UMaine Assistant Professor Will Be a Contestant on Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! has been a staple on television for over 40 years, paired with its predecessor, Wheel of Fortune. It's must-see TV for many people from 7 to 8 pm each night. But on Friday, May 9, at 7:30, all of Maine will likely be watching a University of Maine assistant professor test her knowledge on Jeopardy!

Meet Kara Peruccio

According to a press release from the University of Maine, Kara Peruccio is an assistant professor in two departments at UMaine: The Department of History and the Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies Program.

One of her life goals has always been to be a contestant on Jeopardy! and now she's getting her chance.

What's The Hardest Thing About Playing Jeopardy!?

According to Kara, it's the signaling devices, or as Kara calls them, "the buzzer." "Timing the buzzer right is really freaking hard!" she said in an article about her appearance on the show in UMaine News.

The way the signaling devices work is as soon as the clue has been read, all three are activated and can be pressed. The fastest finger gets the shot to give the correct question. The better on the signaling device you are, the better your chances of winning.

Non-Disclosure of the Results

Peruccio, as with all Jeopardy! contestants appear for a recording of the show far in advance of the day their show airs. That means they can't say a thing about the outcome of the show. That's a long time to keep a secret like that!

Peruccio's show was recorded in March. As of now, we don't know how many shows she was on since winners return if they win and can keep playing until they lose. That's exactly how current host Ken Jennings won $2,520,700 over 74 days until he was finally defeated.

Watch Kara Peruccio on Jeopardy! on May 9 at 7:30 p.m. on WMTW Channel 8 in Portland and WVII Channel 7 in Bangor.