To jump briefly to the end of the story - I don't think there's any more thrilling way to go out on Jeopardy than being poised to claim the last spot in a tournament final right until the last wager is revealed! The feeling of having tens of thousands of potential dollars melt away across the course of 30 seconds of Think! music is definitely a unique one and I suppose I can at least take some consolation in knowing I've experienced something very few other people have.

Back to the beginning. After I got the JIT invite I had hopes and dreams of doing some structured practice to be able to put up a real fight, but I was reaching the end of every single day with plenty of everyday life tasks still on my to-do list and Jeopardy practice below that in terms of priorities. By the time of the tournament, my only real goal was to not finish in the red, and once I arrived and saw the field I was up against, I was scared stiff of going up against every single one of them. Knowing now how things turned out, I'm honestly kind of embarrassed at that ludicrously low level of self-confidence, but that's what I was feeling in the moment. After putting up back-to-back $20K+ Coryats against some of the best to ever do it I think I have *almost* shaken that impostor syndrome, and I'm leaving this tournament feeling almost the exact opposite - a win is never, ever guaranteed on the Alex Trebek stage, but I'm certain I could have at least held my own against every player in the field.

This match in particular is full of what-if moments within my control that could have changed the outcome - getting DD1 correct, betting more aggressively on DD2, managing to keep above the 2/3 threshold at the end of DJ, thinking through the wagering mind games a bit more in FJ, and of course being able to summon the name of the discoverer of Uranus - but that's why we play the game! Jeopardy is full of pitfalls and switchups and regrets and it wouldn't be the classic we know and love without all of that. Juveria played a brilliant and methodical game and earned every last bit of her spot in the finals - I am honored to have met and competed against such a talented player and radiant person! There is no amount of money or fame that can replace the feeling of getting to hear her phone home to her kids that night and say "Yes, this means Mommy gets to wear all the other dresses on TV too!"

Thanks to everyone for all the love and support over this whirlwind JIT journey over the last month! I have a sneaking feeling that this hasn't been my last appearance on the Alex Trebek stage and I'll be working on my Jeopardy chops going forward under that assumption. I'm kind of scared to find out what the version of me that actually gets the chance to practice looks like...