Lexington woman appears on 4th TV game show. This one is hosted by LeVar Burton

Lexington writer and former Herald-Leader staffer Heather Chapman said this week she appeared on “Trivial Pursuit,” a game show hosted by LeVar Burton.

The show, which will air in May, is Chapman’s fourth TV game show appearance. She appeared on “Jeopardy” in 2009, won $20,000 on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” in 2019 and appeared on “Master Minds” in 2020.

Chapman, a self-described history buff, could not give many details about how she did on the show, which airs on the TV channel the CW at 9 p.m. on Thursdays.

“I can’t tell you how I did,” Chapman said, “But I can tell you that LeVar Burton held both my hands in his and said he believed in me and was proud of me for working so hard to get on the show. Not something I’ll ever forget.”

Chapman also said something memorable happened to her during taping: The production crew decided she was too short — even in high heels — and brought out a box for her to stand on. But in the confusion of so many crew members bustling around, she accidentally fell offstage.

“The floor was covered in huge cables and uplights the size of laundry baskets. There was basically nowhere I could land on my feet,” Chapman says. “But my footprints were so small with those stilettos, I actually did land on my feet in a tiny gap between cables, didn’t even hop. I instinctively threw both hands up like an Olympic gymnast, everyone started cheering, and I have never felt more flattered and humiliated in my life.”

Chapman also reflected on her love for game shows in an interview with the Herald Leader.

“Honestly it’s just a blast,” she said. “The money’s nice and all, but I don’t really care whether I win or not. Going on stage and being on the spot is a huge rush, I get to see dear friends I’ve met on other shows over the years and meeting LeVar Burton was a pretty nice bonus.”

The “Trivial Pursuit” game show is based on the popular board game of the same name. Burton, the host, is a longtime actor, appearing in the TV show “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and hosting the children’s educational program “Reading Rainbow.”

This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 2:23 PM.