Not everyone can be so lucky, but for Micah Fritz a lifelong dream has come true. So what’s next?
“Jeopardy!” debuted back in 1964 on NBC and has become an American staple for entertainment. Concordian Micah Fritz debuted on the show just this week. With two back-to-back episodes, Micah has fulfilled his lifelong dream of being a contestant. After 16 years of pursuing his place on this game show with online tests, Micah can now check that off his bucket list.
As a former high school social studies teacher at Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, a non-profit public charter school in Milwaukee County, Micah is currently in a transitional period of life and is not entirely sure where he will end up next. He graduated from Concordia University Wisconsin in 2016 with a double major in education and history.
A dream come true for those who wait
May sound a bit cliché, but Micah really did have one of his childhood dreams come to fruition. The process was extensive and consisted of taking an annual online test for 16 years before he received an email in October (’24) after taking the test in September, confirming he had made it to the next round. “I just threw that out to the wind,” says Micah with a smile on his face.
The next round consisted of another online test, that if passed meant an online audition, which happened in January (’25). After that, he entered the contestant pool, which can be active for up to two years. So, after receiving a phone call this past March, he headed out to California in April to film. And yes, he won the first episode.
“There are some really hard questions out there, but in the second round things picked up a little bit, and I kind of found my categories,” he says. Being a teacher really helped Micah keep the material current in his head.
Behind the scenes
For Micah it was game on from the moment he arrived in California. “It was very fun,” he says, “you have to film right away, so they do five episodes in a day.” Once the episode is done, there is a small Q&A with everybody on stage, followed by going backstage to change prior to going back out within 20 minutes.
“It’s a lot of Jeopardy!” he laughs, confirming that it does get exhausting. Micah was also surprised by the size of the stage, recalling it to be a lot smaller than he imagined in his head. Roughly, half the size of a basketball court that can fit an audience of 100-150 people. There are a few rehearsal rounds ahead of time with a lot of social time with other contestants. Then, when on stage, it’s kind of quiet without all the music playing he notes. “You’re just up there having fun and answering questions—everybody is there just to have a good time.”
He says it’s all a surprise, however. None of the categories are known ahead of time. “You just sit there and see what comes up, and maybe you get lucky, maybe you don’t.” Micah played until he didn’t “get lucky” anymore and regrets not going all out on a Daily Double question. But it’s an experience that he would definitely do again.
CUW inspiration
There were several people that Micah mentions that were very vital in his college career. He would like to give a shoutout to Dr. Juergensen, Dr. Mobley, Dr. Steele, and Dr. Pingel.
Dr. James Pingel, dean of the School of Education, says Micah was a terrific student. “He was always one of the smartest and most intelligent students in the room or class, but he never acted that way. Micah is kind, affable, engaging, and really loved the subject area of history. What was not to like about him!”
Micah was heavily involved in campus life. He lived in the residence halls and was part of Campus Ministry, Student Government, Cross Country, and even designed (and sold) his own line of Concordian swag—ugly sweaters. He has two sisters that are also CUW alumni and a cousin that is currently attending.
Over the last couple of days, with the revealing of his “Jeopardy!” experience, Micah says he is filled with gratitude. “The opportunity to be out there and to do all these things … it’s definitely been by the grace of God.”
Check out the interview with CBS 58 and Micah Fritz here.
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