Fans of “Jeopardy!” will get at least two chances to catch glimpses of competitors who hail from Montgomery County this winter, including one they may recognize from some popular films and TV shows.
The long-running trivia quiz show on Thursday announced its lineup for three postseason tournaments, which begin next week. Two of the announced contestants hail from Silver Spring: attorney Melanie Hirsch and Lisa Ann Walter, an actress known for roles in “The Parent Trap” and “Abbott Elementary.”
Walter was the winner of Season 2 of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” in 2024. She won a whopping $1 million prize for the Entertainment Community Fund, a charity that provides financial aid, housing and health care to those working in the entertainment industry who are struggling to make ends meet.
Hirsch previously competed on “Jeopardy!” in March, when she was in the lead heading into the Final Jeopardy question, but wound up placing third after betting nearly all of her winnings on an answer that all three contestants got wrong.
“Obviously, I’d have preferred to have won, but I’m still so happy to have had this experience,” Hirsch wrote in a Reddit post after her March episode aired. Her LinkedIn page states that she currently works in Washington,D.C., for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a government watchdog agency that the Trump administration has made moves to dismantle.
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“My only regret is that I forgot to write in a shout-out to my kids (and my poor beloved CFPB) in my final answer,” Hirsch continued. “This whole experience has been a delight, bringing some much-needed joy to what has otherwise been a dark time in my professional life.”
Montgomery County fans can catch Hirsch competing in the semifinal round of the “Jeopardy!” Second Chance Tournament on Christmas Eve. She’s competing in the second of three groups in this tournament, which is comprised of previous contestants who didn’t win but who the producers believe deserve another chance. The winner of each of those three groups will advance to the Champions Wildcard Tournament, which begins airing Jan. 5.
Walter will compete in the third tournament: the Tournament of Champions, which begins airing Jan. 19. It’s comprised of previous regular season victors who won at least four to five episodes, or a standalone tournament such as the Teachers Tournament or College Championship. “Celebrity Jeopardy!” winner W. Kamau Bell is also competing in the Tournament of Champions this year, as will the winner of the aforementioned Champions Wildcard Tournament.
“Jeopardy!” is a syndicated show, so it airs on different networks at different times depending on where viewers are located. For those in the Montgomery County area, the show airs at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.




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