Purdue super champ Adriana Harmeyer reflects on her ‘Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions’ experience

“Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions” finalists (left to right): Adriana Harmeyer, Isaac Hirsch and Neilesh Vinjamuri stand behind their podiums on the Alex Trebek Stage. (Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions” is the ultimate test of knowledge, strategy and quick thinking, bringing together the best of the best from past seasons. For Adriana Harmeyer, a clinical assistant professor and “Jeopardy!” super champion, returning to the stage for the tournament was a completely different challenge from her original show appearance.

Over the past year, Harmeyer’s journey has been nothing short of a whirlwind. After an impressive 15-game winning streak that aired in May and June 2024, she not only secured her spot in the “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions” but also climbed to 13th place on the show’s all-time regular-season earnings list with $351,600 in winnings.

As a top seed, she was one of three competitors to receive a bye into the semifinals. While the competition aired over three weeks through January and February on CBS television, the entire competition was filmed in just three intensive days. Day one featured six quarterfinal matches, followed by three semifinal rounds the next morning. The final round, which took place in a first-to-three-wins format, began that afternoon and wrapped on day three.

For Harmeyer, the experience was both cerebral and physically exhausting. By the time it was all over, she went straight to her hotel room and crashed.

“People don’t always think about it, but that intensive filming schedule with multiple episodes a day, your brain is so committed to it,” she said. “It’s a physical experience as well, standing for so long, every single day.”

Given the rigorous schedule, the players spent their entire day at the studio — often in the greenroom, located just off the Alex Trebek Stage. As tapings began, contestants could watch their fellow competitors on screens inside the room, with many choosing to play along as the show was taped for future broadcast.

“Some people get more into it than others,” Harmeyer said. “Sometimes the whole room would be shouting out an answer all at once, while other people just sit quietly. I’m the sit quietly type.”

She recalled that watching was both fun and frustrating, especially when the categories she had studied appeared during the games. While it confirmed that she had studied the correct topics, it also meant she wouldn’t see those topics in her rounds.

Between lunches, shuttles, photo shoots and hours in the greenroom, the contestants spent a lot of time together over the three days of filming, and there was a strong sense of camaraderie among the players.

“It is a very positive, friendly, collaborative environment and that carried through all of the experiences I had, and I really appreciated it,” Harmeyer said. “There was a major feeling among contestants of awe and how great it was that we get to do this.”

But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t also nerve-wracking.

“It was a little bit strange going into this room for the first time, where we all knew who each other was, but we never actually interacted before,” Harmeyer said. “I knew they were all going to be good and intimidating. After watching the first round, my fellow contestants were all incredible. I didn’t really want to play any of them, and I think they felt the same way, too.”

As she prepared for the tournament, Harmeyer anticipated a faster pace and fiercer competition. She focused on both expanding her knowledge base and sharpening her buzzer reaction time.

“It was a lot of watching the show, studying, reading, learning and reinforcing my knowledge of facts,” Harmeyer said.

While she enjoys clues with word play or an extra layer — such as Before, During and After categories — her goal was to strengthen in areas where she felt less confident.

Adriana Harmeyer focused on strategy and sharpening her buzzer reaction time ahead of her “Tournament of Champions” appearance. (Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)

Harmeyer’s role as a clinical professor and archivist for university history at Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies also played an important role in her preparation. Whether teaching students or assisting researchers seeking information about historical happenings on campus, she’s constantly engaged with a wide range of topics, which allowed her to stay sharp for the competition.

She also used the J! Archive website to review clues from previous “Jeopardy!” tournaments. It helped her to get a sense of how difficult the questions would be and the types of clues that would be presented. Once the tournament was underway, she took notice of the other players’ styles and strengths to get a sense of what she’d be up against but was focused primarily on her own game play and strategy.

“I wanted to be better at buzzering and be more mindful of wagering, especially with Daily Doubles,” Harmeyer said. “I went in thinking I might be a little bolder with my strategy because I knew my competitors would too.”

Harmeyer won her semifinal match, securing her spot in the “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions” final alongside Isaac Hirsch and Neilesh Vinjamuri. In game one of the final rounds, all three contestants missed the final clue, but Harmeyer’s strategic wager earned her the first win of the match.

“I think that was my best moment of strategy,” she recalls. “I did a lot of math to try to make sure I would be on the right side.”

However, the remaining games did not fall in her favor and, ultimately, Vinjamuri claimed the tournament title. Harmeyer praised her fellow competitors, highlighting Vinjamuri’s bold betting strategy and quick reflexes on the buzzer, which made him a formidable opponent. Still, for her, the true victory lay in the experience itself — the thrill of competing at the highest level and the camaraderie among champions.

“Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions” finalists pose with host Ken Jennings on the Alex Trebek Stage. From left to right are Ken Jennings, Neilesh Vinjamuri, Adriana Harmeyer and Isaac Hirsch. (Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)

“Being invited to the TOC is a mark of recognition, that we’re good players; and I really appreciated the opportunity to do it again,” she said. “That’s what was most special to me.”

When asked if we’d see her as a contestant again on “Jeopardy!” or on a different game show, she didn’t completely dismiss the idea.

“I wouldn’t rule out other game shows, but I feel like ‘Jeopardy!’ has always been the one that I always wanted to do,” she said. “If ‘Jeopardy!’ asks me to be there, I will be there!”