Dave Fuller: 15 Minutes of Fame
Two years ago, Dave Fuller lived every game-show fanatic’s dream. For two very memorable days in early 2004, he appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy!
Actually, Jan. 13 and 14 were the dates the show aired. They were taped two months earlier and were the culmination of a long process that took him from his childhood home in Burlington, IA, to his classroom at Powhatan High School to the Sony Picture Studio in Los Angeles.
“I’ve always enjoyed game shows, and I like trivia,” says Fuller, who’s in his first year teaching Middle School history and coaching soccer and basketball at Collegiate. “In my family growing up, we played lots of games. I’m a competitive person by nature. That naturally led to Jeopardy!”
Actually, Jan. 13 and 14 were the dates the show aired. They were taped two months earlier and were the culmination of a long process that took him from his childhood home in Burlington, IA, to his classroom at Powhatan High School to the Sony Picture Studio in Los Angeles.
“I’ve always enjoyed game shows, and I like trivia,” says Fuller, who’s in his first year teaching Middle School history and coaching soccer and basketball at Collegiate. “In my family growing up, we played lots of games. I’m a competitive person by nature. That naturally led to Jeopardy!”
The odyssey began several years ago when Fuller participated in a contestant search in Washington, D.C. He made the cut but didn’t get a call to appear during the 12-month eligibility period. Undaunted, he applied again in April 2003, passed the 50-question written test, and earned a spot in a pool of 4,000 from which only 400 would eventually be chosen. His chance finally came, but there was a catch. He was given a spot for a Sept. 3 taping, but he had to turn it down because it conflicted with the opening of school. Thankfully, the folks at Jeopardy! rescheduled him for Nov. 11, so he was off to LA – at his own expense, no less – to pit his eclectic storehouse of knowledge and nimble mind against two other competitors.
Once there, Fuller and a group of challengers to 5-time winner Tom Walsh, a writer from D.C. who had already amassed about $150,000, went through a regimen of practice games.
“I was abysmal,” Fuller recalls. “I couldn’t get my timing right. I was so nervous. I just hoped for the best.” To his immense relief, Fuller wasn’t selected immediately, so he sat in the audience, scouted the competition, and devised his strategy.
After Walsh won for the sixth time, Fuller and Meg Wall-Wild from Madison, WI, were summoned to face him. “Meg had the rhythm early and blew out to a big lead,” says Fuller. “Before the first break, she had $6,000, I had $1,800, and Tom didn’t have any.”
Before Double Jeopardy, a stage manager suggested to Fuller that he ring in a fraction of a second later, and that tip, plus his familiarity with the new board, provided a needed edge. When the Final Jeopardy round arrived – the category was “Deadly Firsts” – Walsh had $17,300, Fuller $16,000, and Wall-Wild $12,000. Each still had a chance. This was no time to be timid.
The words “Lt. Thomas Selfridge was the first individual to die as the result of this in 1908” flashed on the screen. The 30-second jingle began.
“I was fairly confident in my historical knowledge,” says Fuller, who had not missed a response through the first two rounds. “Without knowing the right answer, I applied logic and narrowed it down to automobile accident and plane crash. I was kicking around in my head whether or not he (Selfridge) had flown with the Wright Brothers, and I thought he did. So I wrote down, ‘What is an airplane crash?’”
In the true spirit of a competitor, Fuller bet it all. “I figured it wasn’t my money to begin with,” says Fuller with a chuckle. “All three of us got it right. Meg ended up with $24,200. I doubled to 32, and Tom bet 14-7 and ended up with 32 as well.”
So Fuller was a Jeopardy! champion, but his tenure was short-lived. After the game in which the contestants combined for what was then a one-day record ($88,200), he and Walsh repaired to the dressing room, changed clothes, and returned to the set within 10 minutes to tape what would be the next day’s show.
Alas, Steve Hall, the newcomer, ousted both of them, but Fuller was unfazed. With a nice windfall (even after taxes) in his wallet, he headed home a couple of days later exhilarated by the experience.
In short order, he became quite a celebrity around Powhatan. The Richmond Times-Dispatch ran two stories about him, the school board recognized him, and he hosted a get-together of family and friends – including many of his students -- at the Oasis Sports Park to watch the show.
“I tried to put the spin on it with my students that if you have a goal and try hard, you can realize your goal,” says Fuller. “Besides that, it was nice to have my 15 minutes of fame.”—Weldon Bradshaw
Back
Once there, Fuller and a group of challengers to 5-time winner Tom Walsh, a writer from D.C. who had already amassed about $150,000, went through a regimen of practice games.
“I was abysmal,” Fuller recalls. “I couldn’t get my timing right. I was so nervous. I just hoped for the best.” To his immense relief, Fuller wasn’t selected immediately, so he sat in the audience, scouted the competition, and devised his strategy.
After Walsh won for the sixth time, Fuller and Meg Wall-Wild from Madison, WI, were summoned to face him. “Meg had the rhythm early and blew out to a big lead,” says Fuller. “Before the first break, she had $6,000, I had $1,800, and Tom didn’t have any.”
Before Double Jeopardy, a stage manager suggested to Fuller that he ring in a fraction of a second later, and that tip, plus his familiarity with the new board, provided a needed edge. When the Final Jeopardy round arrived – the category was “Deadly Firsts” – Walsh had $17,300, Fuller $16,000, and Wall-Wild $12,000. Each still had a chance. This was no time to be timid.
The words “Lt. Thomas Selfridge was the first individual to die as the result of this in 1908” flashed on the screen. The 30-second jingle began.
“I was fairly confident in my historical knowledge,” says Fuller, who had not missed a response through the first two rounds. “Without knowing the right answer, I applied logic and narrowed it down to automobile accident and plane crash. I was kicking around in my head whether or not he (Selfridge) had flown with the Wright Brothers, and I thought he did. So I wrote down, ‘What is an airplane crash?’”
In the true spirit of a competitor, Fuller bet it all. “I figured it wasn’t my money to begin with,” says Fuller with a chuckle. “All three of us got it right. Meg ended up with $24,200. I doubled to 32, and Tom bet 14-7 and ended up with 32 as well.”
So Fuller was a Jeopardy! champion, but his tenure was short-lived. After the game in which the contestants combined for what was then a one-day record ($88,200), he and Walsh repaired to the dressing room, changed clothes, and returned to the set within 10 minutes to tape what would be the next day’s show.
Alas, Steve Hall, the newcomer, ousted both of them, but Fuller was unfazed. With a nice windfall (even after taxes) in his wallet, he headed home a couple of days later exhilarated by the experience.
In short order, he became quite a celebrity around Powhatan. The Richmond Times-Dispatch ran two stories about him, the school board recognized him, and he hosted a get-together of family and friends – including many of his students -- at the Oasis Sports Park to watch the show.
“I tried to put the spin on it with my students that if you have a goal and try hard, you can realize your goal,” says Fuller. “Besides that, it was nice to have my 15 minutes of fame.”—Weldon Bradshaw
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