'He was so nasty to me': Exiled 'Jeopardy!' contestant Barbara Lowe exposes late host Alex Trebek in buried tapings
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Barbara Lowe, a former 'Jeopardy!' contestant whose appearance on the show was so controversial that it was almost entirely erased from the show's history, has finally spoken out about her experience in a groundbreaking interview. Following her five-day winning streak on the show in 1986, Lowe was disqualified from her Tournament of Champions, allegedly denied payment, and her episodes were never broadcast again.
During Season 2 of 'Jeopardy!', Barbara Vollick was a contestant who won a total of $35,192, according to J! Archive. In those days, five-day winners were supposed to participate in the next Tournament of Champions, but this didn't happen to Lowe. Additionally, 'Jeopardy!' never re-broadcasted Lowe's episodes, and evidence of her appearance on the show is also difficult to find.
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For a long time, it has been believed that Lowe applied to 'Jeopardy!' under a false name, in order to bypass the show's eligibility rules after already appearing on other game shows. This narrative has resulted in her wins being considered invalid. In a recent report, Lowe has spoken out and disputed the long-standing narrative. Internet sleuths discovered her lost tapes in late 2020 and her first interview with The Ringer presents a different perspective on her controversial appearance on 'Jeopardy!'.
'Her reputation has been very, very, very blown out of proportion'
Adam Nedeff, a research consultant with the National Archives of Game Show History, found Lowe's deleted tapes. Despite the recovery of the lost tapes, the content of Lowe's 'Jeopardy!' episodes did not match the scandalous narrative that had long been attached to her name. This has left many wondering why her episodes were so controversial and ultimately erased from history. "Now that I’ve watched the five episodes, her reputation has been very, very, very blown out of proportion," Nedeff says.
'We disqualified her'
In 1990, Trebek was asked about a contestant who "retired as a five-time champion [and] was atypical in that she beamed when opponents missed questions." Referencing Lowe, the reporter said, "The following November, she did not turn up on the annual Tournament of Champions." "Right," Trebek responded, adding, "We disqualified her because we learned she had lied on her application. She had been on seven or eight other game shows under four other identities and Social Security numbers."
According to The Ringer, 'Jeopardy!' was aware of Lowe's previous game show appearances before her episodes aired as she had listed them on her application. Her application, which is still held by the studio, indicated that she had appeared on three other game shows before 'Jeopardy!' -- 'Wheel of Fortune' in 1976, 'It's Anybody's Guess' in 1977, and 'Bullseye' in 1981.
An expert told the outlet, "The policy at the time was a maximum of one appearance in a 12-month period and no more than two appearances in a five-year window. Only the Bullseye taping would have been relevant," the expert claimed, alleging she shouldn't have been disqualified for this reason. Lowe also provided her driver’s license, which showed her name as Barbara Lowe Vollick as she had used during her 'Jeopardy!' appearances.
Lowe claimed that she had never used a false Social Security number and had been upfront about the complete list of shows she had appeared on, including the different last names she had used, which were variations of her real name for other shows. "I said, ‘If you want, I can go on the show as Barbara Lowe, or I can go on the show as Barbara Vollick. They chose Barbara Lowe."
During her five games, Lowe performed well and won one game with a clever bet. However, her streak was not without controversy. In one instance, she got into a heated debate with Trebek about the pronunciation of a German clue, and eventually, the ruling went in her favor. This exchange was reportedly cut from the episode. Lowe recalled she "apologized profusely. That’s another thing he [Trebek] was furious at me about."
'He was so nasty to me'
Midway through a later game she claimed she fell ill to a stomach bug, "I was on antibiotics," she said. "I was very sick." She claimed, "I turned my head to look at the production assistant, and I just said, ‘I’m sorry.’ And they stopped everything."
Lowe reportedly left the stage mid-game which delayed the tapings. "Trebek was furious. ‘You’re costing us time. You’re costing us money,’” she claims he said. "The alternative was you would have lost your audience," she said. "And I didn’t have a change of clothes with me. Trust me on that. It’s not a very pretty scene."
Lowe said that when it came to her fifth victory she was celebrating by holding her hand to her face and Trebek told her, "Put your hand down right now. He was so nasty to me."
According to Lowe, 'Jeopardy!' informed her that her winnings would be mailed to her, but as per the outlet's report, the check never arrived, and she eventually hired a lawyer. Lowe further claimed that she took the matter to court, but the case did not go to trial.
The Ringer wrote, "Jeopardy! was arguing the delay her stomach ailment caused had cost the program thousands of dollars, which the show was attempting to recoup by withholding her winnings." "You have a very valid case, and, yes, we can go to trial, but the problem is they’re very conservative out here, and Alex Trebek is very, very popular," Lowe said the judge told her. "There’s a good possibility that they would rule against you just because they love Alex Trebek."