Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking Thornburg native on ‘Jeopardy!,’ more local sports on WPCW-TV
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including Erin Sheedy of Thornburg, who will compete on Tuesday’s episode of “Jeopardy!” (7:30 p.m. weekdays, WPXI-TV).
The 2018 Oakland Catholic High School grad (and a part of the Miss Smiling Irish Eyes Pittsburgh court in 2018) received a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston College in 2022 and a master’s in library and information science from University College in Dublin, Ireland, this year. The 23-year old has plans to return to Boston to work as a librarian and applied to be on “Jeopardy!” during lockdown early in the covid-19 pandemic. A year later in summer 2021, Sheedy received an email inviting her to take additional tests (she originally thought it was spam). In March 2023, Sheedy got the invitation to get herself to Los Angeles to compete on the show. Her episode was taped May 17, 2023, with Ken Jennings as host. With “Jeopardy!” often a family affair in her Thornburg home, Sheedy’s grandmother, Evelyn Erkula, and mother Diane Sheedy traveled from Western Pennsylvania and met Erin in Los Angeles.
Erin Sheedy said the timing of her “Jeopardy!” appearance coincided with finals so she didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for her TV debut.
“When you get on stage, it’s such a blur,” Sheedy said, noting she got to watch a full day of filming and participate in two practice rounds before it was time for her episode to tape. “I was pretty relaxed by then. I’m much younger than the typical “Jeopardy!” contestant so my goal was to go up there and have a good time. When I came offstage, the stage manager said, ‘You made great television!’ So I was having fun up there. And now I have a great ‘fun fact’ for the rest of my life and I met some really nice people and we’ve all stayed in touch.”
Owen and Benz also discuss layoffs of on-air talent at ESPN and the reasons behind those actions and the addition of high school and college football on WPCW-TV this fall.
Owen offers his take on season two of “The AfterParty” and “The Horror of Dolores Roach” while Benz expresses an interest in recent movie “The Machine,” starring comedian Bert Kreischer.
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You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow @RobOwenTV on Threads, X, Bluesky and Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.
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