This Winnipeg history instructor is appearing on Jeopardy! Friday

Who is George Buri?

If you answered, "a Winnipeg history instructor appearing Friday on TV's famed Jeopardy! game show,"you'd be 100 per cent right.

Step up and claim your Daily Double.

Buri says the path to appearing on the show was a long one. He took an online quiz to become a contestant two years ago, then qualified for an audition (and another test) in Kansas City and waited.

It took until March before Buri finally got the call to come to play on the big show in Los Angeles.

It's no small feat. Buri said he was told thousands are put into the contestant pool, but only a couple hundred a year get picked to appear on the show.

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Buri, a sessional history instructor at both the U of M and U of W,said he and his wife are trivia buffs with competitive streaks and that's what spurred his interest to take part.

"When I was talking to other contestants, one of them referred to Jeopardy! as 'the Super Bowl of trivia games,'" Buri said. "So for sort of nerdy people like us, Jeopardy! is sort of the ultimate place to get on to."

To prepare, Buri watched episodes of the show, trying to mimic the experience of what it would be like to play in real life. He stood as he watched. He used an empty toilet paper roll as a buzzer, pretending to buzz in if he knew the answer.

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Then he'd recite it in the form of a question, one of the show's signature rules.

To boot, he studied up on America, learning, say, all the state capitals and names of presidents, other political officials and judges of the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Just to make sure I was up on the American end of things because It can be tough as a Canadian going on that show," Buri said.

As for getting to know the show's longtime star and host, Alex Trebek, Buri said he didn't end up seeing much of him. Trebek doesn't do the rehearsals.

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"The first time that you actually meet Alex is when he walks on stage as you're standing there waiting to do your episode. The sum total of my interaction with Alex Trebek is what's going to be on television," said Buri.

Buri is sworn to secrecy about what happens on his episode until it airs. "It's exciting. That's all I can say without giving away the outcome."