CFHS grad appears on Jeopardy!

“Who is Russ Porter?”

This is the correct answer to the clue: A Columbia Falls High School graduate who recently appeared on “Jeopardy!”

Porter, who graduated from CFHS in 1984, appeared on the TV game show at the end of September. The show uses a format in which contestants are presented with clues in the form of answers and must phrase their responses as a question.

Porter was excited to get the chance to compete on the show.

“My family are big fans of ‘Jeopardy!’,” he said. “I’ve watched it since I was a little kid.”

He won during the first day he competed and then came back on day two to earn second place. He won $20,001.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s not a lot of money, but it was worth my time.”

Porter, who lives in Seattle, is a consulting engineer for municipal water systems. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Montana and a master’s from the University of Washington in environmental engineering.

He first tried out for the show in the 1990s, but didn’t make it. Then in January 2009 while in Columbia Falls taking care of his father, Leroy, he tried out online. He made it through to a live try-out in Seattle in May 2009.

Then this June he got a call that he’d been selected. In July he went to California for the taping.

A few weeks after his appearance, Porter still hadn’t seen it. He was in Quebec caribou hunting when the episodes played. Right before he left, he told his family about the appearance for the first time.

“I was out of the country and avoided the hoopla,” he said with a laugh.

He enjoyed the whole experience and meeting the show’s host Alex Trebek.

“It was different from my everyday life,” he said. “He only comes out for the taping, but he seems to be a pretty sharp guy.”

Success on the show seems to be not only knowing the answer, but ringing in at the right time.

After the question is read a light on the game board comes on, Porter explained. If contestants ring in before the light goes off they are locked out for a few seconds.

“Timing the buzzer is key,” he said.