99th Air Base Wing commander to appear on 'Jeopardy!'

  • Published
  • By Maj. Veronica Kemeny
  • Nellis Public Affairs Office
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --  This Air Force base commander hopes to exhibit a high-flying level of knowledge on America's favorite quiz show.

"Who is Col. Dave Belote?" would be the proper response for the 99th Air Base Wing commander, who taped an appearance on "Jeopardy!" recently.

Appearing on the game show has been a lifelong dream of Colonel Belote.

"I've wanted to be on the show for at least 20 years," Colonel Belote said. "I've tried sending postcards any time the show did a contestant search nearby. I took the online test the last two years, and it made it a lot easier to get invited for a contestant audition."

No studying was required for Colonel Belote. He brought his "life knowledge" to the show.

"There has been no time for any kind of studying, other than watching the occasional "Jeopardy!" episode," Colonel Belote said. "My best subjects are history, government and world events."

The colonel said he's excited to represent the Air Force and hopes to win some money for his retirement fund and future sailboat.

"Everybody who gets to this point is going to be good," Colonel Belote said. "I hope to catch a couple of breaks. I'm fired up! I want to have fun and maybe win enough money to take the family someplace tropical and exotic. I'd rather be lucky than good any day, and I have a mind for trivia, so hold on for a great ride!"

"Jeopardy!" has been on the air for 26 years. More than 5,800 episodes have aired to date, and the show has 12 million daily viewers.

Colonel Belote is scheduled to appear on "Jeopardy!" Dec. 2. He plans to watch the episode in The Club at 6:30 p.m. that night, and would love to share the experience with any and all Nellis "Jeopardy!" fans