Delaware County teacher to play ‘Jeopardy!’ this week

A Delaware County teacher will appear on “Jeopardy!” this week. Liz Cotrufello, a Broomall resident and fourth-grade teacher at Swarthmore-Rutledge School, will make her quiz show debut on Wednesday, July 19.

Originally from Niagara Falls, New York, Cotrufello was valedictorian of her high school class there and appeared on the “It’s Academic!” quiz show as a teen, Niagara Frontier Publications reported.

She has long been a “Jeopardy!” fan, watching nightly with her 20-year-old twins. She also brings “Jeopardy!” into her fourth-grade classroom by playing quiz games with her students at Swarthmore-Rutledge, a highly rated public elementary school in Swarthmore.

Cotrufello has auditioned for “Jeopardy!” three times and was finally selected as a contestant in April.

“I learned to read at an early age, and was given a great love of learning by my parents and family,” Cotrufello said in a Facebook post by the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District. “If you’ve ever watched the show and thought, ‘Hey, I know a lot of these questions,’ give it a try. The online test is offered frequently, and you never know. I tried it, I was invited, and it was one of the most exciting and fun experiences of my life!”

During her appearance on Wednesday’s show, Cotrufello will face Sean Weatherston, a physical therapist from Idaho, as well as the returning champion from Tuesday’s match, which as of Monday is Daniel Moore, a contract compliance analyst from Pittsburgh. Moore had an impressive debut Friday, during which he answered all three Daily Doubles correctly and earned a runaway victory.

Hopefully, Cotrufello will fare better than some recent “Jeopardy!” contestants, who have been catching flak on social media for flubbing clues deemed easy by viewers. If all goes well for Cotrufello, though, she could join the ranks of local “Jeopardy!” legends like Ryan Long and Cris Pannullo.

“Jeopardy!” airs weeknights at 7 p.m. on ABC.