Tyler Rhode ’11

When a young Tyler Rhode was sitting with his grandparents watching “Jeopardy” two decades ago, it would have been hard to believe that he might someday be standing on that iconic “Jeopardy” set and offering “questions” to the answers that appeared on the big board. Nevertheless, this month, Rhode took the coveted first podium as multiple-day “Jeopardy” champion.

“I always liked the challenge of the game,” says Rhode, who, when not appearing on Jeopardy, works in biotech in New York City. “It always seems so impressive to see a contestant go off on a run and have the range to talk about geography or sports, and then talk about ballet or opera.”

Rhode had a few of those runs of his own as he moved from category to category, opening up big leads and becoming a five-day champion, which earned him a spot in the Tournament of Champions. 

The call from the producers of “Jeopardy” came during an exciting week; just days after Rhode and his fiancée Meghan had gotten engaged. He had already taken the initial test and received a call back to test via Zoom. The producers gave him a date for taping, and the rest was history. Rhode used an archive of old “Jeopardy” games to prepare, and improved his game each day. “It helped me figure out my strength categories and the categories in which I was weak,” he says. “It also helped me figure out what keywords are used and where there is repetition in questions. One thing that pops up a lot in the answers is ‘this word from the Latin root of.’ I did miss one of those which I was kicking myself over.”

His studies of Latin at the Prep and as a Classics major at Columbia University gave him a base which was incredibly helpful for the game. “Obviously the Classics connection really carried over as it underpins linguistics, history, religion and mythology,” he says, adding that his Prep education helped him make connections in building his knowledge base, “that understanding the ‘why’ was important.” 

Rhode works at Flatiron Health, a healthcare technology and services company focused on accelerating cancer research and improving patient care. The company's platform enables cancer researchers and care providers to learn from the experience of every patient. As a partnership manager, he connects biopharma companies with the right data set and the right capabilities. “I’ve been in healthcare since I graduated from college, but I have never felt such a direct impact as I do now,” says Rhode.

He and his fiancée Meghan are planning a Spring 2023 wedding, with a little more cash than expected. “I never expected to win,” says Rhode, who was champion for over a week. “I hoped to make a good showing and have something I could talk about for the rest of my life but not this. It was really beyond my expectations.”

Tyler is not the first Prep alum to be a Jeopardy champion. Dr. Joseph Bartolomeo '76 was a two-day champion in 2017. Currently Associate Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies at UMass Amherst, Bartolomeo says "I was watching and cheering him on along the way. It is the experience of a lifetime and it’s great that another Prep alumnus was able to have that experience as well."