Ken Jennings, the former Jeopardy! champ who offers that Trebek smells like “knowledge and Old Spice,” explains in a Reddit AMA why some people are really good at the game. Amusingly (and appropriately), his user name for the Q&A sessions was “watsonsbitch.” His answer:

“Question:

How do you memorize the trivia and facts you’ve learned over the years?

Ken Jennings:

Almost without exception, the know-it-alls you see on Jeopardy are not Rain Man-style savants. They don’t sit at home memorizing the almanac. They are just interested in things. Crucially–and bizarrely–THEY ARE INTERESTED IN EVERYTHING.

Think about how easy it is to remember a fact when you’re interested in the subject. You don’t have to actively study lyrics of songs you like or names of players on your favorite team or characters on your TV show (unless it’s Game of Thrones, I guess). That stuff just sticks. We are wired to remember stuff effortlessly…if we want to.

So for better or for worse, it’s mostly a question of motivation. If you can convince yourself that a subject is interesting, facts will start to stay. That’s my theory anyway.”