| The “Jeopardy!” host on the meaning of trivia, the awkwardness of personal anecdotes, and his new book—a travel guide to the afterlife.  Photograph by Jeff Minton for The New Yorker The all-time winningest “Jeopardy!” contestant and current host of the show brings his eye for indelible trivia to the subjects of Heaven, Hell, and other variations of the hereafter in his latest book. Sarah Larson sat down with him recently to get his thoughts on a game board’s worth of ideas, including: Why descriptions of Hell are always so arresting: “You can imagine pastors trying to be very vivid, to keep people’s attention. And, honestly, in a time where you couldn’t go home and watch ‘Game of Thrones,’ it also appealed to the fantasy nerds. Like, Wow, Hell has nine levels? And I can see a map? Tell me more!” Why Hieronymus Bosch makes him laugh: “It wasn’t painted to be funny, but clearly he’s having such a good time in that part of the canvas—like, this guy just cannot wait to get to the ‘Where’s Waldo?’ part of Hell.” And why appearing on “Jeopardy!” is so scary: “I think at home it plays as kind of calming and cerebral, but in person, for these poor civilians, it’s very intense. They’re doing it for the first time, and this thing is going to be on national TV.… Imagine watching a version of the Olympics where all the players have just picked up their equipment that morning.” Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » | 
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