Persistence is essential on “Jeopardy!” — a minimum of for one winner, who was lastly in a position to fulfill his lifelong dream to take part on the present.
Harvey Silikovitz, an legal professional and “worldwide karaoke singer” who was identified with Parkinson’s illness in 2019, broke returning contestant Laura Faddah‘s eight-game successful streak when he appeared on the Monday, March 10 episode.
However being on “Jeopardy!” meant greater than successful to Silikovitz, who first auditioned for the basic recreation present in 2001 — and went on to overlook a further alternative since then.
“It’s been a longtime dream of mine to get here,” he informed host Ken Jennings in the course of the episode. “In 2019, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but I continued chasing the dream, and now here I am.”
Silikovitz joked, “I wouldn’t recommend that as a preparation strategy for doing well on the show,” because the viewers erupted in laughter. “But after living with Parkinson’s for five and a half years, it’s no longer just about wanting to do well for myself.”
He shared that he wished “to give hope and inspiration to the people who are living with chronic illnesses.”
Earlier than his episode aired, Silikovitz took to social media to share his “Jeopardy!” journey.
“One of the principal reasons I travel is to learn more about the world,” he started his prolonged caption. “That same voracious curiosity led me to become immersed in the world of trivia. While I believe that knowing stuff is an intrinsic good, I also enjoy testing my knowledge in trivia competitions of various kinds.”
“Inevitably, I wanted to test myself on ‘Jeopardy!’, which has long been the gold standard of TV quiz shows,” Silikovitz mentioned earlier than revealing he got here near being a contestant in 2019, however destiny bought in the way in which.
“And so, for many years, I have tried to become a contestant on that show. I persevered in that quest even after setbacks – like that time in March 2019 when I missed a voice-mail from a senior casting producer that, had I returned the call, would have led to my becoming a contestant a few weeks later. By the time I finally heard the VM, taping for the season had wrapped,” he defined.
5 months later, he was identified with Parkinson’s illness.
Nonetheless, Silikovitz continued.
“I worked hard to manage my Parkinson’s symptoms – even while relentlessly seeking to improve my knowledge base as well as my proficiency at the skills, such as timing on the buzzer, that are crucial to success on J!” he mentioned.
His lifelong dream got here true in January 2025 when he “flew out to Culver City, CA to tape as a J! contestant!”
Silikovitz teased his look to his followers.
“So how did I do? Can a person with Parkinson’s be competitive in the rigorous crucible of a ‘Jeopardy!’ game? To add to the intrigue, the returning champion who was one of my 2 opponents had won her first 8 games. Did I become another of her victims? Did I put an end to her streak? Or did the third player take down both of us? Tune in on Monday to find out!” he concluded, including a number of hashtags, together with “#parkinsonswarrior.”
Silikovitz’s “Jeopardy!” journey continues on Tuesday, March 11.
