Jeopardy! Purdue grad to appear on TV game show

When he stood on the "Jeopardy!" stage in April, Sawyer Morgan, then a Purdue University senior, couldn't help but notice something.

"It's not quite as big as it seems on TV," he said, "even though it is pretty neat looking."

Morgan received his invitation to compete on the popular game show in March, giving him only a month to prepare on top of schoolwork and applying to graduate school. Filming took place April 1 in Los Angeles, California, and the first episode will air Tuesday.

"They do five shows a day," Morgan said, meaning there's a chance he advanced and appeared on as many as five consecutive episodes. He can't say, so you'll have to watch to find out.

In between each show, Morgan said, host Alex Trebek and the returning winner spend about 10 minutes changing their clothes to appear as if it is a different day.

"You're not allowed to have too much interaction with (Trebek)," Morgan said. "It's the interview portion and the chit-chat after the show, then he's got to change into his next outfit."

Morgan said he's watched the show since he was young and taken the online test multiple times. After finishing a test in January 2014, he was invited to an audition in Chicago, where he completed a 50-question written test and a practice game.

More than a year later, Morgan received the call that he'd be on the show.

"I couldn't believe it," he said. "I was so excited, I had a little bit of a meltdown there."

Morgan spent March studying archived "Jeopardy!" questions, working on his betting strategy and brushing up on his Shakespeare.

"I know that the questions can be literally anything," he said. "It's more important to review what you already know than to try to study new things."

Watch the game show

Recent Purdue graduate Sawyer Morgan is set to appear on Jeopardy

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Channel: 18