Just picture this: a family of four gathered around a T.V., sitting on the edge of the couch cushions, blue light reflecting onto excited faces as they read the clue on the screen. This is what my family probably looks like at 7:00 PM on weeknights as we each tune in to our daily episode of Jeopardy!. While it has become quite common in my house now to watch an episode each night, it didn’t use to be that way. Through the pandemic, my family has grown closer due to being home more and being able to enjoy shows together.
My family first got into watching Jeopardy! due to the fame that surrounded Matt Amodio’s run of 38 days. At first, we used to tune in every now and then, and it was my parents’ favorite thing to compete with each other to see who they thought would win for the day. I didn’t care too much for it, as I was busy day in and day out with homework assignments and exams, but every now and then I would catch a clue on the screen. If I knew the answer I would shout it out with glee, and turn to see my parents’ shocked faces. As my parents kept watching, I noticed that I would see Matt keep adding days to his winning streak, and I became invested purely to see how long he would keep winning. Just like that, I gained a seat on my family’s living room couch and began answering with “who is” or “what is.”
Now, I’m not a trivia genius, so there are many categories that I don’t know or some that I think to myself, “Dang, it’s another history one” (sorry to the history fans out there). But for me, half the fun of watching the show is just watching my family’s reaction to the questions, or everyone’s race to say the right answer first. In a way, we almost have our own game within the episode; we each “buzz” in vocally with what we think the answer is, and when we get it wrong, we are both equally shocked and more competitive than before. In watching Jeopardy! regularly, I’ve picked up some new knowledge in categories I didn’t previously know, and in areas, I do know I get to be proud that I knew the answer before my parents did. In a weird way, the competition brings us together in the sense that we all want to win, and with a family that has diverse interests, it’s nice to have something that brings us together.
Although Jeopardy! isn’t the first show we’ve all watched together, it is one of the few that we tune into regularly now. Since it’s a game show, it keeps the fun competitive drive alive in a time where we are all busy either at school or working from home. Watching the show with my parents has also given me a confidence boost in just how much I know, as before I wouldn’t have said I know a lot about basic knowledge. Now I can definitely say that my top categories are ones that have to do with words, and any sort of pop culture/movies (I love language and I’m a cinephile, so both check out for my interests). I’ve even considered possibly trying out for the show someday, however, I have to work on my science and history knowledge before then. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy sitting on the couch with my family and shouting out answers every night, and tuning in for one of my now favorite T.V game shows.