Another story in the Pursuit of Life, Liberty, Happiness and Trivia.
As far as I can remember, informal classroom situation, a quiz contest, or a television show, I remember being up for them all. The schools I went to were never hyper competitive, and my parents were pretty laissez-faire. At home, the love for learning was always nurtured. Despite the chilled out atmosphere, the pursuit of knowledge for me is an end in itself.
My friend Usha and I cut class in early high school for the first and only time just for the experience. She wanted to see a film, and I roped her in for a local quiz show. There were many school children from other schools in their uniforms, and my friend felt she missed class for nothing. She was bummed with me for long time. After all, we veered away from that romantic film we had planned on going to originally.
Another time, as a teenager, my friend Mala and I went to this highly competitive post graduate quiz show. We were the youngest, and these competitors were highly prepared. They knew the format and the walk and talk of it all. We were the quiz ingénues. However, in retrospect, I must give kudos to us for boldly venturing where no girl our age group wanted to go. The quiz was difficult, and our knowledge bank balance was inversely proportional to our quest for it. Surprisingly, we got a few answers right. Of course, when the correct responses were tabulated, we were among the lowest scorers. Still, the prize was already won; it was being part of this quiz contest. Despite our not very stellar performance, we ended up fending a lot of admirers off, only because it was completely a male-dominated scenario.
In my twenties, I got married, and came to the US. Motherhood followed shortly after. The only television shows we watched at home when the children were awake other than Sesame Street, at least in their very early years, were Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune back to back. My favorite show has always been Jeopardy!
Through the years we watched other shows;” Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” “The Missing Link”, “The Pyramid”, and similar ones, but the Holy Grail for me has always been Jeopardy!
My family always encouraged me with kind words when I got the answers right. But it’s my daughter who kept telling me to audition for shows. She was only a first grader when the popular show “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” aired. One day, when Regis wrapped up the show for the day, she quickly got out my address book, scribbled away something that looked like the number of the show.
Then she began egging me to call, and I did.
They had an interesting way of picking up prospective candidates. If memory serves me right, you had to call at a particular time. Most of the time you got a busy signal. If you were lucky to get through, you would be asked a few questions. If you answered them correctly, then you would have a shot at being a participant. I tried several times, and busy signals greeted me. A couple of times I did get through, and don’t remember if or how I got through with all correct answers for the few questions that followed. Still I love the faith my family reposed in me as the family’s Trivia Queen.
2011
Empty Nester is not a label I will subscribe to. Not governed by alarms, by schedules, by chauffeur duties, car sharing, and the like, the world is now my oyster.
So when the net audition for “Jeopardy!” is announced, I sign up for it.
I wait in anticipation. I watch more shows, peruse through some formats on the internet, and do not really prepare for it. The day arrives and I settle down to answer the volley of Internet questions. I forget about it soon after.
Then this letter arrives a few weeks later.
“PRINT OUT AND BRING THIS LETTER WITH YOU – ADULT INTERVIEW
Congratulations! We are happy to confirm your appointment to participate in the full audition for Jeopardy!. That will consist of playing a “mock version” of Jeopardy! to assess your game-playing skills, a short personality interview, and being re-tested with a new 50-question test. If you pass all the requirements to become a contestant you will be entered into the contestant pool for one year. However even though you pass the test, we cannot guarantee that you will be invited to do the show. In fact, even though you are invited to the studio, there is no guarantee that you will appear on the show. You will be responsible for all expenses such as parking and travel to and from the audition center. If you were invited to Los Angeles to do the show you would also be responsible for expenses to come to Los Angeles.
Your appointment is in: LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (CULVER CITY)
RADISSON HOTEL L.A. WESTSIDE
6161 W. CENTINELA AVENUE
CULVER CITY, CA 90230
(310) 649-1776
THURSDAY – APRIL 14TH – 9:00 AM
Please do not call the Hotel for appointment information. Please allow plenty of time for traffic and parking.
TESTING STARTS PROMPTLY AT THE APPOINTMENT TIME, AND NO ONE CAN BE ADMITTED IF THEY ARE LATE.”
With excitement, I email my immediate and extended family, and close friends with this information.
“Dear All,
After passing the first audition to Jeopardy!, I have been selected to tryout in LA. I will be going to Culver City, CA on the 14th morning to have another round. Of course, I might just have the experience of trying out, winning again may be a long shot. Even if I pass the audition, there is no guarantee of being picked as they word it clearly in the privacy terms. I feel grateful for this opportunity, and it will be an experience even if my jeopardy journey ends with that. Thought I would share this with family.”
I get calls and letters of encouragement, and best wishes. Trivia tips pour in, and one family member sends me a wish that I will not have Watson as an opponent.
For the try-out, I am asked to fill a form that looks like this.
“IF YOU BECOME A CONTESTANT ON “JEOPARDY!” WE NEED TO KNOW SOME INTERESTING BITS OF INFORMATION ABOUT YOU TO BE USED DURING OUR ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW WITH ALEX TREBEK.
PLEASE LIST 5 BRIEF BITS ABOUT YOURSELF BELOW. THEY ONLY NEED TO BE ONE-LINERS.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOB, HOBBIES, EMBARRASSING MOMENTS, CLAIMS TO FAME, (AWARDS, HONORS, ETC.) YOUR WILDEST AMBITION OR SOME UNUSUAL THINGS YOU COLLECT.”
I quickly fill up the information, email it to them.
Then I book a flight to Southern California immediately, and I continue to wait. There is from my side, no major prepping, because I believe I will have to tap into what I have cottoned on in this journey called Life. After all I am older now, which means I am wiser. I however, try to brush up questions on Presidents and sports history.
I leave a day early for sunny LA. I stay in the same hotel where the audition is going to be held. Alone, I go out to dinner, and generally enjoy my environs exploration.
The next morning, I am all set to go to the audition.
We wait outside before the double doors open up. Then, the excitement begins.
First, a Polaroid picture is taken of each entrant. We fill and sign some forms, and then we’re ushered into the room. The head contestant searchers are two individuals who go by the first names of Maggie and Kevin. They really keep it casual. Maggie has a personality that literally has a put-me-at-ease quality, and I am almost lightheaded. Why stress, right? I remember her last name, just because of her way speaking that put you at ease…speak-easy, Maggie Speak!
I look around the room, and the prospective contestant population looks like a large crowd. It feels good that Americans are an informative lot. Maggie and Kevin ask names and enquire about people, their coordinates, their occupation and such. We begin to introduce ourselves, and it’s easy to get intimidated with the other contestant accomplishments. Then they ask people if they have auditioned before. I’m surprised about the tenacity of some members who indicate they’re doing the in-person auditioning the fourth or fifth time.
We’re then given a fifty-question test to answer; it’s a pen and paper test. The format feels like a spelling test in elementary schools, neatly numbered. It’s a timed test. You’re supposed to put the correct question according to the answer number. It’s Jeopardy after all. They give us a special Jeopardy! pen. It has a resemblance to the buzzer.
The Q and A fly by fast and furious, and they cover a whole gamut of areas. I feel good about my responses, and rightly so. The response sheets are collected and they’re immediately scored in the back of the room. That gives us the time for bathroom breaks, and we also engage in wonderful discussions of behind the scenes” Jeopardy!” The coordinators also provide some historical show anecdotes.
The next step involves calling people for a mock contest by threes. Though they do not say so, my guess is that they have some sort of cut-off score on the written test to go there. I hope I’m on this next list. After a while, I hear them call my name and feel a bit woozy. Slowly I release my crossed fingers. I take a deep breath, and go on to play.
The stage is set for a mock-up show. Alex Trebek, the categories and questions flash on a large screen. The contestant screeners sit in front of us.
The two other opponents are fierce, and I am happy to say that this not deter me. I had already channeled my inner tiger to focus and to do my best. It’s a good match, and the buzzer does not always respond. Yes, we had the real buzzer. As in the real format, the screeners interview us during the first break. They ask me to elaborate an embarrassing moment in my life. I tell them how I fell asleep as a teenager while doing my Corpse pose in my yoga class. I remember looking up to tittering voices and faces looking down at me, as I slowly awakened! Apparently the class was long over, but I was in my Yogic slumber for a while.The audience politely laughs, as I recount this experience. The two other contestants recount their experience, and for some strange reason, I cannot recall now what their experiences were. Despite the cool exterior, it feels like you’re put in a spot during this time. This is the part I usually use the fast forward button were it a real show. We finish the test, and we go back to our seats. The screeners continue their work trying to select the next candidate.
Then it’s all done, and the pool of contestants is revealed. I am part of the 400 contestants who make up this pool, and this is a conglomeration of individuals from different regions of the country. The organizers congratulate us and inform us that Jeopardy! is not a show that handpicks contestants based on personality. It’s like a lottery henceforth, and only a lucky few from this pool go on to become show contestants. We have 18 months to stay in this pool and wait for a call, which will come for a lucky few. They let us take the pen, it’s a special memento, not sold anywhere.
A year and beyond….
Life goes on with its entire vicissitudes. The eighteen month period passes without a call.
A few more years roll by, and I have more memories along with that special pen. Whenever I look at it, I remember a T-shirt that big cities often sell. “I went to SF and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.” Then I tell myself that this is one experience I will treasure forever. It’s not often one gets to be part of the pool of contestants for what is, Jeopardy!
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