17.6.04
Oh yeah, Jeopardy!
So I tried out for Jeopardy! on Tuesday at the Omni Shoreham. I didn't pass the test (Part I of the audition) so I was not invited to hang around and play their mock game (Part II of the audition). I mean ... don't you think this post would've been up on Tuesday if I had passed?
Anyway, I arrived around 2:10, in plenty of time to fill out the biographical information sheet. You have to include five anecdotes or unusual pieces of information about yourself for the chit-chat with Alex Trebek. Mine weren't very good as I don't lead a very unusual or embarrassing life, nor do I have that many funny stories that are, say, kosher for Grandma's ears.
There must have been about 70 people there when they shut the doors. Having already taken the test once (Cleveland 2002) I knew most of everything they went over before giving the actual test. On the one hand, I didn't feel like answering their stupid questions or raising my hand during the sample question rounds, but I knew these people were looking out for enthusiastic characters—people who really, desperately want to be on the show. (I want to be on, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't ... you know ... take care of the contestant guy's cat or anything.) So I put on my Excited Face and used my High School Arms to the best of my ability.
Test time. It was really pretty hard. You have to get 35 out of 50 correct (see my related post), I believe, and the categories are many and varied. You have eight seconds to respond to each question and your answer need not be phrased as a question.
I shan't reveal any specific questions since discussion of specifics over an uncontrolled, widely accessible medium (e.g., the Internet) is probably grounds for not getting my name pulled out of the audition hat in the future. (Hey, I mean it's possible that more than seven people will read this.) But let's just say I blanked on things like name brand jets, Grammy-winning R&B bands which have splintered, and Shakespearean characters. Among the categories I nailed were alphabetical geography of South America (bling!), British films about girls' soccer, and British monarchy. They don't tell you your score, but I estimate I got about 25 right, having left at least 12 blank and getting the rest wrong.
Anyway, I arrived around 2:10, in plenty of time to fill out the biographical information sheet. You have to include five anecdotes or unusual pieces of information about yourself for the chit-chat with Alex Trebek. Mine weren't very good as I don't lead a very unusual or embarrassing life, nor do I have that many funny stories that are, say, kosher for Grandma's ears.
There must have been about 70 people there when they shut the doors. Having already taken the test once (Cleveland 2002) I knew most of everything they went over before giving the actual test. On the one hand, I didn't feel like answering their stupid questions or raising my hand during the sample question rounds, but I knew these people were looking out for enthusiastic characters—people who really, desperately want to be on the show. (I want to be on, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't ... you know ... take care of the contestant guy's cat or anything.) So I put on my Excited Face and used my High School Arms to the best of my ability.
Test time. It was really pretty hard. You have to get 35 out of 50 correct (see my related post), I believe, and the categories are many and varied. You have eight seconds to respond to each question and your answer need not be phrased as a question.
I shan't reveal any specific questions since discussion of specifics over an uncontrolled, widely accessible medium (e.g., the Internet) is probably grounds for not getting my name pulled out of the audition hat in the future. (Hey, I mean it's possible that more than seven people will read this.) But let's just say I blanked on things like name brand jets, Grammy-winning R&B bands which have splintered, and Shakespearean characters. Among the categories I nailed were alphabetical geography of South America (bling!), British films about girls' soccer, and British monarchy. They don't tell you your score, but I estimate I got about 25 right, having left at least 12 blank and getting the rest wrong.
perma-linky posted by degs : 12:12
