Senior Ezgi Ustundag to appear on ‘Jeopardy’ Thursday

<p>Senior Ezgi Ustundag taped an episode of the quiz show “Jeopardy” last month. The episode will air Thursday evening at 7 p.m.</p>

Senior Ezgi Ustundag taped an episode of the quiz show “Jeopardy” last month. The episode will air Thursday evening at 7 p.m.

For one Duke student, success is about asking the right questions, not just knowing the right answers.

Ezgi Ustundag, a senior majoring in International Comparative Studies, will appear on the quiz show “Jeopardy” Thursday at 7 p.m. after participating in a taping of the show last month. Ustundag—who has been an avid fan of the game show since elementary school—is the first Duke student in recent history to appear in the regular season, though two seniors have appeared in the college championship version.

Although she was unable to disclose the results of the show before it airs, Ustundag explained that the application and audition process was very long.

“I’m on a listserv that they have, so I got an email that I could register for the adult online test in March,” she said. “The second week of April was when I actually took the test.”

The test was 50 questions long and conducted in an a rapid-fire, Jeopardy-style format in which Ustundag had 15 seconds to answer each question.

After the online test, the process progressed to an in-person, 50-question test—this time with only 8 seconds to answer—and a meeting in Atlanta.

“We had a mock round of Jeopardy—they took us up in little groups of three,” Ustundag said. “They were really trying to see if we could express ourselves well, without getting nervous or without mumbling.”

Sam Miglarese, director of the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, has known Ustundag since she participated in the Duke in Durham DukeEngage program in 2013. Miglarese said that Ustundag’s personality was distinctive and helped her make it onto the show.

“She was outstanding as a colleague with her class—her sense of humor, her energy, her involvement,” he said. “It wasn’t showy at all, I just noticed that she had star power.”

Once Ustundag found out that she had passed the test in early August, she began studying before the September taping. Although Ustundag knows a great deal about world capitals, she tried to learn about a variety of different topics.

“I knew classical music and opera were huge weaknesses of mine, so I at least tried to get some exposure,” she said. “I read the news from different outlets everyday to make sure I was up to speed on all issues—it’s really a shot in the dark, but a few things I picked up did help me.”

Ustundag’s diligence extends beyond studying for Jeopardy, however, said her roommate of four years Telisse Portis, who is also a senior.

“Ezgi is so hard-working—she’s probably the most hard working person I’ve met at Duke,” Portis said. “If she doesn’t know something, she’s very ready to learn it and remember it for next time.”

Portis noted that Ustundag’s preparation for Jeopardy occurred in a variety of ways, and said that she has participated with Ustundag in local trivia night events.

Ustundag said that the experience was valuable and would encourage other Duke students to try out for the college championship.

"I would encourage any Duke student to take the college test that’s coming up,” she said. “Read the news—if you don’t know a name or something you read, look it up, be genuinely curious.”


Likhitha Butchireddygari

Follow Likhitha on Twitter

Class of 2019

Editor-in-chief 2017-18, 

Local and national news department head 2016-17

Born in Hyderabad, India, Likhitha Butchireddygari moved to Baltimore at a young age. She is pursuing a Program II major entitled "Digital Democracy and Data" about the future of the American democracy.

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