Medical Physicist’s ‘Jeopardy!’ Run Fulfills Lifelong Dream

Decades after he started watching “Jeopardy!” with his parents and siblings while growing up in Canada, Ron Lalonde, PhD, realized a lifetime dream this year. The medical physicist became a contestant, and three-time winner, on the celebrated show.

“Mom and Dad were very clever,” said Dr. Lalonde, who won $55,501 on the show. “We really just enjoyed watching after supper pretty much every night.”

Trying to beat his brothers and sisters when calling out responses was a family tradition.

“It’s broad general knowledge and a little tougher than other game shows … more serious and academic,” he said. “We were all big readers in our family and played lot of board games. Growing up, we got pretty much every board game known to man at Christmas time. It got very competitive and that transferred into watching ‘Jeopardy!’”

Dr. Lalonde had been trying to get on the show for the past 15 years. His twin brother, Ray, won 13 games in December 2022 and January 2023. Ray, a scenic artist for film and television, won $388,400 during his run and was part of the program’s Grand Champion series in 2023.

Ray attempted to qualify and get chosen for more than two decades. His experience and success inspired Dr. Lalonde.

“Since then, I watched every night I could, or I would record it,” he said.

Making the show takes knowledge and dedication. Potential contestants first must take a challenging 50-question online quiz. Those who pass are granted an audition over Zoom where they compete against other players. Contestants are chosen after that round. Dr. Lalonde said approximately 100,000 people try to make the cut each year and 400 are selected.

Getting picked is just the beginning. Dr. Lalonde was told four months in advance by the show’s team that he was scheduled to come to Southern California for taping in October. He quickly got to work, including buying a buzzer and finding an archive of old shows online.

“At that point, you get serious about it, studying lakes, rivers, countries, and capitals, all the stuff they usually ask about,” he said. “I’ve got a mini gym in my basement where I would put on old ‘Jeopardy’ shows and watch them as I worked out. Every day, I would go over at least two or three online games to sharpen my skills and practice with the buzzer.”

Even with his time watching at home over the years and prepping after being chosen, Dr. Lalonde said he was antsy on game day. The program puts together a week of shows every Monday.

“I was very nervous the first game,” he said. “I’m behind a podium and you can only see me from the chest up. My legs were shaking the whole game.”

He won his first game when an opponent had an incorrect response in “Final Jeopardy!” Getting a victory was a relief. It also showed him how the game is played, honing his approach.

“If you are less certain about an answer, there’s a little math to do,” he said. “If you’re 80% sure, but it’s a big-money question, it’s going to hurt if you get it wrong. That first game is really scrambled, but once you get through that, you get more strategy involved.”

Contestants have no idea what the categories are until they’re revealed on the show. Covering generational divides, Dr. Lalonde said his categories ranged from YouTube influencers to specific aspects of history.

“A good category for me was classic rock,” he said. “I was older than the other contestants, so I could think back to the ’60s and ’70s. They didn’t have that background.”

It helped Dr. Lalonde to have his twin and other family members at the taping. At one point, the camera cut to Ray, prompting host Ken Jennings to jokingly wonder whether Dr. Lalonde was his brother on stage pulling a trick.

“He even called me Ray at one point,” Dr. Lalonde said.

The toughest part was being able to let only his family know about his success right away; contestants sign nondisclosure agreements. He wasn’t allowed to share details with friends and colleagues until after his final show aired in December.

The big reveal happened during a quiz night that he and coworkers from the University of Pittsburgh Department of Radiation Oncology hold most Wednesdays at a local sports bar.

“I arranged for the pub owner to get the show on the air just as it started,” Dr. Lalonde said. “We had 50 TVs at 7:30 on ‘Jeopardy.’ I made an announcement at 7:29, saying, ‘OK, I’ve got a little surprise for you.’”

Members of Dr. Lalonde’s family will benefit from his success next spring. He set aside a portion of his winnings for a multi-day train trip through the Canadian Rockies.

“We’re going first class all the way,” he said. “We figured, we’ve got a little bonus cash, so let’s not skimp. Let’s do the whole thing right.”