From the Williamsport Sun Gazette

MONTGOMERY — Montoursville native Helen Yoas appeared on the television game show “Jeopardy!” Thursday night after fulfilling a longtime goal of competing on the popular trivia program.

A lifelong fan of the show dating back to the Art Fleming era, Yoas said she first considered trying out years ago but was discouraged by the travel required for auditions.

“Once they made the tests online, and it became a lot easier to apply, I thought, well, what the heck? Why not,” Yoas said.

About a year after taking the online test, Yoas was invited to audition via Zoom before later learning she had been selected to compete in an episode taped March 10.

Yoas, who retired from Pennsylvania College of Technology last year, traveled to Los Angeles with her husband during his spring break from work at the college.

She praised the professionalism of the show’s crew and said host Ken Jennings made contestants feel comfortable throughout the experience.

“He was really wonderful,” Yoas said of Jennings.

Yoas said the most difficult part of competing was timing the buzzer correctly rather than recalling trivia answers.

She also said one of the highlights of the experience was the camaraderie among contestants, noting many of them remained in contact after filming.

Yoas celebrated her appearance with a watch party Thursday night at Kimball’s Pub.