Who is Fair Haven Native Roey Hadar?

If we phrase our headline in the form of a question it may give you a hint where you’ll be seeing Rumson Country Day School and Ranney alum Roey Hadar this month. Set your DVR to watch Jeopardy! on July 17 as a son of Monmouth County competes on the long-running game show.

“It was an honor to be on the program,” said Roey. “I had watched the show for years growing up and always thought it would be really cool to actually be on it. I had played quiz bowl for years in both high school and college and it’s effectively practice for Jeopardy! You have to answer questions about often-arcane knowledge by ringing in with a buzzer and it attracts the kind of people who want to be on the show. I always felt I had a bit of a mind for the game– I would always write the ‘fact of the day’ on the board of my homeroom in school–and tried out a few times. It took a couple of tries but I heard back when I took the test on a whim more than two years ago.”

Roey, who currently lives in Arlington, Virginia and works as a journalist for the PBS show Washington Week, auditioned in July of 2017 and was told he may be called in the following 18 months. Months after the time frame ended he got a call asking him to come to Los Angeles and be on the show.

“Being on the show itself was surreal,” shared Roey. “It felt as if the game had come alive in my living room. I always would watch and call out responses as the clues popped up on my screen but to actually have to pick the clues and play with a buzzer was a new experience. I know that both before I went on and even during it, I felt at once both really nervous and really excited. I was having a blast actually playing the game but could feel the pressure of not doing something overly embarrassing on TV. I actually blanked on most of the game and I’ll learn a lot about it when I see it air.” Having met host Alex Trebek once before when he represented New Jersey as the state bee champion at the National Geographic Bee, Roey said his interaction this time was limited.

“Alex is kept away from chatting with contestants too much to avoid any perceived conflict of interest or challenge to the objectivity of the game,” said Roey. “He comes out, hosts the game for you and leaves. I did get to chat with him briefly when I shared my anecdote and also at the end of the show in the conversation you see as the credits roll, but other than that, that’s about it. He did take questions from the audience during breaks in the show, however, and was quite friendly and welcoming there. He updated us on his cancer recovery (he said he would feel tired at the end of the day but that he was still in good spirits) and also showed pictures of himself still doing DIY work in his house.”

A graduate of both Georgetown University and Columbia Journalism School, Roey comes home to Fair Haven every year to volunteer with Holiday Express on Christmas Eve. Hopefully this year he’ll have a great story to share about his time on Jeopardy!