JEOPARDY! super-champion Adriana Harmeyer has revealed that the show's taping schedule took a huge toll on her stamina. Adriana won 15 consecutive games - the 11th longest run in history - before getting outplayed by Survivor alum Drew Basile. On the official Inside Jeopardy! podcast, Adriana shared her thoughts about her shock defeat to Drew , 22, on June 19.
Jeopardy! fans may know that the game show tapes five episodes - or a week's worth - in a day. The show usually tapes twice weekly, but that wasn't true for the West Lafayette, Indiana archivist. While her first three games were filmed in April, her last 13 games were (or three tape days) in May were on three consecutive days.
Her defeat came on her third straight day of taping, which she - and even producers - admitted was a tough hand to be dealt. In a post-game chat aired on the podcast, Ken Jennings brought up the grueling schedule change after Adriana lost. "I wanna ask you about the possibility of fatigue," he said.
"Viewers see one show every day, but if we were being honest about how Jeopardy! is taped, the last 13 games you played just within 72 hours of each other. Does that take a toll?" "Absolutely, yes," Adriana said. "I can feel that I'm a little slower on the buzzer.
My brain is taking longer to piece things together, yeah. Big factor." Later in the podcast, producer Sarah Foss interviewed Adriana on her record run and apologized for the back-to-back (to-back) tape dates.
"One thing I want to point out to.