Third-year DePaul University College of Law student Ben Davis will put his talent for trivia to the test as a contestant on the “Jeopardy” game show.  Davis’ appearance is set for 3:30 p.m. Nov. 20 on WLS-TV in Chicago.

Davis, 30, began his “Jeopardy” adventure in February 2008 when he took an online, 50-question test designed to see if he had the stuff to make it to an in-person audition.  In June 2008, he was invited to audition for the game show, where he took another 50-question test and played a mock version of the game, which also served as a screen test.  In August 2009, Davis was notified that he had been selected as a contestant.

He found the most challenging aspect of being a contestant was mastering the buzzer and “keeping cool during Daily Doubles.”  He also received plenty of support from his sister Eliza and his girlfriend Rosa, who served as Davis’ in-studio cheering squad during the taping.

The aspiring attorney, who hopes to practice criminal law after earning his law degree, drew on his legal education to help him answer some of the “Jeopardy” questions.  “I fielded some questions about American history that I definitely picked up on the margins in some classes,” said Davis.  “I’m also part of a team that will take on several law professors in a trivia challenge for DePaul’s upcoming Public Interest Law Initiative auction, so I kind of felt like “Jeopardy” was warming me up for going up against three of the law school’s most formidable intellects.”

While Davis, a transplant from New York City currently living in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, cannot reveal if he was a winner, he can share that it was an endeavor that he will not soon forget.  “The experience was fantastic,” said Davis.  “They see hundreds and hundreds of contestants every season, but they do a wonderful job of making the experience seem special for each individual.”

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