Valerie Fulton ’17L Appears on ‘Jeopardy!’ Valerie Fulton, who lives and practices law in Greenville, South Carolina, discusses her selection for the popular quiz gameshow.

By Law Communications
May 18, 2026

Valerie Fulton ’17 is a native of Greenville, South Carolina. She graduated from Wofford College in 2013, then attended W&L Law. She practices law at Fulton & Barr, PA, a firm started by her mother and her law partner in 1993 in Greenville, primarily as a workers’ compensation claimant’s attorney. She appeared on “Jeopardy!” on Friday, May 15.

What made you want to go on “Jeopardy!”? Did someone encourage you to try?

Everyone I have ever watched “Jeopardy!” with has told me to apply, and I took the test a decade ago and forgot all about it. About nine months ago, I was at home on the couch watching with my boyfriend, who made me take the test then and there. I think it was just really good timing!

Have you been a longtime viewer of the show or are you just really good at trivia? Has recalling facts always come easily to you, or was that something you had to work on?

I have watched “Jeopardy!” for as long as I can remember. My grandmother was not a big TV person, but she made the exception for “Jeopardy!” It feels like a nightly ritual. (And, I am a trivia person!) In the fourth and fifth grade, Mrs. Hunt, one of the fourth grade teachers at Blythe Elementary, held tryouts for the “Black Heritage Bowl.” I recorded Black history facts on my mom’s tape recorder that she used for dictation and listened to them back every day before the competition. My recall is good naturally, but (like in all things) studying helps.

Can you go through the process of getting onto “Jeopardy!”?

You take the initial “Anytime” test and have no idea if you met the magical score needed to pass. If you never hear from them, that doesn’t mean that you didn’t pass. This time around, a few months after the test, I received an email to sign up for a second test, essentially a proctored exam. Within hours of that test, I received an email to sign up for a third round of auditions, which is essentially a game-play and mini interview round. Everyone is told that they’re in the contestant pool for the next two years at that time, but not to wait around for a call. There are about 4,000 people in the pool at any given time, and they need about 400 people per year. I forgot about it, thought it had been a really fun experience and story, and never thought I’d hear from them. But I did – less than two months later!

Before you flew out to tape your episode, did you do anything to prepare beforehand?

“Jeopardy!” is a hard show to prepare for. I had exactly four weeks from getting the call to my taping, and I manage my own firm and case load. It was not easy buckling down to study – and it’s not easy to even know what to study. I made some flashcards of frequently repeated subject areas (which felt eerily like bar prep), but I mostly practiced by watching episodes standing up and “buzzing in” with a clicker pen. The buzzer is the hardest part – it’s true!

What is your strongest category and why? Conversely, what is your weakest category?

Truthfully, I prayed that there WOULDN’T be a legal category. How mortifying if I froze up and couldn’t answer “Black’s Law Dictionary” phrases! I was petrified of getting a math or numbers category. The awful lawyer cliche is true in my case – math is not my friend.

How did law school or working as a lawyer prepare you for the show?

Rote memorization and regurgitation of facts. I also think lawyers and law students are innately curious people. The more you learn, the more you squirrel away in your brain – and that squirrel away information might just get you on Jeopardy!

Is there anything else you want the W&L community to know about your “Jeopardy!” appearance?

My time in Lexington and at W&L Law is so special to me, and the friendships from that time period are precious and long-lasting. It has been so fun reconnecting with friends from law school who are cheering me on. Our alumni are special and kind.

Do you have plans to do anything like this again?

If “Jeopardy!” wants me back (which I doubt!!), I would go back in a heartbeat. The lovely ladies in the contestant department did tell me that “Wheel of Fortune” would love me…so who knows. Maybe I’ll start practicing my spelling.

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