Harvey Silikovitz is reflecting on his journey to the Jeopardy stage.
The attorney from West Orange, N.J., discussed competing on the show during his interview with Ken Jennings on Monday’s episode. “It’s been a longtime dream of mine to get here, and in 2019, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but I continued chasing the dream, and now here I am,” Silikovitz said.
“I wouldn’t recommend that as a preparation strategy for doing well on the show, but after living with Parkinson’s for five and a half years, it’s no longer just about wanting to do well for myself,” he continued. “I would like to give hope and inspiration to people with chronic illnesses.”
Related: Jeopardy champ reveals he married an all-time great player in chat with Ken Jennings
Jennings responded, “Well that’s inspiring to me, and look at this, you are doing very well right now.”
Silikovitz emerged victorious from his first episode, finishing with $31,200, which outpaced his opponents’ totals of $9,400 and $4,400.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
The game show champ shared more details about his Jeopardy experience in an Instagram post. “One of the principal reasons I travel is to learn more about the world,” Silikovitz wrote. “That same voracious curiosity led me to become immersed in the world of trivia. While I believe that knowing stuff is an intrinsic good, I also enjoy testing my knowledge in trivia competitions of various kinds.”
Silikovitz explained that he spent years trying to land a spot on the show — and missed an opportunity shortly before he received his diagnosis. “Inevitably, I wanted to test myself on ‘Jeopardy!’, which has long been the gold standard of TV quiz shows,” he recalled. “And so, for many years, I have tried to become a contestant on that show.”
Related: Survivor alum Drew Basile reveals ‘worst part’ of losing Jeopardy‘s Tournament of Champions
NBC
Harvey Silikovitz competes on ‘Jeopardy!’
He continued, “I persevered in that quest even after setbacks — like that time in March 2019 when I missed a voice-mail from a senior casting producer that, had I returned the call, would have led to my becoming a contestant a few weeks later. By the time I finally heard the VM, taping for the season had wrapped.”
The contestant said that he “worked hard to manage my Parkinson’s symptoms — even while relentlessly seeking to improve my knowledge base as well as my proficiency at the skills, such as timing on the buzzer, that are crucial to success on J!” And eventually, Silikovitz says his “dream was realized” when he finally competed on the show in late January. “Can a person with Parkinson’s be competitive in the rigorous crucible of a ‘Jeopardy!’ game?”
Related: Celebrity Jeopardy contestants fail to identify Usher’s ‘Yeah!’ in triple whiff: ‘So awkward’
Silikovitz’s decisive victory on Monday answered his question with a resounding “yes.” He competes on Jeopardy again on the Tuesday, March 11, episode.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
