The Game He Didn’t Choose

I’ve been a Jeopardy! fan for as long as I can remember. Before Alex Trebek, before the evening slot, I watched it at noon with Art Fleming—usually when I was home sick from school. There was something comforting about the show's rhythm, the way it rewarded curiosity, and the thrill of knowing an answer before the contestant buzzed in, which rarely happened.

So I paid attention when I heard that Harvey Silikovitz—a man from my hometown—had finally made it onto the show after 23 years of trying.

His story hit me in more ways than one.

Harvey’s from West Orange, the town where I grew up. I didn’t know him personally, but I recognized something in him. That quiet determination? I’ve seen it before.

In 2019, Harvey was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

A disease that doesn’t just rob you of movement—it chips away at confidence, certainty, and the quiet faith that your body will do what you ask.

He could’ve stopped. No one would’ve blamed him.

But five years later, he was under the bright lights of Jeopardy!, hand on the buzzer, questions flying, answers locked in with the same sharpness as the man who first auditioned in 2001.

“But I continued chasing the dream,” he told the audience. “And now here I am.”

Here he is.

And here’s what he shows us.

It Was Never Just About the Game

Harvey didn’t win because he had a lucky night.

He won because he refused to let failure be his final answer.

That kind of persistence isn’t just about trivia. It’s about how we live when life gives us things we didn’t ask for—diagnoses, detours, moments that rewrite the script.

He could’ve said, “This isn’t fair. This isn’t how it was supposed to go.”

But he didn’t.

He adapted. He showed up. And in doing so, he gave the rest of us something more than just a game show victory.

“After living with Parkinson’s for five-and-a-half years,” he said, “it’s no longer just about wanting to do well for myself. I’d like to give hope and inspiration to people living with chronic illnesses.”

I’ve come to believe hope isn’t the absence of struggle.

It’s the decision to show up anyway.

Final Jeopardy

Harvey walked away with $23,600 that night.

Not the $50,000 he had wagered.

Not the perfect ending.

But maybe that was never the point.

The real victory wasn’t the number on the check. It was the courage to keep showing up—after 23 years, a diagnosis, and a missed chance that could’ve closed the door for good.

It was standing under those lights, body trembling but spirit steady, and saying to himself, I’m still here. I still belong.

And maybe that’s what matters most—not winning the game, but refusing to be counted out.

Because Jeopardy! isn’t just about knowing the correct answers.

It’s about answering the call when life dares you to try again.

And Harvey Silikovitz answered with everything he had.

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