Chris Lastrapes (BS/BA ’03, MA ’05) has joined a growing list of TU students and alumni who have competed on one of the country’s most watched game shows, Jeopardy!
Lastrapes’ taped episode of the show will air on national television Oct. 28. An alumnus of TU’s economics and political science undergraduate programs, Lastrapes also earned a TU master’s degree in English with a focus on screenwriting. In 2009, he completed an MBA at Emory University in Atlanta before moving to the Los Angeles area and beginning his career in the film industry. Lastrapes works in the business and marketing division of Warner Brothers and specializes in the DC Comics heroes including Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.
His background in economics and film gave Lastrapes a competitive edge when testing for Jeopardy! He took the show’s preliminary online test three or four times before he was invited to an in-person audition.
“I’ve always been a big game show fan in general,” Lastrapes said. “I love trivia, and I went to a lot of trivia nights in college.”
After recording the show at Sony Picture Studios in Los Angeles, Lastrapes is not allowed to reveal any details of the episode in advance of its air date, but his wife, Keto Shimizu, and his best friend, Hunter Rodgers, from Tulsa attended the taping.
“It was really fun, and it actually wasn’t that stressful,” Lastrapes said. “You’re in the moment, and it all happens so fast.”
Jeopardy! isn’t Lastrapes’ first game show appearance. As a TU senior more than a decade ago, he competed on a special college fraternity and sorority edition of the Weakest Link.
Alumnus Joshua Brakhage (BA ’ 05) competed on Jeopardy! in 2013 and again in the Tournament of Champions in 2014. Alumnus Forrest Farjadian (BA ’15) participated in the show’s college edition as a student in 2013.
Lastrapes will appear on the Oct. 28 episode of Jeopardy!