'Dream come true': Milwaukee man to compete on 'Jeopardy!' Friday night

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee man will compete on "Jeopardy!" Friday, Jan. 21.

Avinash Rajendra told CBS 58 he's a big fan of the trivia game show and watches it nearly every day.

He applied to be on the show by taking an online test. Then, he took a proctored test, followed by a virtual audition.

"When I got the call, I was like, 'this is like a dream come true,'" Rajendra said.

Rajendra flew to California for the show's taping. He said it was an all-day process.

"The whole experience is more than one might think. You watch the show for 20 minutes and it's done for the whole day, and then you don't think about it. It's a lot more than that," Rajendra said.

The contestant said he is naturally good at trivia, but did brush up on certain subjects leading up to the show. He also emphasized the importance of practicing with a buzzer.

"It was harder than I thought, because I think one of the underrated aspects of the game is the buzzer," Rajendra said.

Rajendra was born in Oshkosh. He is studying to get a PhD in engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

He's also the 2021 Wisconsin State Chess Champion.

His episode of "Jeopardy!" will air at 6 p.m. on CBS 58.