‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Aaron Levine: His Reality Show Past Explained

On Tuesday’s heated episode of Jeopardy!, returning champion Aaron Levine faced off against a peanut butter enthusiast and an Olympian in a bid to hold on to his title — and he succeeded, bringing his two-day total to $28,999. But if Levine looks familiar to viewers, there’s a good reason.

The sports director at KCPQ Fox 13 in Seattle, Washington, is no stranger to the small screen. In addition to his work as a sports anchor, Levine was once a standout contestant on the ESPN reality competition Dream Job, which aired from 2004 to 2006.

At just 21 years old and a senior at Stanford University, Levine competed on the show, which sought to discover the next SportsCenter anchor, an early sign of the broadcasting career that would follow.

Chosen from more than 30,000 applicants of all ages, Levine made it to the final round. However, he didn’t fare as well on Dream Job as he did on Jeopardy! as he reached the final two but was ultimately eliminated by a viewer poll, with his competitor Mike Hall becoming the show’s first-ever winner.

“Because I got second place and didn’t win, I go back to school,” Levine said in an interview with The Acorn back in 2004. “It might have been a blessing in disguise. Now I won’t have that hanging over my head. I’ll hopefully get my degree in June.”

Later that year, Levine landed a job at KBAK CBS in Bakersfield, California, as a sports anchor and reporter — a move that set him on the path to his current gig in Seattle.

While talking to Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings, Levine joked, “It was my senior year in college. I joked that the winner got a brand new contract with ESPN, and I got a bus ticket to Bakersfield, California for my first job.”

It is no small task to compete on Jeopardy!, and Levine has an old-school study method that serves him well. While chatting with Good Day Seattle, he explained he uses shoeboxes full of index cards that he’s filled over the years to help study trivia.

“I joked that if I was going to lose, all the prize money would probably would have covered the money that I spent on shoeboxes and index cards over the last six and a half years or so,” said Levin. “Whenever I get something wrong on Jeopardy!, or in a trivia match, and I miss a question, I make another card on that topic. So I acquired these all over time.”

To back up the claim, the Jeopardy! champ posted a pic of his many boxes filled with index cards. In the post on X (formerly Twitter), Levine wrote: “No spoilers, but since I discussed the flashcards on #Jeopardy tonight, here is my collection as of this May. Unlike Anki decks (a #trivia flashcard app on your phone), you’ll notice check-in/check-out logs on each of the boxes, almost like library books.”

“Some boxes I’ve had forever and only need to be reviewed every few months. The newest ones I have to go over every week or two. And the more I have…well…the harder it is to keep up! The second photo is what I brought to Detroit with me for the [American League Division Series]. Came in handy during the long rain delay…”