‘That was magical’: Trans and proud Berkeley-born ‘Jeopardy!’ champion reflects on 8-game winning streak (2024)

Hannah Wilson grew up in North Berkeley, watching “Jeopardy!” with her parents on a small TV set by the dining room table.

Now that Wilson is 34, the seeds that were planted during those mealtime trivia sessions have blossomed. Her recent eight-game winning streak on the ever-popular quiz show captivated viewers, and it took the return of another “Jeopardy!” champion, in an episode broadcast on Monday, May 15, to put an end to her reign.

Wilson, a data scientist, seems to be only mildly disappointed over her loss, which was taped in March. Her winnings over the course of her run totaled $229,801, and she’ll return later this year for the show’s “Tournament of Champions.”

Wilson spoke with The Chronicle by phone from her home in Chicago, where she’s lived for 17 years, about her success on the show, her Bay Area roots and the experience of being a publicly visible transgender woman.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: On “Jeopardy!” you’re always identified as a Chicago resident, but in the Bay Area we’re justified in considering you a hometown hero, right?

A: Absolutely. I grew up in Berkeley, and my father is a UC Berkeley alum. So I went to family camp at the Lair of the Golden Bear, and I got a lot of California propaganda that way.

But I came out here (to Chicago) for college, and then I got a job and made friends, and now I’ve made a life here.

Q: Tell me about the role of “Jeopardy!” in your family.

A: It was something that was always on after dinner, and my parents and I would shout out the answers if we knew them. It was part of life for as long as I can remember.

Q: So all three of you were competing to get the questions first?

A: Honestly, my mom would often go to work in her office in the next room, but she could still hear the show. So usually it was just me and my dad shouting out answers at the TV. And at some point I realized I was getting more answers right than my parents.

Q: How old were you when you became the family star?

A: Probably high school. I was already on the Quiz Bowl team at my school, the Bentley School in Lafayette. We would travel for tournaments, and even went to the nationals a couple of times.

Q: Did you always figure you’d wind up a contestant on “Jeopardy!,” or was that more of a pipe dream?

A: Oh, no, I started trying out as soon as I was in college. I got an audition for the college tournament, but never got on the show. And then I tried out three more times as an adult before I finally made it on.

Q: And was it what you expected? Some people find that the experience of actually being on “Jeopardy!” is different from watching it at home.

A: It’s definitely nerve-racking. The anticipation was the worst part — waiting for the taping, flying over there, trying to sleep in the hotel the night before. Once I was actually onstage, it was like, OK, I’m actually playing “Jeopardy!” now and I can just focus on the game.

Q: Was there a particular moment in your run that stands out in your memory?

A: It was winning that first game. I’d been trying to keep my expectations pretty low, but then that moment when I realized I was actually a “Jeopardy!” champion— that was magical.

Q: You faced a tough challenge in your final game when Ben Chan, a philosophy professor from Green Bay, Wis., returned to pick up his own winning streak that had been interrupted by COVID-19 earlier in the season.

A: I didn’t know I was going to be playing him until the morning of that game. And because he hadn’t appeared yet on TV when we taped, I didn’t know who he was. So I’m chatting with him and he mentions that he’s a returning champion. And I’m like, Oh, that’s weird, because I’m the returning champion.

Q: Did that worry you?

A: Well, I was already not planning to win eight games in the first place. So I thought, I’d love to keep winning but, really, I’ve already done what I came here to do.

Q: After your first victory, “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider sent you a lovely tweet welcoming you to the “Guild of Jeopardy Champion Trans Women.” Had you two been in touch before this?

Huge congratulations to Hannah Wilson!!! Welcome to the Guild of Jeopardy Champion Trans Women, one of us will be in contact shortly to explain the secret handshake and so forth

— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) May 4, 2023

A: I did contact her privately before I’d even auditioned. I was still pretty early in my gender transition and seeing her was really inspiring.

But I told her I was really anxious about being on the show, and wondered how it was for her to suddenly be a famous trans person. And she wrote me a great reply, encouraging me to audition.

Q: How do you feel about being a trans woman in the public eye? Do you embrace that role?

A: Typically I’m a pretty private person. But I’ve been getting these messages that say, like, “I’m a closeted kid and my parents watch ‘Jeopardy!’ every day. So just having a normalizedtrans person on TV is so important to me.”

This is such a strange time for trans people, even compared to a couple of years ago. If having me be on TV helps to normalize queer people in general, then that’s something that I want to keep doing.

Because “Jeopardy!” is a nationwide thing. People are watching it in red states and maybe having conversations like, “What’d you think of that person?” So if that can make someone think trans people aren’t groomers and child molesters, that we’re just normal people who go on a game show and have stories to tell, then that’s something I want to do.

Reach Joshua Kosman: jkosman@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @JoshuaKosman