‘Jeopardy!’ Fan Favorite Martha Bath on Making Appearances on Show 50 Years Apart

Isaac Rouse January 20, 2024, 10:00 am

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Martha Bath January 18 2024 Jeopardy — Jeopardy! Inc.

Jeopardy! fan favorite Martha Bath has opened up about her three separate appearances on the show, spanning an incredible 51 years. In a new interview with the Seattle Times, she gives an insight into how the show has changed over half a century and provides her perspective on host Ken Jennings.

The 73-year-old retired CPA from Seattle reached the semi-finals of the Champions Wildcard competition on January 18 with a dramatic comeback win. Fans of the show can next see her compete in the week beginning January 29, when she will be aiming to make the final and earn a possible place in the Tournament of Champions.

Bath’s Jeopardy! journey began on the Art Fleming-hosted daytime version of the game show in 1972, Back then she didn’t secure a victory, but walked away with a consolation prize included $40 and an encyclopedia set she still owns.

In 2022, Bath made a triumphant return, clinching a win with $30,800 on her first episode and progressing to a second episode where she finished in second place. Her third opportunity came as part of the current Season 39 Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard tournament.

Bath reveals the news of her inclusion in the current tournament, which reached in March 2023 through the Jeopardy! podcast, where the host revealed plans for the competition featuring favorite players, including Bath.

She received her invitation to the tournament via email. In contrast to regular games, where contestants cover their expenses to travel to Los Angeles to film Jeopardy!, the show takes care of the costs for airfare, lodging, and incidentals during tournaments.

Filming for her third and most recent appearance on Jeopardy! took place at the show’s studio in Culver City, Calif., during the week of January 2.

It’s all very different from when she first appeared on the show in 1972.

“Back then, everything was done by snail mail,” Bath laughs. “They gave you a date to come in [and audition], and they gave you a 50-question test. … And then they will ask you questions like, ‘I’m going to give you a word or phrase, and I want you to give me an appropriate question.’ … They were trying to judge spontaneity and creativity. They wanted to see how well you make connections.”

Art Fleming (right), 1964-1975″ width=”736″ height=”570″ /> JEOPARDY, Art Fleming (right), 1964-1975 (Everett Collection)

Originally from Pensacola, Florida, Bath’s first Jeopardy! experience was in Connecticut. At that time, episodes were recorded at Rockefeller Center in New York City, and contestants were limited to five wins. She participated at the age of 21. Besides the switch to an electronic game board, the key difference between then and now is that the 1972 taping didn’t pause for anything. In the old format, players could answer before the question was fully read.

“Now you cannot [buzz in to answer] until they’re done reading the question. And that’s a real key difference. Nowadays, being good on the button is very important. … Most of us [playing] will probably know 80% of the answers,” it’s just a question of who is fastest on the buzzer, Baths says.

Bath’s journey back to Jeopardy! started prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and Trebek‘s passing in November 2020. She began by taking the show’s online test and attending an audition session at the Seattle waterfront, securing a spot in the contestant pool for 18 months.

When the pandemic hit, her 18-month eligibility expired. Undeterred, she retook the online test, followed by a Zoom audition. Initially scheduled to appear in late spring 2022, she had to cancel due to contracting COVID. The show assured her a fall invitation, leading to her winning appearance in September 2022 with Jennings, who resides in Seattle when not filming Jeopardy!.

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“He fills Alex Trebek’s shoes admirably,” Bath said of Jennings. “My husband [who was in the studio audience in September 2022 and January 2024] commented this time on the difference between the taping last September and now and just how much he has grown [into the role of host]. … But I am saddened that I did not get to meet Alex Trebek. Everyone wanted to meet Alex Trebek.”

Bath relocated to Seattle in 1997 after her husband’s 26-year U.S. Navy service. She worked for various companies and retired about 17 years ago as a CPA with The Hagen Firm in Edmonds. She does part-time bookkeeping for her son’s brewery in Portsmouth, N.H., and for Seattle Interiors in Wallingford. Would she consider yet another Jeopardy! appearance in the future?

“Well, what on earth could they possibly ask me back again for?” Bath says. “I don’t know. Other people deserve a chance to go and experience it.”