(Here’s part one of the interview.)
Here is Part Two of my interview with 4-time Jeopardy! champ and 2010 Tournament of Champions quarterfinalist Ryan Chaffee. (Below, a picture of him with his sister the night before his original taping.)
J: A guy left a comment on my blog asking you to elaborate on your Tournament of Champions experience.
R: Oh, man. It was such a mix of emotions. It was completely the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, yet I went down hard in game one, so in the immediate aftermath I was pretty crushed. I live about four miles from the hotel they put us up at in Century City, so the actual “trip to the tournament” was a fairly uneventful one. But the two days of cramming trivia in the hotel before the tournament really amped up the stress for me. After I checked in, I went with my friend David down to the hotel lobby bar where I heard a guy go, “Aren’t you Jeopardy! champion Ryan Chaffee?”, and I turned around and it was Jason Zollinger. It was pretty awesome to see one of my fellow ToCers in the flesh (Jason was fully nude, by the way). I stupidly asked Jason whether he had ever been to Los Angeles before, and he was like, “Uh, yeah. I was out here when I taped the show,” and I was like, “Oh, right.” I didn’t see the other players until the lobby on the morning of day one. What a rush. All these great people I had imaginarily known in my head for months. And they were all as wonderful and as cool as I had hoped. I rode the shuttle to the studio seated beside my regular-game vanquisher, Stephen Weingarten, and I told him how much my family hates him and suggested that we really crank up the animosity between us and give the outward impression of a mean and angry rivalry. But Stephen and I turned out to be too nice to really pull that off. It was great to reunite with Maggie and Robert and Glenn and Corina. I especially love Maggie, and she will always hold a special place in my heart. Sadly, I did not get an opportunity to hang for very long with everyone in the green room, as I got the call for game one along with Liz Murphy and Patrick Tucker. On the upside, however, I got to hang out a lot with Liz and Patrick. We split a locket into three parts and each took a piece and by that holy locket and this oath we souls three are bound for eternity. The main way I assuaged my shame and disappointment for the rest of the tournament after I lost was by making lame jokes for Nick Yozamp to laugh at. Nick went above and beyond in indulging me with that. After the final game on day two, there was champagne and cake for all and I got to meet the families of everyone who brought family and it was just a really nice ending to an event that I will remember fondly for all of my days. It took a long time for the hurt of losing in the quarterfinals to wear off, but seeing the actual broadcast was a relief (during the actual game, it felt like I answered like a million questions wrong), plus a friend (and fellow ex-Jeopardy! ToCer from a few years earlier) wrote me a beautiful and spot-on email of condolence that captured the feeling and put it all in the proper light.
J: Is there anything you wish you’d done differently either on the show or in preparation for the show?
R: I would not change anything about the way I prepared, and I am thoroughly satisfied with my performance during my original five games. I wish I had done a better job of maintaining my mental composure during Final Jeopardy! of my Tournament of Champions game, because I know the information was in my head, but having just been soundly schooled by Liz “The Murderer” Murphy, I wasn’t able to
keep it together enough to fish out the response in time. But all in all, I am extremely pleased with how everything worked out.
J: I asked Stephen Weingarten (who, as you mentioned, ended your run in the regular season) and Vijay Balse, and I ask you, too: Have you considered writing a book about your experiences?
R: I have not considered writing a book about my Jeopardy! experiences. I have, however, considered writing a book about the time I was ostracized by my village and forced to wear embroidered typography because I out-of-wedlockly got it on with a preacherman, but I fear people might find it boring.
J: Do you have any goals or plans that you are working on? (I read that you are pursuing screenwriting?)
R: As I believe I replied to a question from Maggie during the “Winner’s Circle” segment following my first win, “I have won a game of Jeopardy!, which–aside from finding a woman to love and be loved by me–was pretty much my only well defined life goal. I can die now.” I would also like to sell a screenplay some day.
J: Do you write screenplays of a particular genre?
R: Yes, comedy (hopefully!).
J: Have you completed any?
R: I have completed six screenplays (half solo, half with a partner), and I (and a partner) am (are) about to finish number seven.
J: Do you have any advice for aspiring contestants or anything else you want to say?
R: I think the Jeopardy! goal is kind of the perfect goal to have, because in some respects, perhaps since it involves appearing on national television, it seems so unreal, glimmering in the far-off impossibleness. But it is totally attainable and something you can actively and rewardingly work toward with a reasonable hope of fulfillment. Just do like the classic motivational kitty poster says and HANG IN THERE, BABY!
J: Awesome, Ryan. Thanks again. Best of luck!