MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - When the familiar strains of "Jeopardy's" opening music plays, more often than not Martinsburg resident Bob Fleenor can be found in front of the television ready to test his knowledge and analyze the player's strategies.
Fleenor is in an exclusive club of "Jeopardy" champions as a player who won five consecutive games, appearing on the show in 2001. Now, watching players like Matt Jackson who ended his 13-game winning streak on Oct. 14, (the shows fourth longest) Fleenor analyzes not only contestant's strategies but how he would fare against that night's winner.
"When a guy like Matt is on a roll, you want to watch to see if 'could I compete with him?' Tonight I don't know, I didn't have a good night in my head, but he didn't have a good night either," he said.
When Fleenor was a contestant, players were retired after five games. Now, with the longest winning streak recorded at 74 games, he believes he would have lasted at least one more round before being knocked out.
Watching Jackson lose "Jeopardy" in the final round, Fleenor was surprised by the loss after the stronger performance Jackson had shown in previous games.
"He had a game plan. What little I know about him, he basically in his preparations turned off social media. He just focused. He studied the game of Ben Ingram, who won the last Tournament of Champions," he said, describing Jackson as "a student of the game."
In breaking down Jackson's loss, Fleenor said several factors were working against him, such as the pace of the show. Fleenor said up to five games can be filmed in one period, which increases the stress factor.
"The fatigue factor is going to come into play because he's got the mastery of the game down, but he's taping five games, three before lunch and two after, in rapid fire order. It's only about a 15-to-20 minute break between games. You really don't have time to think, it's just a blur," he said.
Fleenor said one of Jackson's strongest strategies is selecting "Daily Double" and betting strong. While the correct rate for "Daily Doubles" is around 68 percent, Jackson's answered about 94 percent correct, he said.
"That's how he's been blowing people out. The last three nights he's uncovered the 'Daily Double' on back to back clues," Fleenor said. "He's always 'Daily Double' hunting. A lot of the most successful players in recent years have done it."
As easy as it is to play along at home, as a contestant on the show, it's more than simply answering questions.
Fleenor said strategy is involved in every aspect of the game, from how to hit the buzzer to what questions to call on to how to bet on "Daily Double" and final round questions.
"What you can't see on TV is that there are lights around the side of the board. You can't ring in until Alex is not only finished reading the clue, but there's someone backstage who unlocks the buzzer system. If you buzz in before that guy has unlocked the buzzer, your buzzer isn't going to work for about a fifth of a second, which is a long time in Jeopardy," he said.
Fleenor laughingly said that his index finger still twitches when he answers a question when he plays along at home.
With strategy such an integral aspect of the game, preparing for your time behind the podium is essential, he said.
"One of the ways I prepared, there were some books at the time you could study. I had three books that were nothing but Jeopardy games. Then you have an idea, if you know the material or not," he said.
At the time, Fleenor was working in the newspaper industry in Hagerstown, Maryland, which aided him in questions on world affairs, current events and pop culture. Even his age at the time, 49, lent him a slight advantage, he said.
"The writers at the time were all in my age group, and they write for an older sensibility. Part of that has to do with the play around at home factor. People my age can sit around and we're going to get some clues that Matt Jackson is not going to know, because we were around in the '60s and early '70s, whereas [Jackson] would have to learn it out of a history book or almanac," he said.
During his five games, Fleenor said he remain relatively calm and composed when in front of the camera.
"You tend to block it out. The only time I was visibly nervous was when I was introduced for the first game. I knew the camera was panning in on me, and my top lip started to go, then my bottom lip started to go, and you could see it on the tape," he said.
At the end of his five-game winning streak, Fleenor won $55,700 and two 2002 Chevrolet Camaros. He also received $2,500 during an appearance in the 2001 Tournament of Champions. He also earned $5,000 in the 145-player Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005.
Despite taping five shows, Fleenor said the only time he spoke to host Alex Trebek was when he got his official picture taken, which he received a copy of, and at the beginning of every show when Trebek introduces the contestant. Contestants are only allowed to talk to Trebek on camera because, as the host, he has all the clues, Fleenor said.
Fleenor is the only five-top champion who was born in West Virginia while the show has been hosted by Trebek.