Rowan historian to compete in Tournament of Champions on ‘Jeopardy!’

Rowan University History Professor Melissa Klapper, a three-day champion on “Jeopardy!” a year ago, is returning to the popular game show on March 4 to compete in its 2024 Tournament of Champions.

Klapper, who won $60,100 last March on the show, is one of 27 participants in the Tournament of Champions, which began Feb. 23. For the first time, all three-day champions were invited to compete in the Tournament of Champions.

Hosted by Ken Jennings, “Jeopardy!” airs nightly at 7 p.m. on 6ABC in Philadelphia.

Klapper’s March 4 game will be a quarterfinal match against 13-game winner Ray Lalonde and “Celebrity Jeopardy!” winner Ike Barinholtz.

Game rules preclude Klapper, a professor in the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, from divulging the results until the show airs.

“This was a very exciting—though also nerve-wracking—opportunity,” says Klapper. “I went to Los Angeles in early February for the tapings and greatly enjoyed the chance to get to know so many of last year’s champions.

“The whole experience was inspiring and just fun in all the best ways.”

In the Tournament of Champions, each of the participants compete in a quarterfinal match with only nine winners advancing to three semifinal matches. The three semifinal winners then play a series of final matches until a player wins three games.

“All of the games were tremendously exciting, with the competitors’ knowledge, strategy and buzzer skills all determining the outcomes,” Klapper says.