Persistence is key on “Jeopardy!” — at least for one winner, who was finally able to fulfill his lifelong dream to participate on the show.
Harvey Silikovitz, an attorney and “worldwide karaoke singer” who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, broke returning contestant Laura Faddah‘s eight-game winning streak when he appeared on the Monday, March 10 episode.
But being on “Jeopardy!” meant more than winning to Silikovitz, who first auditioned for the classic game show in 2001 — and went on to miss an additional opportunity since then.
“It’s been a longtime dream of mine to get here,” he told host Ken Jennings during the episode. “In 2019, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but I continued chasing the dream, and now here I am.”
Silikovitz joked, “I wouldn’t recommend that as a preparation strategy for doing well on the show,” as the audience erupted in laughter. “But after living with Parkinson’s for five and a half years, it’s no longer just about wanting to do well for myself.”
He shared that he wanted “to give hope and inspiration to the people who are living with chronic illnesses.”
Before his episode aired, Silikovitz took to social media to share his “Jeopardy!” journey.
“One of the principal reasons I travel is to learn more about the world,” he began his lengthy caption. “That same voracious curiosity led me to become immersed in the world of trivia. While I believe that knowing stuff is an intrinsic good, I also enjoy testing my knowledge in trivia competitions of various kinds.”
“Inevitably, I wanted to test myself on ‘Jeopardy!’, which has long been the gold standard of TV quiz shows,” Silikovitz said before revealing he came close to being a contestant in 2019, but fate got in the way.
“And so, for many years, I have tried to become a contestant on that show. I persevered in that quest even after setbacks – like that time in March 2019 when I missed a voice-mail from a senior casting producer that, had I returned the call, would have led to my becoming a contestant a few weeks later. By the time I finally heard the VM, taping for the season had wrapped,” he explained.
Five months later, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
However, Silikovitz persisted.
“I worked hard to manage my Parkinson’s symptoms – even while relentlessly seeking to improve my knowledge base as well as my proficiency at the skills, such as timing on the buzzer, that are crucial to success on J!” he said.
His lifelong dream came true in January 2025 when he “flew out to Culver City, CA to tape as a J! contestant!”
Silikovitz teased his appearance to his followers.
“So how did I do? Can a person with Parkinson’s be competitive in the rigorous crucible of a ‘Jeopardy!’ game? To add to the intrigue, the returning champion who was one of my 2 opponents had won her first 8 games. Did I become another of her victims? Did I put an end to her streak? Or did the third player take down both of us? Tune in on Monday to find out!” he concluded, adding several hashtags, including “#parkinsonswarrior.”
Silikovitz’s “Jeopardy!” journey continues on Tuesday, March 11.