Dixon High Teacher Earns Spot on 'Jeopardy!'

As a child Teacher Michael Vlach enjoyed watching “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek quiz the show’s contestants on everything from art to politics. Back then Vlach, 29, had no way of knowing that one day he too would be answering Trebek’s questions on the show.

Vlach, DHS’ computer technology teacher, recently earned the opportunity to put his knowledge to the test on “Jeopardy!” and made the trip from his Vacaville home to the show’s Culver City studios.

“I flew down there Tuesday night (Feb. 22) with my mom and brother,” Vlach said.

He spent one day in Culver City taping the show and getting a taste of what it’s like to be on TV, he said.

“They get you in the green room, they take turns putting makeup on your face,” he said. “They bring you out to do practice questions.”

Vlach declined to talk about the results of the show, because of contractual obligations, but did talk about some aspects of the show not known by most viewers.

For example, getting used to the buzzer was one of the most challenging aspects of the show, Vlach said. Secondly, the show does not give contestants a list of topics to study from, but Vlach did some things to get himself ready.

“I read some books by Ken Jennings and Bob Harris,” Vlach said.

Jennings, the author of the book “Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs,” holds the longest winning streak on the show and Harris, author of “Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy!” is an eight-time “Jeopardy!” champ.

The road to the show for Vlach began when he took an online test – consisting of 50 questions in 50 different categories – back in January 2010. The results of his online test earned Vlach an opportunity to get on the show.

“In August, I get an e-mail from ‘Jeopardy!’ it said come to San Francisco for an audition,” he said.

He went to the city with no expectations, he said, and ended up taking a written test before participating in a practice game along with fellow potential contestants.

“I just figured that it would be a fun experience,” he said. “I didn’t really expect anything out of it.”

Four week after his September audition, Vlach said he got the call to appear on the show. Vlach is no stranger to competitions. The 1999 Will C. Wood graduate has spent most of his life competing in spelling and geography bees as well as academic decathlons.

"Michael, he does a lot for our school, both academically and athletic-wise," Dixon High Principal Ivan Chaidez said, adding that Vlach serves as an assistant coach on the DHS Water Polo team. 

Chaidez said that Vlach's vast knowledge comes in handy as the coach of the school's Academic Decathlon team.

"Academic Decathlon is a lot like 'Jeopardy!' and so he coached up our team this year," Chaidez said.   "And the team did well so it's nice. Not only is he doing well to qualify for 'Jeopardy!' his knowledge helps out (at DHS)."

Vlach’s appearance on the show gone to his head. He still teaches students at DHS and spends his spare time being a troop leader for a Boys Scouts troop in Vacaville. Vlach said he has no current plans to go on another gameshow or pursue a career in television.

As for his performance on “Jeopardy!” everyone will have to wait for the show’s scheduled air date of June 15.

“Everyone wants to know how I did and I just can’t tell the anything yet,” Vlach said.

"We are proud of him, we are excited he is going to be representing Dixon and Dixon High School and teachers on 'Jeopardy!'" Chaidez said.