Rancho Santa Fe native to appear on Jeopardy

Rancho Santa Fe native Jack Weller will appear as a contestant on Jeopardy on Friday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. (NBC 7 San Diego). He promised on social media that viewers will be in for “a wild game.”

Weller, a first-year Stanford Law School student, said he applied to appear on the show almost a year ago, and then found out in November that he had been selected to compete in a December taping. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Weller was in San Diego and available to make the trip to Los Angeles.

Weller said he grew up watching Jeopardy with his family. The episode that airs Friday, Jan. 22, was one of the first tapings since the death of longtime host Alex Trebek.

“I definitely grew up respecting him and liking him a lot,” Weller said. “It was very sad to hear of his passing.”

Interim host Ken Jennings, who holds the longest winning streak in Jeopardy history, has taken over.

The other contestants joining Weller will be Maggie Houska, a prospect researcher from Minnesota, and a to-be-revealed returning champion.