Sam Nguyen achieved his dream of competing on Jeopardy! on Wednesday night (December 11) after he’d previously blown his chance of appearing on another iconic game show.
The tax accountant from Hyattsville, Maryland, featured on the latest episode of Jeopardy!, where he explained to host Ken Jennings how he almost appeared on Wheel of Fortune six years ago. However, he made a “grave mistake” during his audition, costing him his spot.
“I’m told before coming on Jeopardy!, you also tried out for Wheel of Fortune?” Jennings asked Nguyen during the contestant interviews on Wednesday’s show.
“That’s right,” Nguyen replied. “About six years ago, I was trying out for Wheel of Fortune. But unfortunately, I made the grave mistake of saying that I’m actually more of a Jeopardy! fan. And in a room full of Wheel of Fortune enthusiasts… it didn’t go over well.”
Nguyen went on to say he “saved” himself, and “one of the contestant coordinators asked if I had ever been on Jeopardy? I said, ‘No, but after I get on Wheel of Fortune, I’ll go on Jeopardy! next.’ As my friend says, joke about the job you want.”
Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are shot in neighboring studios in Culver City, California, and usually air back-to-back on syndicated networks across the United States. While they’re typically considered companion shows, the rivalry between the two fanbases can be intense.
While it’s rare for the same person to appear on both game shows, it has happened at least a couple of times. Andy Kravis competed in Jeopardy!‘s 2002 Teen Tournament at 13 years old before appearing on Wheel of Fortune College Week in 2008. He won $5,000 on Jeopardy! and $50,550 on Wheel. Interestingly, Kravis also won $1,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2011.
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Similarly, Cody Lawrence completed the trifecta, having appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2018 (winning $20,000), Jeopardy! in 2020, and Wheel in 2022 (winning $56,700). He also returned for the Jeopardy! Second Chance tournament in 2023, walking away with $2,000 as a semi-finalist.
In addition, Cory Anotado, the man behind BuzzerBlog, competed on Wheel in 2005 before making it onto Jeopardy! in 2022.
Unfortunately for Nguyen, his Jeopardy! dream came to a quick end as he lost out to reigning champion Bill McKinney on Wednesday’s game. Still, maybe one day he’ll get his chance at redemption on Wheel.
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listingsWheel of Fortune, Weeknights, Check your local listings
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