Kalispell trivia buff recounts 'Jeopardy' experience

He’s a product line manager at Applied Materials and the Kalispell resident who recently won $21,800 on “Jeopardy.” Who is Stuart Crane?

For Crane, who competes with a few friends from work on the local bar trivia circuit as part of the Periodic Table Dancers, the chance to compete on the popular TV quiz show came after he and his wife both decided to try out online.

“Trivia is something I have always enjoyed and my wife and I often have ‘Jeopardy’ on in the background around the house when we are making dinner,” he said. “When we heard the test was coming up, we figured we might as well give it a try.”

The decision paid off for Crane, but the process took much longer than he expected, as tapings of the show were delayed by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of longtime host Alex Trebek.

Crane originally was scheduled to try out in Portland March 17, 2020, but COVID shut down the tryout. The process did not stop, though, as Crane took a second test via Zoom and later was contacted for another Zoom interview and mock game in August.

“I think they just wanted to make sure I could function as a human being and not explode on stage or anything,” he joked. “Luckily, I passed.”

Crane’s only other television appearance also involved trivia, as he and his seventh-grade teammates were interviewed by the local station in Iowa after winning a quiz competition in middle school.

CRANE WAITED patiently to hear if he would appear on the show. Then, the call came. In early November he was asked to fly to California for a taping of the show on Dec. 9, leaving precious little time to prepare.

“It seemed like nothing was going to happen for a long time and then it all came together pretty quickly,” he said. “I was both excited and nervous. The timeline was so tight, I just felt like I didn’t have any time to prepare. There’s things to deal with at work and lies to create so you don’t have to tell people where you are going. There was a lot to get done.”

Crane quickly set to work arranging plane tickets, a rental car and hotel accommodations. He realized his experience might now be what he had always dreamed of and could end up being more costly than he first realized.

“If you think about it, if you are flying to the show from an out-of-the-way place like Montana, you could pay like five hundred dollars for your plane ticket. Once you’ve paid for a rental car, a hotel and your meals, you could very easily wind up losing money,” Crane said.

Luckily, a strong showing in his first appearance on the show made sure Crane would not wind up in the hole for the trip, but admitted he had always dreamed the “Jeopardy” experience would be more magical.

“It sounds a little petty, but I didn’t feel as pampered as I expected to,” he joked. “Maybe I had some unrealistic expectations going into this. Still, it was a wonderful experience and I am glad I got to do it.”

With his intellectual devotional books as a training guide, Crane crammed in as much studying as he could before heading to California, where the pace of the game took him by surprise.

“I didn’t expect the pace to be as fast as it was. What you see on television is basically how the taping goes,” he said. “It really is that fast, but I guess they have to go that fast to be able to tape five shows in a day.”

DESPITE THE pace, Crane was more than able to hold his own in his first game, grabbing the lead after one round and taking that lead into Final Jeopardy, where he felt confident in his answer, but not his math.

“To tell you the truth, I was so nervous going into Final Jeopardy that I wasn’t sure I had done the math right on my wager,” Crane admitted. “I knew I had the answer right, but I was afraid I had not wagered enough to win. I did have a quick moment of panic.”

Fortunately, Crane had wagered just enough as he earned the win and $21,800.

He was not as lucky when it came time to defend his title as Crane went into Final Jeopardy in second place, but could not come up with the right answer to topple an opponent that had thwarted him throughout the contest.

“We knew all the same stuff and he was faster at ringing in than I was. It was that simple,” Crane said. “I knew my fate was sealed when we reached Final Jeopardy.”

Now, with the shows having hit the airwaves last week, Crane said he has enjoyed hearing from high school friends all over the country, even texting with some as they watched the show in their time zones.

“I think my friends and family were more excited for the airing than I was. I already knew what was going to happen,” he said with a laugh. “I have had so many supportive messages from within my company and the community. It has been great.”

With his two evenings of fame behind him, Crane said he really enjoyed his experience and would recommend trying out to anyone who is considering it.

“It was very exciting and the people I had my experience with that day were just great. It was wonderful to be in such a group of intelligent and accomplished people who were all experiencing the same emotions as I was,” he said. “It really was a lot of fun.”

Reporter Jeremy Weber may be reached at 758-4446 or jweber@dailyinterlake.com.