What it was like as a contestant on Alex Trebek's final Jeopardy! episode

San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco State University professor Jim Gilligan spent 30 years trying to become a contestant on Jeopardy! Gilligan got to fulfill his dream on Oct. 27, less than two weeks before Trebek's death from pancreatic cancer. “It’s definitely a bittersweet moment,” says Gilligan, who appears on Friday's episode. "'Hey, I finally achieved one of my life’s dreams, I’m going to be on Jeopardy!, and I met Alex Trebek.’ But it was the last episode he ever taped in his life.” Gilligan adds: “It was pretty clear that he was not at 100%. He still did a great job, but he was walking a little bit more slowly. It looked like he was in pain a little bit. But if you watch the show, you’ll never be able to tell.”