In this episode of Post-Podium, I had the opportunity to chat with Kristin and Ciara Donegan, twin sisters who hold the record for the shortest amount of time between two siblings appearing on Jeopardy! Kristin represented Carnegie Mellon University in the 'Jeopardy! National College Championship' (JNCC) while Ciara appeared on the syndicated show as an undergraduate student from the University of Maryland at College Park. They both won their first games but then went on to lose in their second. While the two of them may share the same experience of taping for Jeopardy!, there are some interesting differences that we discuss in this podcast episode.

Which twin was born first? Who had an uncomfortable staring contest with Ciara? What do Kristin and Amy Schneider have in common? All of these questions and more are answered in this episode of Post-Podium!

Timestamps

0:14 - Intro

0:59 - Panel introductions

2:35 - "Should we expect more Donegan family members on Jeopardy!?"

3:00 - Ciara's watch party experience

4:23 - Was Ciara expected to perform better than Kristin?

5:24 - Kristin's watch party experience

6:52 - "Why Jeopardy!?"

7:53 - Our collegiate quiz bowl experiences

10:38 - The Donegan Family's pub trivia team

13:44 - "What did your audition timeline look like?"

17:23 - "How did you prepare for Jeopardy!?"

25:09 - "What was a category that you didn't want to see in your games?"

26:50 - "Did any of your favorite categories appear in your games?"

28:12 - "Were you able to size up your competition beforehand?"

32:41 - Is Ciara still in contact with her contestant cohort?

34:12 - Ciara's shares her Jeopardy! buzzer strategy

36:12 - Experiences with Jeopardy! hosts Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings

38:55 - Alternative contestant stories

42:50 - Final Jeopardy! Breakdown: "RECENT AUTOBIOGRAPHIES" in Kristin's quarterfinal game

44:47 - Final Jeopardy! Breakdown: Kristin and Liz's tiebreaker clue in the semifinals

45:56 - Final Jeopardy! Breakdown: "DISNEY CHARACTERS" in Ciara's first game

46:59 - Final Jeopardy! Breakdown: "U.S. CITY NAMES" in Ciara's second game

50:04 - "What aspect of this experience surprised you the most?"

53:49 - Similarities and differences between being in a Jeopardy! tournament versus being on the syndicated show

55:24 - "Would you have preferred to have been on the syndicated show or the JNCC?"

57:01 - Other behind the scenes stories (Kristin's stained sweater, Ciara's Daily Double snipe, Final Jeopardy! wager whispers)

1:00:44 - Reactions and messages on social media

1:07:34 - "What was the best purchase you've made with your winnings thus far?"

1:12:31 - Wrapping up and promoting social media

1:13:40 - Outro