Islip residents for $500.

This Islip resident fulfilled his lifelong dream of competing on the hit television quiz-show “Jeopardy!” and had an impressive three-day stint on the show from Sept. 10 through Sept. 12.

If you answered, “Who is Will Weiss?” you would be correct.

Weiss is a technical program manager at SiriusXM who grew up in West Islip. Last year, he moved from North Babylon to Islip hamlet with his wife, Toni, and two children.

“The way that Islip has embraced my family since living here, Islip very quickly felt like home,” said Weiss.

Since Weiss himself was a young child, he always dreamed of being a “Jeopardy!” contestant and showed great determination to make his dreams a reality.

“When I was 13, I sent 100 or so postcards through the mail in an effort to try and get into the teen tournament at the time,” shared Weiss.

In adulthood, Weiss took the test to be featured on “Jeopardy!” in-person at a New York City contestant search. Amazingly, he qualified to be on the show, but could not accept the offer, as Weiss’s job at the time had too many blackout dates. Weiss took the test again a few times over the past 10 years after the “Jeopardy!” Anytime Test shifted to an online forum. Again, two years ago, he answered enough questions correctly on the test to advance through the contestant screening process.

“It is the best-kept secret in ‘Jeopardy!’ how many questions you need to answer correctly to pass the Any Time Test,” said Weiss. “Everyone has a theory, and we are probably all wrong.”

After successfully completing more assessments, at the end of April, Weiss was invited to Sony Pictures Studio in Culver City, Calif., to compete on the show in late May.

While Weiss trained and studied throughout May, he felt that appearing on the show is something he had trained his whole life for, from regularly reading newspapers, trade publications, and even helping his children with homework going as far back as kindergarten. Through practicing previous “Jeopardy!” questions, doing the Wordle and the Spelling Bee for the New York Times, and taking quizzes on the Sporcle app, Weiss honed his strengths and built knowledge in areas he was lacking.

For Weiss, preparing for game-play strategy proved a greater challenge.

“My wife and I watched every day and played out all the different scenarios that would show up in game play. So, if someone buzzes in and answers incorrectly, what is going to be the move? If you answer correctly, how are you going to control the board? Plus, wagering situations on Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy,” said Weiss. “We looked at every possible scenario to create a game plan.”

Off Weiss went to Sony Pictures Studios. All three episodes Weiss appeared on, airing Sept. 10, 11, and 12, were actually all filmed in one long day on May 30. While the nerves crept in, Weiss felt prepared for the challenge, and the kind words of current host and former contestant Ken Jennings helped him fully enjoy the experience.

“Is there anything you ever dreamed about doing, or a person you dreamed about meeting, and then you were there, and it was happening in the moment? That was it. I could picture teenage me, and it was just, wow, this is it,” shared Weiss. “When Ken spoke to us during rehearsal, he spoke about letting go of the outcome, enjoying the moment, and being present. That really helped.”

On the episode that aired on Tuesday, Sept. 10, Weiss placed first, earning $14,000. During the Wednesday Sept. 11 episode in which Weiss was the returning champion, he won again, earning an additional $13,600.

His reign ultimately came to an end during the Sept. 12 episode. During “Final Jeopardy!” the last clue was: “In 1824, President Monroe invited him back to the adopted country of his youth, which has always cherished his ‘important services.’” While the correct answer expressed in the form of a question was “Who is Marquis De Lafayette?” Weiss had wagered $2,001 with an answer of “Who is Alexander Hamilton?”

Weiss finished in third place, earning $2,000, bringing his grand total of winnings to $29,600. Weiss certainly made his new hometown proud!