By Kevin Shalvey
Staff Writer

 

Rick Walsh said he remembers watching “Jeopardy!” when he was a kid.

“I can date it back to the 1960s, when Art Fleming was hosting. The dollar amounts were lower then, but, then again, the dollar was worth a lot more back then,” Walsh said, who also watched College Quiz Bowl regularly.

But, in September, Walsh learned it was more difficult being on the stage than watching the show at home.

“I tell you, it was the fastest 22 minutes of my life,” he said. Walsh appeared as a contestant on the TV show “Jeopardy!,” that aired Monday, Oct. 23.

On the show, Walsh wagered all but a $1 on Final Jeopardy. The answer – “The 1549 Act of Uniformity imposed upon England this liturgical volume to be used by everyone.” The question – “What is the Book of Common Prayer?”

He got the answer wrong, as did the other contestants. But, second- and third- place contestants are given predetermined prizes. So Walsh and his wife of 21 years, Carol, took away enough to pay for their trip to Los Angeles, he said.

He did, however, seem to know a lot about sculpture, a “Jeopardy!” category he aced. Walsh, a Bedford resident and lawyer in Manchester, said the people who get on “Jeopardy!” are lucky.

“It was always one of those things that’s was in the back of my mind for the future,” Walsh said.

When he saw a chance to take an online test in February, he went for it. Walsh estimated that about 1 percent of the 40,000 to 50,000 people who try out every year actually make it to the show. He was called to audition in Boston in May, and from there was chosen for the show.

The other contestants were nice and everyone gets along when they’re on the set, Walsh said.

“There wasn’t anybody who we met out there who we wanted to lose on the show,” Walsh said. “Although, maybe they thought that about me.”

Walsh challenged Nevada’s Dave Singleton and Michigan’s John Bowen, who won the Oct. 23 show.

Walsh isn’t the only quiz master in his family. His sons, R.J., 18, and Stephen, 15, are students at Manchester West High School. R.J. was a member of the Manchester West High School team that won the 32-team “Granite State Challenge” in May. He is also part of the math team and the robotics club, Walsh said.

“He’s a good deal smarter than his dad,” Walsh said, laughing. “Now, R.J. can at least say, ‘At least we won.’”

The family sometimes watches “Jeopardy!” together, and the elder Walsh, if he knows the answer, has to wait to blurt it out, he said. His sons tell him it’s not fair if they don’t get a chance.

“They all got a good laugh watching their dad,” Walsh said of his performance on “Jeopardy!”

Walsh got a taste of quick-on- the-draw answering on the show. The button that contestants push isn’t tough to operate – just tough to signal at the right time, he said.

“It’s not that hard to push down, it’s just a matter of timing.

You have to wait until the guide lights come on the board before you push it,” Walsh said. “And, I would have to say that Mr. Bowen’s timing was far better than mine.”

On the set, there was some talk of Ken Jennings, the “Jeopardy!” superstar who won 72 consecutive games, with more than $2.5 million in prize money.

Walsh was taping his show during the week that Jennings’s book “Brainiac” came out.

“To me, the notion of what Jennings did is amazing.” Walsh said. “It’s not something that anyone will probably do again in my lifetime, or five lifetimes.”

The Walshs’ family friend, Kathleen Casazza, was looking forward to the episode, she said.

“He’s very involved with the community and with the kids,” she said before the show aired. “I’m looking forward to seeing him on TV.”