Nice article, Baritone; fun to read.

I tried out live for Jeopardy a couple of years ago, here in Miami.

According to the Jeopardy folks, almost 3,000 of us signed up. I know I saw at least 800-900 on the day I was there (there were two initial rounds on separate days, then a final round).

I was one of the semi-final 100 who made it through the first cut. From that group, 15 were to be selected the next day after another test. They would be eligible to be on the program (but wouldn't necessarily be called).

The next day, we were seated in a room with a video screen, and the questions began on the video, which physically, looked just like the program.

The questions, I thought, were MUCH harder than the ones on the program. Like you, I do pretty well in the comfort of my living room, but taking that test sure took me down a peg or two.

I did get a T-shirt, though...

Thanks Clavos,

You got a T-shirt, huh? Well, I guess you invested a great deal more time and effort than I did. That was the least they could have done. No doubt you earned it. I guess I'll have to find another route to my fifteen minutes of fame.

Of course the key to getting on and, especially winning on Jeapordy is not only how much one knows, but what is at least as important is how quickly one can recall and push that damn button.

That, I fear is my downfall. Oh, well. Life goes on.

Baritone

The Jeopardy! online test rules state that you can take the test again after one year, not two. Just FYI, so you can have another go at it next year!

Hmmm,

I thought I heard Alex Trebek say on the show that the on-line text could not be taken in successive years. Perhaps I mis-understood. But I don't know if I can learn EVERYTHING in just one year.

Well, maybe.

Baritone

I've always found that the most frustrating thing about Jeapordy! is that the cash prizes the winner gets is often much smaller than in other game shows. You can win cars and trips to Tahiti in addition to cash on Wheel of Fortune, and all you need to know in that game is some pop culture and how to play Hangman.

Of course the money one is likely to take away even from a fairly lengthy run on Jeapordy - Ken Jennings notwithstanding - pales in comparison to many of the other game shows - even going back to The $64000 Answer/Question programs in the 1950s.

I think the appeal of Jeapordy, though, is that it is attractive to brainiac types much moreso than any of the others. You actually have to KNOW something to win on Jeapordy, and be quick to boot. Success on most of the other game shows depends to a much greater extent on luck, or perhaps one's willingness to forego any semblance of dignity.

The prize money available on Jeapordy is not to be sneezed at, but I believe that for some at least, it is secondary to the ego boost winning provides all those smart folks. It was only a few years ago that the producers at Jeapordy doubled the money in the 2 rounds. Considering the kind of money Jeapordy likely reels in for Merv Griffin & Company (King World?) the prize money is pocket change.

Well the prize money is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, that's for sure. And the amount you can win is really up to you, your intellect, a quick thumb, and a ridiculous capacity for odd trivia. A huge amount of my (at-home) success in Jeopardy is educated guesses. If you have that strange sponge-like mind that Jeopardy requires, I think going with your gut is the best strategy.

And you're right, the bragging rights are a huge factor. I'd rather win $80,000 on a decent Jeopardy run than win $250,000 or more on some *multiple-choice* BS like "Millionaire" or "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" The main qualifications for those shows are looks and ability to squeal and yell and jump up and down and do whatever the network thinks people want to see. Most of those people are bloody idiots.

I attempted the online test in February. Wow. The title of this page sums it up pretty well. It's not just the sitting-at-home versus really being on the spot factor, either. The questions are considerably more difficult (The Jeopardy qualification test is to Jeopardy as Jeopardy is to Teen Jeopardy!).

Ridiculously hard qualification tests seem to be the standard for serious trivia gameshows, though. I passed the initial telephone test for "Win Ben Stein's Money" years ago, and I was pretty proud of that, since I'd woken up to the phone call and wasn't exactly prepared for it. But when I went to take the written test, I couldn't believe how hard the questions were (the other people there felt the same way). And I'm great at tests. What I don't understand is how people who somehow managed to pass these crazy tests make it on there and blow obvious questions. (Speaking of which, how many of you knew instantly that H&R Block was the answer to the question that finally sent Jennings out?) If you can pass that online test, you ought to be amazing at regular Jeopardy.

Oh well. I'll try again next year.

BTW - please, please, please spell "jeopardy" correctly! I came in second in my 5th grade spelling bee because I misspelled that stupid word. It haunts me to this day. I can spell it now, so don't screw it up for me! :P

Good luck next year!

Chris,

First, I'm amazed that you found this article buried in time as it must have been. I agree with both you and Clavos above about the greater difficulty of the test questions. At least we didn't have to second guess Einstein, or recall the plot turnings of Beowolf.

I suppose it's true of most of us that we have great recall about certain subjects and little or none with others. The more successful contestants seem to be able to recall bits and pieces pretty much across the board. That was certainly true of Jennings.

I must say I was happy for him. It made for some unusual excitement for the time he was on. Hurray for the geeks! I remember the game he lost. It was bound to happen, but throughout that particular show, I didn't really think he'd lose. The woman who unseated him wasn't particularly great. As I recall, she lost the very next game. Jennings just missed a couple of daily doubles if memory serves, and then blew the Final Jeapordy question. Such is life.

I may give it another shot come January, or whenever they offer it again. I've got nothing to lose but the 15 or 20 minutes it takes to go through it, and, of course, my pride. But my pride has taken much greater beatings than the trauma of blowing a Jeopardy test during the course of my life. I'm tough. I can take it.

Baritone

Re:Of course the money one is likely to take away even from a fairly lengthy run on Jeapordy - Ken Jennings notwithstanding - pales in comparison to many of the other game shows - even going back to The $64000 Answer/Question programs in the 1950s.

I think the appeal of Jeapordy, though, is that it is attractive to brainiac types much moreso than any of the others. You actually have to KNOW something to win on Jeapordy, and be quick to boot. Success on most of the other game shows depends to a much greater extent on luck, or perhaps one's willingness to forego any semblance of dignity.

The prize money available on Jeapordy is not to be sneezed at, but I believe that for some at least, it is secondary to the ego boost winning provides all those smart folks. It was only a few years ago that the producers at Jeapordy doubled the money in the 2 rounds. Considering the kind of money Jeapordy likely reels in for Merv Griffin & Company (King World?) the prize money is pocket change.




If you'd like to ensure success, it's probably fairly important you know how to spell the show's name.