Plainfield Teacher With Penchant For Trivia Appears On 'Jeopardy'

PLAINFIELD, IL — Plainfield residents who are fans of "Jeopardy!" might have recognized one of the contestants on Wednesday's episode: it was Plainfield East High School English teacher Erin Portman.

The educator, a Naperville resident, won the game show on Wednesday, earning $31,201, and advanced to Thursday's Final Jeopardy show, where she nearly won but missed a clue and lost to Troy Meyer, according to reports from The U.S. Sun.

Portman, a fan of trivia-style games and loyal watcher of the show since she was a child, flew to Los Angeles in November to tape her episode of the show, which has aired since 1964. The process to get there was one of passion and commitment, according to the educator.

Her journey to Sony Pictures Studio began more than two years ago when, on a whim, she took an online quiz during the COVID-19 pandemic. A series of several quizzes testing her knowledge in 50 categories was followed by a Zoom interview with "Jeopardy!" producers and a mock game with other game show hopefuls.

"You're literally at home buzzing in on a pen, it’s very funny," Portman said in a statement.

Portman later found out she was in a contestant pool. But she never received the winning call.

"You can be in the contestant pool for up to 18 months and then you may never get called," Portman said.

She didn't give up, though. In May 2022, Portman decided to start her audition process from the beginning.

This time, in October, she got a call notifying her she had been selected to appear on "Jeopardy!" Four weeks later, she, joined by her parents and godmother, was on a flight to California. All contestants cover their own flight and hotel accommodations, but all players win something regardless of where they place, according to Portman.

Although the Plainfield teacher couldn't comment on how she did before the episode aired — at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on ABC7 Chicago — she described her experience as "relaxing and enjoyable."

"The whole 'Jeopardy!' crew is just incredible," Portman said, explaining that the show has a crew dedicated entirely to taking care of contestants. "You don’t have to think the entire day except when you're trying to remember trivia."

"Jeopardy!," hosted by Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik, films multiple shows a day, meaning one contestant can be a multi-day winner but still wrap up their tapings in one day.

Of Jennings, Portman described him as "very funny."

"[He was] cracking jokes in taping breaks and when he was answering audience questions," Portman said.

Portman's students are excited she'll appear on the show, she said.

"Many of my students are big fans of the show and were excited to tell their parents," Portman said. "But some students told me they’ve never watched it before, and I had to explain the basic premise of the show."

Her advice to her students? "Find what you’re passionate about and commit to it. Worst case scenario you just try again. Best case scenario things work out great and you have the skills already that you need to be successful."