Bucks Co. Police Officer Talks 'Jeopardy!' Appearance

YARDLEY, PA — With "Jeopardy!: The Greatest of All Time" returning to television sets on Tuesday, millions of diehard trivia fans will be watching to see who takes down the prestigious title.

But, in Bucks County, the law enforcement community is celebrating another contestant they call one of their own greats.

Yardley Borough Police Department Officer Adam Clark competed on the iconic game show on an episode that aired back in September.

RELATED: Bucks Co. Officer Wagers $4,133 On Jeopardy; Eagles Fans Know Why

With interest in "Jeopardy!" spiking thanks to the "greatest" competition (which "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings leads going into Tuesday night's show, with two victories to one for James Holzhauer and none for Brad Rutter, of Lancaster) Clark sat down recently to discuss his experience with Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.

Clark, an officer in Yardley for about 5 1/2 years, said he took the test to appear on "Jeopardy!" about 10 times before being called to go to Washington D.C. for tryouts. There, he said, he took two written tests and was invited to come up and compete in a mock game and conduct a personality interview.

"I left there that day feeling like, 'Aw ... I blew it. I didn't pass the audition'," he told Weintraub. "But then, sure enough, a few weeks later I got 'The Call,' as it's known in 'Jeopardy!' circles ... and found out I would be on."

To get ready for his moment, Clark said he practiced, making flash cards for U.S. presidents, world capitols, state capitols, Shakespeare quotes and more.

"Ultimately, none of that was on the show," he said, laughing. "But I went in there prepared. I did everything I could and I gave it my best shot."

Ultimately, Clark came up short on his episode, losing to a streaking Jason Zuffranieri, a teacher from New Mexico. But Clark had a pretty classic moment when he hit a Daily Double and gave a creative shout-out to the Philly area.

"I bet $4,133 in honor of the Eagles Super Bowl victory score" Clark said. "I had in mind going in that if the situation called for a wager of somewhere in the ballpark of $4,000, that I would just make it $4,133 just as a shout out to my Philadelphia hometown."

As sports fans know, the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots, 41-33, in the Super Bowl back in 2018.

While he didn't win, Clark said he's gotten his share of attention since his appearance. He said he's gotten fan mail, including a letter that was left on the windshield of a Yardley Police car.

"Coincidentally, just two days after my show aired, we had Yardley Harvest Day," he said. "I was just getting recognized left and right as I walked around. People were taking selfies with me. It was very strange to go from not being recognized to suddenly people want to take selfies with me."

"Jeopardy!" airs locally on WPVI-TV/6ABC at 7 p.m. weeknights. The next episode of "Jeopardy!: The Greatest of All Time" airs Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Watch Weintraub's interview with Clark below: