience. He was four feet off the ground at the end of the day. It was everything he could have hoped for and more. He met people that are friends for life.
Did Clarke win his game? Did he advance? Will his game be broadcast? He isn’t allowed to say. But Jeopardy! is airing tonight on ABC at 6 p.m. A Watch Party at the Sutton Public Library starts at 5:30 p.m. It will also be a fund raiser with signed copies of books by Ken Jennings for sale.
The answer is: Yes, because you like Big Cabbage Radio. The question is: Will you record a testimonial for your community radio station?
We will record listeners and volunteers on why you like Big Cabbage Radio on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can call in or come in during your time. Here’s link to the booking page . Click the link and pick an available slot. We will air your spot during the fund drive.
Page 2 airs weekdays at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11:50 a.m., and 6 p.m.
Tune in at 89.7 in Palmer, 89.5 in Sutton, 88.3 in Chickaloon and Glacier View or online at bigcabbageradio.org.
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Kendra Zamzow reported this Page Two article and yours truly, Lee Henrikson produced it. If you have an idea for a Page 2 topic, please email us at page2@radiofreepalmer.org.
That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
Photo: Ken Jennings and Ron Clarke courtesy of Sony Pictures Television