This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Answer: Winner of Jeopardy! and more notably known for teaching 3rd grade at Columbine Elementary in Longmont, Colorado.
Question: Who is Jennifer Giles?
Correct! The Longmont Observer had the opportunity to sit down and ask a category of questions with Jeopardy! winner Jennifer Giles. She is polishing her clicker skills for another appearance on Jeopardy! in February of 2019. Yes, we asked questions, not answers. Instead of conducting an interview in a Jeopardy! arrangement, we decided to go with the traditional questions before answers.
Longmont Observer: To somebody from Longmont, it's pretty amazing to see somebody from our hometown go and represent, and achieve, and succeed on Jeopardy!.
Jennifer Giles: That was one of the best Tweets, I think. They were like ... "This is making me rethink everything I know about Longmont." I was like, "Yeah. Good." That was one of my faves.
LO: Has anybody in Longmont ever recognized you as a Jeopardy! contestant?
JG: Yeah, actually. Not all the time, but I've been stopped in the street before, I've signed autographs for waitresses before. It's not like a constant or anything, but every once in a while. I was working at the Great American Beer Festival, and I was recognized down there, as well.
LO: Have you come across any other locals in your process, maybe Coloradans, when you went onto Jeopardy!?
JG: No one was from Colorado when I was specifically participating, and in this upcoming tournament, there's no Coloradans participating. I know of them. I know about the teacher from Aurora who was recently on, with all of his wins. I kind of know of these other players that come on, but I don't know them personally.
LO: Do you still host a trivia night at local bars?
JG: I used to. I had up to three different trivia nights, but now I'm down to zero currently, but I did. I used to host at the Waterloo down in Louisville. It was kind of the first place, and I did a little bit for Open Door Brewing that was in Prospect. I was only able to do that for a couple months, and most recently I was at Sky Brewing. Of course, Open Door and Sky have both closed their doors, so I'm kind of taking a hiatus right now, but I love to play.
LO: So you still go to trivia nights?
JG: Oh, yeah. We play at Bootstrap actually here in town. I really like the host. Geeks Who Drink, I don't know, I feel like it's hit or miss for me. I don't enjoy many of their hosts. I love Bootstrap, I'm over there on Wednesdays pretty frequently.
LO: Can you attribute your success on Jeopardy! to being in a constant educational environment?
JG: Well, that doesn't hurt. I mean, absolutely there is always learning more things. I actually would attribute it more to the amount of reading that I do. I guess a little bit professionally, but mostly just what I love to read personally, and what I'm interested in.
LO: You're constantly educating yourself in your free time?
JG: I don't know if everyone would see a Stephen King novel as very educational, but I definitely play trivia a lot. I have a lot of fun playing, and I read fiction, and I read non-fiction. I would say I am educating myself constantly.
LO: How do your students usually react after seeing you on Jeopardy!?
JG: Well, it's only been twice so far. They're very excited, and they're very supportive. They love getting to see me when it's on television. They're already excited now for the upcoming tournament that'll be on in February. It's great, because they don't usually watch Jeopardy!, but they will if I'm on it.
LO: What would your dream category be on Jeopardy!, and why?
JG: Literature would be a great one for me. I do enjoy my scary books, horror novelists, in general, would be a wonderful category. World capitals, my grandmother used to teach them to me when I was younger, and I know them to this day, so that would be a lot of fun. I'm a real buff of medieval British history, so if you give me a category about some of those kings in the right era, then I am on it. I guess that would be three categories I would love to see.
LO: You said you've been on the show twice. Meeting Alex Trebek, does that become normal, or is it still kind of ... are you still kind of starstruck?
JG: Yes, I would definitely say that. He definitely has a presence, he's a legend, and I haven't been on often enough to make it a commonplace to have met him, so it's still very exciting every time.
LO: No matter who you are, or where you're from, it's about who is the smartest and the fastest on Jeopardy!. Do you think Jeopardy! has an underlying message of equality?
JG: Well, I think Jeopardy! is there ... Who is the smartest? Who is the fastest? I think it's there to kind of reward those of us who do continue on that self-improvement, and learning new things. I don't know of any underlying message. I think it's just fun. I think it is good, and I think ... I feel in a lot of ways that society doesn't always value the pursuit of intellect, and I mean American society, not globally. It's nice to see that, and it's nice to take part in that, because it's something that I certainly value.
LO: It's interesting that no matter if the contestants happen not to give the question, Alex, he gives the question to the answer anyway. Do you think it's an educational value that the shows tries to present?
JG: Yeah. I think so. That's the way I always look at it too. If I didn't get it right, or if I missed it, now I've learned something. That's definitely the way that I look at it.
LO: Do you remember the scenes in Groundhog Day where Bill Murray memorized all the Jeopardy! questions, and then he was trying to impress everyone by knowing them all. Do you think there's something about being the smartest, or trying to be the smartest person in the room when watching Jeopardy!?
JG: Sorry, I laughed, because I would probably say, "No.” My friends would all say, "You know you love it." It's kind of funny how often I will sit there, and yell out answers, and how I'm wrong a lot more often than I'd like, but I feel like it just depends on ... Well, if you take pride in that kind of thing, so I guess I certainly do. I do feel pride when I am able to answer, and when I do know it. Yeah. I think it's pretty cool, and I don't care if anyone else does, because I do.
LO: I assume they film multiple episodes a day. Can you talk a little bit on how the shows are filmed, and how you balance your preparations, and try to stay sharp in the process?
JG: Well, it's kind of funny, because I actually did have to admit to my teammates for this upcoming tournament that I didn't do any preparation prior to going on to the Teacher's Tournament, and definitely not for the Tournament of Champions. I think I lucked out with the Teacher's Tournament, and I think it showed on the Tournament of Champions.
That said, taping is usually ... Those people have it down, they know what they're doing, and you will film five episodes in a day, and they'll take about 40 minutes to tape if everything is smooth, then ... they've got their routines set, and they know what to do.
There have been times when something goes wrong, or we'd have to check on an answer, and what not, and that can take a little longer, but they'll still generally get through the five in a day. What you're doing when you're not on is ... Before you go on, you're just sitting in the green room, and you're kind of in there just trying not to be nervous. I don't know if there's any specific prep in there. We were watching movies, or reading books, or just chatting with each other. Once you're out, you're just sitting in the audience then watching the episodes that are taped after you've gone on.
I am doing some serious prep for this upcoming tournament, because of the team play. I don't wanna let anyone down, so I'm playing quizzes, and there's lots of great websites, I'm reading books, you'll never stop me from doing that, crossword puzzles, just all kinds of little things. I actually have flash cards, and some different things going on.
LO: Is there time to form any sort of camaraderie with the other contestants, especially since you've been back a few times?
JG: Well, for me it's been a different group of contestants each time I've gone, so it's been a really different feel for me each time. The Teacher's Tournament, we're all teachers, which is great. I'm still in touch with almost all them on Facebook, and we'll message each other, and we just kind of have that presence. We chat, so that's nice. There was a good camaraderie there, because we're teachers. We're competing, but we also want everyone to do good, that's just kind of our nature.
The Tournament of Champions felt a little different... I didn't really make friends. Whether that's on me, or on them, probably a little bit of both. This last time going on; we went out there just to tape that live Facebook draft, so there was no pressure, we were not gonna compete. I think the captains took it a little different, they definitely had the pressure to choose their teams, but for us, we had a great time. I definitely got to meet a whole other group of people, which felt good, again like the Teacher's Tournament.
There is some camaraderie. We've seen each other play. I mean, this upcoming tournament is "All Stars,” and I'm very honored to be considered, but these people were on Super Jeopardy!, and these people have won tournaments, so they've been on in the past. It's cool to get to meet people that you've seen perform and that you've got to watch them kind of do their thing. There was definitely a good amount of camaraderie.
LO: Can you talk about what you just did? You went there recently, right? A couple weeks ago?
JG: Yeah, the end of September, they did a live Facebook draft. It's season 35, they contacted us ... I would say it was almost about a year ago, it has been quite a while. They said, "Hey, we're doing this tournament, kind of this variety of different players. Ken Jennings is involved, Brad Rutter, and then more recent stars like Austin, but just a variety of people coming back. They said, "Hey, come out, and we'll do that."
On the 22nd [of September] they did a live Facebook draft, so it's something brand new. We'll be playing on teams of three, which is really exciting. I think it's gonna be really fun. They have all their captains picked out. Obviously, Ken Jennings, and kind of those bigger names, and then the rest of us kind of in this pool for them to draft from. We went out and did a lot of promos, and stuff for that, and then we had the draft, so we all got picked on our teams. That's basically what we just did, and now it's just kind of waiting until the taping in January.
LO: Do you think you'll be more comfortable a third time around? You said there were some nerves that maybe you had in the past.
JG: It was funny, because the first time, I had the Teacher's Tournament, and I had no nerves. The Tournament of Champions, I did, I definitely felt it, and I think you could see it in my game play, that I just wasn't ... I wasn't there. I'm definitely hoping that the third time is a charm. It'll be interesting, because each player will play a different round, so I might just be playing the Jeopardy! round for a game, or I might just be doing the Double Jeopardy!, or I might just come on for the final question.
It's kind of a new format, so that'll be kind of new. It'll be fun, but I definitely think there will be some nerves just in general, just because it's a whole new thing. Despite having been on Jeopardy! before, now there's a whole new format to kind of try to play. I'm gonna try to work through that.
LO: Are you a part of any groups or friends, intellectual groups, or anything?
JG: No, I feel like I should be. I'm an indoor cat, I don't ... I've got my core group, I've got my little trivia team. Outside of that, I mean, I'm part of a lot of professional organizations, and things that have to do with my job, but no trivia bowls, or groups like that, although I do attend events from time to time. No, I'm just that weird loner that knows weird stuff.
LO: I think a lot of artists, or intellectuals they're more introverted. That's kind of how I see it.
JG: Yeah. I mean, I just like traveling places, I like learning, I like museums, art museums, history museums, and whatever. My mom is always blown away, and it's just the way my mind works. I just learn this stuff, and it stays there somewhere, and then I'm able to remember it.
LO: You like to travel? Can you talk about the places you've traveled?
JG: Oh, my gosh. I love it. Well, growing up in California, my grandparents had a little trailer, and a little spot down in Baja, we were always going down there. My family did so many road trips all around the western U.S., so that kind of got me started. I'm never gonna stay in one place. I was able to go abroad when I was in college. I studied in France, and then I taught for a year in France after I graduated.
LO: Wow.
JG: Once you're in France, you're like, "Okay. Let's go to Germany, let's go to England, and let's go to Spain. That kind of got me going. I went to Guatemala this year. My friend's church, actually it was their senior youth trip, but I'm sponsoring a girl down in Guatemala, so I got to meet her and her family while we were down there. I always travel for altruistic reasons. I went to the U.K. last year, and Edinburgh, and London. I went to Cuba the year before that, we were there when Fidel Castro died, which was really fascinating.
LO: Oh, wow.
JG: Yeah. That was actually a school-sponsored trip through UMC. The Jeopardy! money has been great for that. That was fun, and that was like a class. I went to Norway the year before that.
LO: Was Cuba changing at all while you were there? Since they relatively recently opened doors between the United States and Cuba. Did it seem like that?
JG: Well, what's interesting is, because I think when we were there, it was just kind of on the cusp. I was the first American a lot of people met still. Most of the tourists there are Canadian or European. Lots of Germans were there, and trying to get there, in fact, before the Americans "ruined it.”
I would like to go back, and actually see what's been going on recently. At that point, I feel we got there in the calm before the storm, like before things were really set to change. You could kind of sense it. After he died, it was very interesting. We saw Raul Castro speak, and the President of Venezuela was there, and a couple other folks, news cameras, and the Independence Plaza... It was very cool.
LO: Wow. That's amazing. You said you were sponsoring a girl in Guatemala, can you talk about that?
JG: My best friend is with the UMC, the United Methodist Church in Boulder, and one of their pastors wasn't able to go to Guatemala, so they were looking for another adult. I was like, "Me, me, pick me." I was like, "Hey, I speak Spanish." I got to go down, and help support the missions trip. It's building houses, and it's all through this organization called, Pura Vida.
They sponsor kids. The church as a whole sponsors different kids. I was down there, and I was like, "I think I'd like to sponsor one." The liaison, he was like, "Well, let's see who is available." I was like, "Okay. Her." We set up this meeting, and I was able to work with her, and meet her, and then start sponsoring her. You pay some money, and it helps out with her school supplies.
I picked the girl, because they generally quit school after sixth grade, and get into more domestic pursuits. If there's an opportunity where I can support a girl that wants to do something else ... My girl wants to be a pediatrician, which I thought was amazing. I don't have kids, or anything, so I think that's a great use of a little bit of my cash.
LO: Do you talk to your students about your travels?
JG: Definitely. Even when I just go to California, I like to share pictures with them, and I share the things I've done. Usually, it's part of the curriculum, which is great, because actually we just compare and contrast Longmont with other communities. I'm like, "Hey, I went to Cuba. Let's see how it's the same and different. Hey, I went to Guatemala, let's take a look." They definitely love that, and I got them postcards from Cuba, and they got Jeopardy pens from the Jeopardy set, when I went. I definitely share that with the kids.
LO: Is there anything else that maybe you wanna say, that you wish I asked?
JG: Read books, people, read them.
I'm telling you. Everyone should just read more books, I don't care what it is. I read comic books, and there isn’t any shame. I read scary stories, and I read high literature. Read what you like, do it though, man. Just learn.
LO: People need to read everything. I also read graphic novels, and fiction, and non-fiction. That's the way to go.
JG: Yeah. I know, I love it. It's funny, I hear that there's some kind of controversy with the kids, and what they're reading. I'm like, "Oh, my God. Read ... Do you like comic books? Read them. The fact that you're reading, I don't care what it is."
LO: All right, I appreciate you taking your time to do this interview.
JG: I really appreciate you contacting me. I like to talk to people about Jeopardy. Going on Jeopardy! is so awesome, it's so much fun, and I kind of go in with the attitude that it's just awesome to get to be on it. I just have a blast, and I think it's really cool, and I really enjoyed winning. I didn't even mind losing that bad. I like talking about it. I never really mind sharing, because it's something cool that I've done.
