Considering how much effort goes into landing a spot on the Jeopardy! stage to compete in any given episode, one might think that losing out would be devastating, regardless of the circumstances. But for recent two-day champion Lisa Sriken, the feeling of defeat was unexpectedly coupled with a perfectly accepting sentiment, and she revealed the delightfully low-stakes reason why she wasn’t overwhelmed with disappointment to bow out earlier than fans would have hoped.
From the jump, Sriken was a stand-out Jeopardy! contestant, with an abundance of enthusiasm, a spectrum of facial expressions, and an approach that deadpan-friendly comedians would no doubt appreciate. Considering how many in-an-instant highlights she delivered, it’d be easy to think she was around for longer than just three games. But rather than bemoaning her loss when speaking with Newsweek, the New York resident said she would have been perfectly happy to be done with it all after just a single win. Why? She’s apparently not super into sharing stories about herself, and also took issue with a wardrobe choice the producers wanted to impose on her. Love it.
Here’s her take on having to come up with quippy stories for chatting with recently returned host Ken Jennings in the middle of the Jeopardy! round:
Being there and having to come up with anecdotes was really—and I said this to [production team]—in the end, it was excruciating. That was the hard part. It wasn’t a trivia part. I knew the trivia, but that was difficult. If I was allowed to forfeit day two, I would have, because I was so pleased with day one. I got a fun response from the audience and I won. And if I could have forfeited day two, I would have, but I went on to day two. If I could have forfeited day three [I would have], because day two went super amazing for me, I felt. I was thrilled. Everybody kind of came to me with this sad response of like, ‘Oh, you had a great run.’ But I’m absolutely thrilled that I didn’t have to go back on stage for a third time.
I'm not sure if this counts as good sportsmanship exactly, but hats off to Lisa Sriken for not being so obsessed with winning and coming off looking better than everyone else. It's almost shocking to hear that she thought coming up with fun details about herself was so much harder than the actual gameplay of Jeopardy! itself, but I guess it's not so rare for really intelligent people to be self-conscious and introverted in some ways. We can't all be Ken Jennings.
Even though Sriken obviously didn't go on to join the annals of Jeopardy!'s biggest champions, she also didn't suffer a truly embarrassing loss, and her game was thankfully free from baffling clue wordings and fan-debated answers. I'd bet she was equally happy that her three games were also free from botched clothing choices, since she voiced her dread in having to deal with just such a wardrobe decision had she won a third game.
The final outfit that I had with me, they were going to make me put a blazer on it, which would have ruined it. I was like, ’Eww, I don’t want to do that!’
I'd like to take a peek at a Sliding Doors situation where Lisa Sriken went on to win dozens of times, and had to really dig into the depths to come up with anecdotes, while also pulling off some of the most flamboyant Jeopardy! outfits in the game show's history. Or maybe I'd just like to see her amusing reaction to the thought of that reality. In any case, she'll be missed!
Considering all the tournaments that Jeopardy! is bringing to the small screen these days, one would hope there could eventually be one that was just dedicated to the champs who made a mark but didn't necessarily make it to the Champions brackets, but also weren't comfortable sharing anecdotes. And if it turns out Sriken is the only contestant, so be it.
