Sunday was the day Katrina Foster was supposed to make her “Jeopardy!” dreams come true.
It was the day she was supposed to audition for the game show she’s watched consistently for the last 10-plus years.
But the novel coronavirus delayed that dream.
Foster took the online “Jeopardy!” test Jan. 30. Based on those results — she thinks she got 42 of the 50 questions right — producers invited Foster to fly out and audition.
She and her husband immediately booked round-trip flights from their home in Alberta, Canada, to Portland, Oregon. The aspiring “Jeopardy!” contestant was excited to visit Powell’s Books in Portland — the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world.
She was even more excited for her audition on March 22. Although she had auditioned twice before, Foster had never received the official call — the one that says, “Hi, we want you to be on ‘Jeopardy!’”
But she felt confident this third time around.
“One thing about being a Canadian, going through this whole process is, I had to learn a lot of American stuff. I had to learn presidents and all the states and their capitals and flags, so I have probably a more extensive than your average Canadian’s knowledge of the American presidents,” she said with a laugh. “I was feeling really positive and I was really hopeful.”
And then came the email. During the early evening on Monday, March 9 — the day “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” producers announced they would suspend filming in front of a live audience to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — Foster learned that her audition was postponed.
Since then, “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” producers have announced they are halting production because of the new coronavirus, which has led to multiple closures, canceled events and delays throughout the world.
“With the increasing concern surrounding COVID-19 and out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily suspend production on ‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune,’” producers announced Monday. “The health and well-being of our contestants, staff, and crew are our top priority, and we will continue to monitor the situation as it develops.”
Foster will have to wait a little longer to fulfill her dream.
“I was disappointed at first because again, I’d made the plans,” she told the Deseret News. “But I totally understand, because let’s face it: The last thing that we want is for the 70-something-year-old immunocompromised host (Alex Trebek) to be infected with this plague.”
Trebek, 79, announced to the world last year that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer. That form of cancer has a one-year survival rate of 18%, Trebek told “Jeopardy!” fans in a recent post. The host also said he hopes to celebrate a two-year survival milestone in 2021, the Deseret News reported.
“He’s an international treasure,” Foster said. “We need to keep him safe.”
Foster chatted with the Deseret News on Tuesday, March 10 — the day the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic. At that time, her Alberta home had around 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
As of March 18, that number is up to 119.
Furthermore, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the wife of Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, tested positive for the novel coronavirus last week. The prime minister is isolating himself for 14 days as a precautionary measure, according to CNN.
As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, many TV shows have gone from suspending live audiences to halting production altogether.
For example, “Jeopardy!” announced it wouldn’t hold its scheduled tapings for Monday, March 23, and Tuesday, March 24. The show’s producers hope to return for March 31 and April 1 tapings.
Other shows and TV series that have halted production include a number of late-night shows like Stephen Colbert and James Corden, “Saturday Night Live,” the fourth season of “Handmaid’s Tale,” the second season of Netflix’s “The Witcher” and “Family Feud,” according to the Wrap.
“This is the first time every aspect of entertainment — amusement parks, cruise ships, Broadway, TV, motion pictures — and every (TV) platform, streaming, basic cable and network, has been affected,” Tom Nunan, a former network and studio president, told USA Today. “That’s what makes it extraordinarily unprecedented.”
Foster doesn’t know when she’ll get to audition for “Jeopardy!” She’s hoping it’ll come in the summertime.
When her audition was canceled, she spent a couple of hours on the phone trying to connect with the airline. She didn’t get a refund on her flight, but she was able to get credit that will cover her travel costs when she finally does get to audition.
And who knows? If she ever makes it on “Jeopardy!” she now has a good story to share when Trebek does the introductions.
In the meantime, Foster plans to keep stocking up on trivia as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
“I’ve got the American presidents under control,” she said. “Now I’ll have to learn the vice presidents.”