Kara Peruccio, an assistant professor in the Department of History and the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Departments at the University of Maine, was a contestant on Jeopardy! in May.
After four auditions, Kara Peruccio finally received the call she had been waiting for—she had been selected as a contestant on Jeopardy!. In March, she flew to Los Angeles to tape her first episode, which aired on May 9.
When asked how she prepared for Jeopardy!, Peruccio credited her love of reading, crossword puzzles, and trivia. She also fondly recalled friendly competitions with her twin sister—especially the hours spent playing trivia games on the Encarta Encyclopedia and Jeopardy! CD-ROMs. But perhaps most impactful were her students. “I learn a lot from my students and all of their different majors and interests, which also helped me prepare,” she reflected.
On the day of filming, contestants arrive at Sony Pictures Studios by 7:15 a.m. for a full day of taping. “I’m always amazed by the people who go on weeklong Jeopardy! runs,” Peruccio says. “I know a lot, but I don’t know if I would’ve had the stamina. It’s a long day.”
“I want people to know it’s okay to keep trying. Persistence, determination, and resilience are all so important.”
Kara peruccio, assistant professor umaine
Because Jeopardy! randomly selects contestants to play each game, Peruccio spent most of the day in the greenroom waiting to be called. She wasn’t chosen until the final game of the day, which gave her plenty of time to get to know the other contestants. After winning Friday’s game, she returned the following morning to tape the Monday episode as the reigning champion.
That downtime gave Peruccio a chance to bond with her fellow contestants—so much so that they keep in touch through a group chat. “Sitting around for hours waiting to tape will do that,” she laughs. She also chuckles about some of the categories she struggled with, like “Jeoportmanteau”—a category so challenging that no one answered a single clue correctly. “Now when I watch new episodes, I think, ‘Why wasn’t that category on my episode?’”
Despite not owning a television, Peruccio did very well in the category “Property Watching,” which featured clues related to HGTV shows. She answered nearly all of those questions correctly, including a question about Maine Cabin Masters, who had worked with the University of Maine Outing Club to renovate a cabin.
Now in her fourth year as a professor of Women’s Studies and History, Peruccio brings the same curiosity and creativity to her teaching. She’s passionate about meeting students where they are—whether that means incorporating art or using fantasy novels to explore complex topics.
One of her courses, History and Fantasy Literature, uses recently published fantasy novels to teach about the Middle East and Islam. “It’s a great way to think about history through literary forms,” she explains. “I’ve found that it is sometimes easier to get students to read fantasy novels than drier academic texts. I think it is important to be flexible with what type of knowledge because we can learn from a variety of sources.”
She encourages students to pursue their interests and bring their passions into the classroom. “I always ask my Introduction to Gender Studies students to bring in articles or books they’re excited about,” she says. “If someone is interested in something, I try to find other texts or articles to supplement their learning and deepen their curiosity.”
Her own Jeopardy! journey is a testament to that philosophy. “This was my fourth time auditioning. I want people to know it’s okay to keep trying. Persistence, determination, and resilience are all so important,” she says. She brings that mindset to her own classroom where she works to create an environment where students feel safe to learn and grow. “I want them to know it’s okay to make mistakes or ask for help. Too often, students are afraid that doing so will make them seem less smart.”
Looking ahead, Peruccio is shifting her focus to her book manuscript about suffrage movements among Egyptian, Turkish, Spanish, and Italian women—a project that examines how women’s suffrage movements interact with authoritarian governments and international suffrage organizations during the interwar period.
