Rhone Talsma (right), Chicago Ridge Public Library's Multimedia Librarian, today defeated 40-day champion, Amy Schneider, in Final Jeopardy, walking away with $29,600. He's standing next to host Ken Jennings. (Supplied photos)

Rhone Talsma (right), Chicago Ridge Public Library's Multimedia Librarian, today defeated 40-day champion, Amy Schneider, in Final Jeopardy, walking away with $29,600. He's standing next to host Ken Jennings. (Supplied photos)

Chicago Ridge librarian knocks off ‘Jeopardy’ champion

Spread the love

By Kelly White

Rhone Talsma grew up watching “Jeopardy!” – the classic game show with a twist where the answers are given first, and the contestants supply the questions.

On Wednesday, Talsma knocked off 40-day champion Amy Schneider and won almost $30,000 in the process of becoming the new champion. Locally, the show airs Monday to Friday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC-Channel 7.

1 8

Rhone Talsma, Chicago Ridge Public Library’s Multimedia Librarian, is the new “Jeopardy” champion.

“My Uncle Rick was an especially big ‘Jeopardy!’ fan and we enjoyed watching it together often until he passed away in 2012,” Talsma, of Chicago, said.

Uncle Rick would have been proud of his nephew – who not only took over his spot as one of the show’s biggest fans, but who started his own reign as champion on Wednesday.

“I’m a pretty competitive person, and ‘Jeopardy!’ felt like a game where I could be the most competitive,” Talsma said.

Talsma, who works as the Multimedia Librarian at the Chicago Ridge Public Library, has been taking the show’s online test since 2016. Everyone who passes the initial test is added into a lottery, and there’s an element of chance involved in getting asked to audition. Talsma most recently took the test in March 2021 and was contacted to audition in June.

The audition consisted of another online test conducted over Zoom, and then another Zoom audition featuring a mock game and brief interview in groups.

“I actually did the second half of my audition on my lunch break at the library,” Talsma said. “I felt pretty confident that I had given a good audition and might get the call, but they keep you in the mix for 18 months after the audition, so I wasn’t expecting to get contacted as early as I did.”

Talsma was invited to play on October 6, 2021, and filmed his appearance in Los Angeles on November 9.

“I was genuinely shocked,” Talsma said. “The odds of getting on the show feel so low, especially when you take the test year after year. I am very lucky that I got all the way through to the Alex Trebek Stage on my first try. So, even though I did feel good about my audition, I just couldn’t believe it was really happening, and I definitely felt very nervous. My partner, friends and co-workers can all attest that I was on pins and needles throughout October while I studied and waited for my filming date to arrive. Once I was actually there, though, I felt more excitement than nervousness.”

Talsma received a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePaul University in 2015, majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies. In 2018, he graduated with a Master of Science in Library & Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“I have always enjoyed trivia games and have sort of always had a knack for hanging on to facts and figures, especially those related to geography and history,” Talsma said. “I did scholastic bowl in high school for one year, but most of my experience with trivia games has come from watching Jeopardy! whenever I could for most of my life.”

To prepare for the show, Talsma dedicated a lot of his free time to developing expertise in subjects that were important to him. He did his best to study in areas where he felt like he had room to grow my knowledge in, mostly just reading articles on Wikipedia and trying to memorize important facts.

“But the best way to study for ‘Jeopardy!’ is to watch the show every day,” Talsma said. “I am a ‘Jeopardy!’ superfan – I watch daily, discuss the episode on websites like Reddit, and diligently play along as a way to check and improve my knowledge, both my trivia knowledge and the knowledge of how to play the game. In a way, I’ve kind of been studying for most of my life.”

Prior to this experience, Talsma said he had never been on a Hollywood studio lot nor had he ever appeared on anything nationally broadcast.

“It was such an intense, but extremely fun, experience from beginning to end,” Talsma said. “I did a lot of public speaking and performing in high school and college, so I think that maybe helped me a little bit, but it was still unlike anything I’ve ever done.”

Talsma said even just getting invited to audition felt validating, and everything that’s unfolded since has made him feel really proud of himself.

“It’s also been so wonderful to have so many people, especially my co-workers in Chicago Ridge, rally around me, support me and celebrate me,” Talsma said. “I am incredibly fortunate.”

Talsma is right because his co-workers at the library said they couldn’t be prouder.

“As ‘Jeopardy!’ fans know, librarians make great contestants,” Dana Wishnick, Director of the Chicago Ridge Public Library, said. “We are excited for Rhone.”

“We all think it’s really cool that Rhone was on ‘Jeopardy!’” Lori Lysik, Adult Programming Coordinator at the Chicago Ridge Public Library, said. “We are so proud of him.”

During the January 26 airing of the show, Talsma defeated 40-day champion, Amy Schneider, who during her run won more than $1.3 million

He overcame her $10,000 lead in Final Jeopardy. The clue was, “The only nation in the world whose name in English ends in an H, it’s also one of the 10 most populous.” The correct response: “What is Bangladesh?”

“This is as unexpected an outcome as I could have ever imagined,” Talsma said.

2 Comments

  1. Sheila L. Perry on January 26, 2022 at 10:54 pm

    So happy for him. Proud of him as well, he is representing Illinois. Yay! Congratulations to you sir!



  2. Tom Johanson on January 27, 2022 at 8:07 pm

    Rhone, I am absolutely thrilled! Congratulations!



Local News

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Fire II tops Chicago City, advances to to second round of Hunt Open Cup

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Fire II picked up a late invitation to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and beat Chicago City, 6-0, on March 20 in front of an announced crowd of 810 at SeatGeek Stadium. Defender Giovanni Granda and midfielder Vitaliy Hlyut each made their professional debut and scored…

Julia Bianchi heads back on defense shortly after delivering a first-half goal for the Chicago Red Stars on March 23 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Red Stars top Seattle, open season with two wins for first time in franchise history

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year’s last-place finish notwithstanding, the Chicago Red Stars have had a pretty rich history of success. The franchise has seven NWSL playoff appearances and has finished runner-up twice (2019, 2021), and prior to 2022 had finished no lower than fourth in the league ‘s regular season standings for…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

College Football | Marian (Indiana) and St. Francis highlight Saint Xavier 2024 home slate

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Saint Xavier has released its 2024 football schedule, which has the Cougars opening the season in Michigan. SXU will travel to the Detroit suburb of Southfield to play Lawrence Tech on Sept. 7 in a Mid-States Football Association crossover. The Cougars’ home opener kicks off at noon on Sept.…

Morton's Nariah Clay was named to the NCJAA Division II all-tournament team as the Panthers finished fifth in the nation. Photo courtesy of Morton College Department of Athletics

Morton College women’s hoops takes fifth in nation

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent For the second year in a row, the Morton College women’s basketball team finished fifth in the country. The Panthers closed out the 2023-24 campaign in Joplin, Missouri, with a 75-67 victory over Iowa Western on March 23 in the consolation championship game at the NJCAA Division II National…

Marist's Jack Meader (left) and Nathen Toth face each other during a block attempt against Downers Grove North in the semifinals of the Marist Invitational on March 23. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Boys Volleyball | Marist tops Lockport for Gold at RedHawks Invite

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Marist enjoys getting its season going by hosting a tournament that is now in its 20th year. They had a good time again this season, going unbeaten over five matches in two days to win the Marist RedHawks Invitational for the sixth consecutive time. The RedHawks ended the tournament…

Rich Miller

Public wants free lunch, pollster finds

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Rich Miller . As we’ve discussed before, the competition for scarce state dollars is particularly fierce this year in Springfield as various groups elbow each other for money while large surpluses and revenue increases start to dry up. A poll taken by respected national Democratic pollster Normington Petts in late February…

CRRNH_CosmoPhotoMDWArmory_032724

City wants to buy armory at MDW

Spread the love

Spread the love. Has been vacant since 2017 .  By Tim Hadac For decades, it served military purposes, as well as Chicago’s gateway for Presidents stopping off in the city. But the Army National Guard Midway Armory, 5400 W. 63rd St., has been mostly vacant since 2017, when the Illinois Army National Guard ceased operations…

summit police logo

2 charged in Summit junkyard burglary

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Two men have been charged in connection with a break-in last month at the Pick-n-Pull used auto parts store and junkyard in Summit. George Ainalakis, 39, of Carol Stream, was arrested February 26 at the business, while Chad Wickert, 40, of Brookfield, was arrested March 13 by Hodgkins police. Police…

Mary Ellen Fox --Photo by Cosmo Hadac

A successful career serving thousands

Spread the love

Spread the love. By Tim Hadac Editor Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound (708)-496-0265 . Most folks work for years at their jobs, expecting and receiving little fanfare, then retire quietly. Garfield Ridge resident Mary Ellen Fox planned to retire from her 30-year job in the City Clerk’s Office quietly; and she did, earlier this year. But…

Priscilla Steinmetz, of Orland Park's Bridge Teen Center, has fun March 7 at Congressman Sean Casten's desk in Washington. (Bridge Teen Center photo)

Casten secures $11M for district; invites Bridge Teen founder to State of Union

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Congressman Sean Casten is bringing some big bucks home. Casten (D-6th) announced that he helped secure more than $11 million in federal funding for local community projects. Included in that bounty is: $1.28 million to Evergreen Park for water main replacement. $500,000 to La Grange for storm and sanitary sewer…

Neighbors

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

By BETH HUNDSDORFER  Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Cyrenthia Threat spent Wednesday morning at a hiring event in Fairview Heights waiting for word on whether she was hired by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  Threat wants to move to Illinois from Georgia where she works as a social worker. She has 20 years…

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be…

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

By PETER HANCOCK  Capitol News Illinois  phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact.  That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools,…

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Two bills that would regulate battery disposal and storage are awaiting action from the full Illinois Senate after unanimous committee approval.   Senate Bill 3481, sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The longtime chair and a relatively new member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board have resigned, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Monday. The governor’s office announced the pair’s resignations within hours of each other nearly two weeks after Crosetti Brand was released from Stateville Correctional Center. Brand is…

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

By ALEX ABBEDUTO   Capitol News Illinois  abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com  The night before Rebecca Hooks started at the Illinois State Police Academy in 2002, she spoke on the phone with her father and her brother – both of whom worked in law enforcement.  Her father encouraged her, telling her she was strong and could get through the…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…