Josh Martin, a corporate pilot and lifelong resident of Springfield, has always been driven by his passion for competition.
Born and raised in the north side of town, he graduated from Hillcrest High School and pursued a degree in general business at Missouri State University. He continues to live in Springfield with his wife and four kids.
Martin’s love for the classic game show “Jeopardy!” encouraged him to take his trivia skills to the next level and vie for a spot on the beloved game show.
The early years
From a young age, Martin knew he wanted to be a pilot. However, he also valued the college experience and saw the importance of earning a degree.
In 2002, he began his higher education journey at the University of Central Missouri, enrolling in their aviation program. After two years, he transferred to Missouri State while continuing to earn his flight ratings on the side. He graduated in 2007.
Fulfilling a lifelong dream
Martin has been a fan of “Jeopardy!” ever since he was a kid.
“But it wasn’t until 8 or 9 years ago that I took the contestant written test for the first time and began to get more serious about competing,” he said.
“Around that time, I began playing some online trivia and going to pub trivia nights. It made me want to get better at trivia with the goal of getting good enough to be on “Jeopardy!””
Each year, prospective contestants can take the “Jeopardy!” test once. Martin took the test annually for several years until, in 2022, he finally received the exciting news that he had passed the test and was moving on to the next step.
It involved a test via Zoom to ensure there was no cheating. Upon passing this test, Martin had an audition on Zoom, which included playing a mock game with other contestants and an interview.
Martin takes the stage
After years of trying, Martin got the good news this spring that he was chosen to compete on the game show.
“’Jeopardy!” auditions a few thousand hopefuls a year and only about 10% of those make it to the show. I feel very fortunate that I was one of the lucky few to get selected to be on the stage,” Martin said.
He got the invitation in late March 2024 and traveled to Los Angeles to tape the show in mid-May, giving him seven weeks to prepare intensively.
During this period, he watched several old episodes of “Jeopardy!” each day and studied a sizeable deck of flashcards he had built up over the years. His hard work paid off as he stepped onto the “Jeopardy!” stage, ready to compete.
“Everything about the experience was wonderful,” Martin said. “Getting to be on that stage, hearing myself introduced and then picking up the buzzer to play the game I’ve watched hundreds of times was an amazing experience. It’ll be one of the highlights of my life forever.”
To find out how he did on the show, tune in to “Jeopardy!” on July 4. In Springfield, the show airs each weekday at 5 p.m. on KSPR.