Kathryn Flucht is a proud sorority member and recent Jeopardy contestant. She used her platform (literally, all contestants stand on platforms behind the podiums) on “Jeopardy” to bypass stereotypes and show that sorority women can do anything, by proudly wearing her membership badge. Kathryn shared,“I am really proud to be an Alpha Sigma Alpha. I wanted to show people that ASA is great and we can do anything we want.” Her goal was to be an outward sign that sorority women are accomplished and don’t always fit into the narrative created about them.
Family Game
While breaking down stereotypes was important to Kathryn, there is another reason why being a contestant was so special to her. Jeopardy has always been a family game for her, especially between her and her father. They spent hours watching the show and playing along at home. This ultimately led to them both taking the online test that could lead to a spot on the show. When the opportunity to be a contestant on “Jeopardy” came, it was Kathryn who received it and not her father. Though she says there were no hard feelings, her dad couldn’t help but being a little smug when he said, “I knew you’d get on the show.
If you’ve ever watched Jeopardy, you know that topics vary wildly. This puts a lot of pressure on contestants to know a little bit about a lot of things.
Knowing her strong suit didn’t lay within geography, Kathryn spent a lot of time going over state capitols with sorority sisters, her boyfriend and family. She also reviewed old Jeopardy questions and spent a lot of time on quiz websites to prepare for her time on the show.
Filming “Jeopardy”
When it came to finally stepping onto the set, Kathryn said she and her family were speechless and she remembers thinking, “This is where it all really happens.” As for the set, Kathryn said it looks exactly like it does on screen. Although, the board is much bigger than it appears. “It must be like twenty feet tall,” Kathryn recalled.
After the initial shock of truly being on set, Kathryn began to meet the other contestants and one thing really stood out to her. She was the youngest one there. “It’s rare for a college student to be on the adult show,” Kathryn said. Most college students compete in the College Championship. The true accomplishment of being a contestant didn’t surpass Kathryn. She was focused and tried to make the episode entertaining. “The boys weren’t taking to many risks,” She said. “So, I decided to make it fun to watch.”
Of course, her father being an equally big fan of “Jeopardy” tried to stir up trouble during recording. “During a commercial break, my dad asked Alex a trivia question, just to see if he would know it. Alex answered it correctly and called my dad a troublemaker.” It wasn’t until during the filming of the show that Alex found out the troublemaker in the audience was Kathryn’s father.
Kathryn recalled all of this three months after the actual filming of the episode. When asked if she watched the episode, she said “Yes!” She and some of her Alpha Sig sisters went to a local spot and watched the episode live where they cheered Kathryn on when she got a question correct. “It was great to know that no matter what happened I would come back to people who would support me and be excited that I was on Jeopardy,” Kathryn says about her sisters. That support is with Kathryn as she heads off on other exciting adventures and graduates college in spring 2020.
Emma Austin
