Physical therapy’s Ally Bove fulfills ‘Jeopardy!’ dream

By SUSAN JONES

Ally Bove, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, recently fulfilled a lifelong dream — appearing as a contestant on “Jeopardy!”

Ally BoveThe episode Bove appeared in aired on Jan. 12 but was recorded last November in Los Angeles.

Bove was within striking distance of 30-day champion Amy Schneider in the early part of Double Jeopardy, but took a risk on a $5,000 Daily Double wager on the clue: “First appearing in the Cambrian Period, these are the 3-lobed fossils of what were marine animals.” She failed to get the answer, trilobites, dropping her to $1,000. From there, Schneider dominated. Bove ended up placing second.

“They film five episodes a day, two days a week,” Bove said. “I was asked to come a day early to be an alternate, so I was able to watch several episodes being filmed before being a contestant myself.”

Bove said she has loved “Jeopardy!” since she was a child. “I grew up around the corner from my grandparents, and I would watch it every evening with them after dinner. My grandfather had a really impressive knowledge of trivia (especially history), and it was fun seeing how much he knew during every episode.”

Qualifying for the long-running trivia game show wasn’t a short or easy process for Bove.

“I began taking the annual online test at least 10 years ago,” she said. “They don’t tell you what a passing score is, but if you pass they ‘may’ invite you for an in-person full audition.”

She was invited to her first in-person audition in 2016, which landed her in the contestant pool for 18 months, but she didn’t make it to the televised show. She repeated the process in 2018 and again in 2020 (via Zoom because of the pandemic).

“I waited around 12 months before receiving ‘the call,’ ” Bove said.

She’d gladly do it all again, but contestants who have appeared on the show are not allowed to go on again.

“Perhaps I’ll try to qualify for a different game show in the future,” she said.

Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.

 

Have a story idea or news to share? Share it with the University Times.

Follow the University Times on Twitter and Facebook.