Ford Appears On “Jeopardy!”

Answer: The Anne Arundel County resident who was most recently a contestant on the game show “Jeopardy!” Question: Who is David Ford?

Ford, a lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County, appeared on the June 8 show of “Jeopardy!”

Appearing on “Jeopardy!” was a dream come true for Ford, a self-professed game show fanatic since he was a young child.

"I learned my letters from watching ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ not from ‘Sesame Street,’” Ford said.

By coincidence, his family attended the same church as “Wheel of Fortune” host and part-time Severna Park resident Pat Sajak. Ford and his dad got to see Sajak during Sajak's wedding rehearsal when Ford was just 6 years old. The young Ford was already a fan of Sajak and “Wheel of Fortune.”

Ford began taking the contestant qualifying tests for “Jeopardy!” when he was in college in the early 2000s. However, it was not until a couple years ago that he took the online test.

The online test consisted of 50 general knowledge questions in 50 categories. After he passed the first round of testing, Ford was randomly selected for the second qualifying round, which consisted of a video call with a game show coordinator, where he was again given 50 questions to answer.

Ford completed his final round of auditions in Washington, D.C., last September. They were in-person auditions where potential contestants played a mock game. Ford said the game show evaluated how potential contestants played the game, such as how well their voice projects, and not necessarily on how many answers they got correct. Other factors included charisma and how well they could tell stories.

After the auditions, Ford did not hear from “Jeopardy!” until February of this year when the show called to ask if he would like to come in April for tapings. His wife, Ashley, and two sisters flew to Los Angeles with him for the taping.

Ford explained that a week's worth of shows are taped in one day, and the contestants who appear on what day are randomly selected about 15 minutes before the tapings begin. Although Ford did not win, he said that the experience lived up to his dreams.

Ford said he knew about 50% of the questions in his game but could answer only about 45% because another contestant was consistently quicker with the buzzer.

Ford shared one of the unexpected experiences from his time on “Jeopardy!” was the camaraderie among contestants. He is still in touch with the winner of his game.

Although Ford would have liked to have won a game or two, he still relishes the experience.

"I competed at the highest level of trivia competition,” Ford said. “I would not have traded the experience for the world."

This was not Ford’s first time as a contestant, nor at the same studio. Ford had fulfilled part of his life’s dream 10 years prior when he appeared on “Wheel Fortune” in 2013. “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” share the same studio in Los Angeles.

There had been in-person auditions for “Wheel of Fortune” in Hunt Valley, Maryland, and Ford made it through all the rounds, which he said included some luck. His name was initially drawn to play a mock game, and because he did well, he received an invitation to come on the show a couple of months later.

However, Ford said luck was not on his side during the show. He had been in the lead but hit a bankrupt space toward the end of the game; another contestant hit a high-dollar space right after and solved one of the last puzzles. Like the “Jeopardy!” experience, Ford was grateful for the opportunity.

"‘Wheel of Fortune’ was phenomenal, and I got a trip to Las Vegas, which was like a second honeymoon,” Ford said.

Game shows seem to find Ford. In addition to the “Wheel of Fortune” appearance in Los Angeles, Ford also appeared on and won a traveling “Wheel of Fortune” game at Live! Casino in Hanover last year. His winnings included a trip to Paris.

Ford lives in Pasadena with his family, which includes a pair of children. He works in his family's steel business in Arnold, the town where he spent four years of his childhood.

What's next for this game show fanatic and perennial contestant? The “Price is Right.” He plans to attend the traveling “Price is Right” show later this year at National Harbor.