May 25, 2023
Provided Image/Jeopardy Productions, Inc.
Next week's "Jeopardy!" lineup features local contestants on Monday and Wednesday. Lisa Gargiulo, a teacher from Bryn Mawr, pictured above with host Mayim Bialik, will appear on the May 31 episode.
It's been a couple of months since Philly "Jeopardy!" fans have had local contestants to root for, but that changes next week with two episodes featuring regional trivia masters.
On Monday, May 29, Travis Lee, a systems engineer from Phoenixville, will compete on "Jeopardy!" Then on Wednesday, May 31, viewers can cheer for Lisa Gargiulo, a teacher from Bryn Mawr, as she steps behind the podium. "Jeopardy!" airs weeknights at 7 p.m. on ABC.
MORE: Can you ace this Pennsylvania-themed 'Jeopardy!' category?
While viewers will have to wait until Monday to learn more about Lee, Gargiulo spoke with Patch ahead of her upcoming "Jeopardy!" appearance.
"I can’t think of a time when I haven't watched 'Jeopardy!' every night," she said.
Gargiulo is the head of the English department at Hill Top Preparatory School in Bryn Mawr, where she teaches seventh and eighth graders. She says she took the "Jeopardy!" qualifying test at least a dozen times before being invited to audition, and she previously competed in the NPR game show "Ask Me Another."
Travis Lee, a systems engineer from Phoenixville, will compete on “Jeopardy!” in an episode airing Monday, May 29.
Gargiulo also revealed that "Jeopardy!" host Mayim Bialik complimented her shoes. Bialik and Ken Jennings have been sharing hosting this season, with Bialik giving clues as Jennings emceed the first-ever "Jeopardy! Masters" tournament, which wrapped up Wednesday with a nail-biter.
While neither Lee's nor Gargiulo's opponents have been revealed yet, the show currently features one-off winners after the defeat of nine-time champion Ben Chan, who seemed unstoppable as he raked in over $250,000. He was knocked off Tuesday after a Final Jeopardy! misspelling.
It's anyone's game now, and perhaps — if local "Jeopardy!" fans are lucky — Lee will win a couple games and face off against the competitor from a county over.
Viewers will find out next week whether the contestants from the suburbs will join the ranks of local quiz show legends, like Philly's own Ryan Long and Ocean City's Cris Pannullo.
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