MISSOULA - Wednesday night's Jeopardy! featured Missoulian Gwen Lockman.
Lockman's parents and grandparents, on the other hand, threw a huge watch party in Missoula.
In fact, Gwen’s family was a major inspiration for her going on the show.
“My family always watched Jeopardy! when I was growing up. Forever and ever and ever I don’t remember not knowing what Jeopardy! was. Both my parents and my grandparents really enjoy it," Lockman told MTN.
Her father, Clem Lockman said, “As a family, we have watched Jeopardy since Gwen’s been born. And one day she said ‘I wanna be on Jeopardy'; today she was on Jeopardy.”
On being in the studio and filming live, Gwen shared, “It goes a lot faster than I thought it would. I’ll say that much. And I would say any one of us would’ve known ⅔ of every single board. Like that’s not a question. But it really comes down to the buzzer game and that’s where it gets really tricky.”
She even practiced her buzzer techniques before her appearance by clicking a pen while watching the show on TV.
The energy was high at the watch party. Gwen’s father said her friends and family were all “walkin’ on cloud nine.”
There were a ton of tough questions on the game boards but MTN asked Gwen the toughest one of all.
“Do they play the do do do do sound in the back like while you’re actually doing it?" asked MTN's Emily Brown.
To which she replied, "Yeah haha.”
The game was close throughout the first round but the returning champion, who was on a six day win streak, pulled away in the end.
Gwen’s run on Jeopardy may be over but no matter the result she has a very proud family and the community was so happy to see a local in the limelight.
