Trivial Indeed, Part Deux: Absolutely Nothing You Ever Wanted to Know About Being on Jeopardy!

A couple of weeks ago, I took a a walk down my own personal Jeopardy! memory lane here at SixSeeds.tv.

Six years after I was on, people still seem to find it an interesting thing to talk about.  Luckily for me, I agree with them. So don’t get me started.   

Whoops… too late.  This week, how about Part Deux -- a little highly informative Q&A?  On second thought, let’s make that A&Q. And not highly informative.

A.    An honest answer to the most common query faced by every former Jeopardy contestant
Q.    What is “He’s all right, I suppose, but it’s not like you really get to know him, they pretty much keep you away from him when you’re not on camera, because they’re still worried about a recurrence of the quiz show scandals of the 50s, and they’d be bummed to read a headline like ‘Champion:  Alex gave me all the questions when we were partying at Trader Vic’s’ ”?

A.    This mysterious, seemingly benign Trebek activity, really seems to get under a lot of people’s skin
Q.    What is “Pronouncing foreign words with foreign accents”?

A.    This is what allows Alex to do that
Q.    What is ”He’s fluent in Foreign”?

A.    A 50-question written test with questions in 50 different subject areas
Q.    What is “All you had to pass to make it into the contestant pool… where you joined many, many other people just like you”?

A.    This group of people is well known for their likeability and savoir-faire
Q.     Who are Jeopardy! contestants, at least among themselves, perhaps because they’re all just like you (and by the way did you dig that correct French pronunciation of savoir-faire)?

A.    Five, and bringing several outfits, and then frantically mixing and matching them in the 15 minutes between each taping
Q.    How many shows do you tape a day, and how do you trick the world into thinking that each show is taped on a different day?

A.    Culver City, California, and no, actually
Q.    Where do they film it, and they pay your way there, right?

A.    A weird, conflicted, bonding experience
Q.    What describes you and the other contestants spending all day together, really liking one another, yet knowing that you’re going to end up playing two of these people (or more, if you win) later that day, and you’re going to destroy one another’s Jeopardy! dreams?
 
A.    A place where they taught you everything you need to know to win on Jeopardy!
Q.    What is ”The very place in which you were uniquely incapable of making yourself pay attention to the knowledge that would come in so handy right now, namely, high school”?

A.    It may surprise you to know that this actually can help you on the show
Q.  What is studying? So hang onto those old textbooks, just in case

A.    “The War of the Spanish Succession”
Q.    What is “Something you heard yourself say in one of your games even though as far as you can recall you had never, ever heard of it… and which was correct”?

A.    “It’s not multiple choice here – on this show, you actually have to know the answers”
Q.    What do Jeopardy! staffers say if, in their presence, you should happen to utter the phrase ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’?

A.    This other program is, however, mysteriously free from mockery on the set
Q.    What is “The only other show made by the same people who make Jeopardy!, and the only syndicated show more popular than Jeopardy!, and the only show with Vanna”?

A.    A good way to have everyone forget you were ever on Jeopardy!
Q.    What is being followed by that dude who won 74 games (though you’re not bitter)?

A.    Knowing a lot of stuff, apparently, and probably cheating somehow
Q.    How did that guy do that, anyway (and remember, you’re not bitter)?

A.    Absolutely
Q.    Would you recommend to anyone who’d even consider trying out for the show that they go for it?

A.    Yes
Q.    Is being on the show terrifying, or exhilarating?

A.    Totally
Q.    Finally, by the way, could Alex take Pat Sajak?