Conference ljsrv1::tv_chatter

    What is Joyce's all time favorite game shows?
    
    I love it!!! I haven't been watching it much - I'm more of a cold
    winter viewer - but I love trying to 'ask the right questions'
    
    .........and for a true confession...........
    
    
    
    I find the "Teen Tournament" to be a challenge at times :^}
    
    Jt

this summer it's all reruns of previous tournements until september.

    I can offer some words of encouragement to anyone who would consider
    trying their luck as a contestant on Jeopardy.  If anyone is interested
    post a note here or send me mail.
    

    Please, post whatever you have to say here! I'm one of those people who
    plays at home along with the contestants and seems to do pretty well.
    Of course, in the studio, things are very different!

    I would encourage anyone who does well answering the questions while
    watching at home to give a thought to auditioning for the show.  The
    fact that they occasionally display a message soliciting people to
    try out as contestants indicates that they have a continuous need for
    people who are good at playing the game.  And if you are lucky in
    getting on the show and you don't come up against someone destined to
    be a five time champion you could end up doing very well.
    
    From my perspective, the game frequently hinges on how you do with your
    bet and answer on Final Jeopardy.  The categories for Final Jeopardy
    are fairly easy to predict: Geography, presidents, world literature,
    famous women, famous men, British royalty, the Bible, the Civil War,
    etc.  If you occasionally are able to correctly answer the final
    jeopardy question, I would say you have a good shot at fame and
    fortune.  And the only thing in your way then is passing the audition.
    
    The good thing about the audition is that it is free and open to the
    public.  The bad thing is that you have to get either to Los Angeles
    to do it or one of their contestant searches around the US or possibly
    at Merv Griffin's resort in Atlantic City.  The Los Angeles route
    usually requires you to notify them a couple of weeks before you'll be
    in the area so they can schedule the audition.  When I last checked,
    their number was (213)466-3931 between 10 am and 4:30 pacific time.
    If you can work the audition into some other plans involving a visit
    to the West Coast it wouldn't be so hard to take if you didn't pass 
    the audition.
    
    The hardest part of the audition is over fairly quickly - that's the
    written test that's given first which is designed to test the range of
    your general knowledge.  It has 50 questions covering 50 different
    categories and you have about 25 minutes or so to answer them.  To pass
    you need to get about 75% right.  Once over that hurdle you get to play
    a mock version of the game that is intended to let them see what kind
    of ability you have to think and speak while on your feet.  And if you
    make it through that they see how you do speaking about yourself while
    standing in front of a TV camera.  You are not told at the end of the
    audition how you did - instead they let you know that they will get in
    touch with you if they can use you on the show.  That's the hardest
    part to deal with, the uncertainty of whether you'll eventually get
    the call.
    
    If you get that far, let me know and I'll fill in the rest of the
    details.

    So "NORM", when are you going to be on? Sounds like you progressed
    through the process. Did you get "the call"?

    Because the staff who auditioned the group I was in advised us that
    they would be contacting us within the next few months if they were
    interested, I waited with anticipation.  They also said that if we did
    not hear from them within that time that we were not chosen.  After
    those few months came and went I resigned myself to not having made the
    cut.  Then after a total of about five months since the audition, I got
    "the call" one day at work and they wanted me to go out to L.A. as a
    contestant.  This invitation however does not cover any travel expenses
    so you need to make all of your own arrangements.  I chose to make it
    a vacation and visit Las Vegas on my way west in order to make an
    offering at the altar of the gods of good fortune.  This luck served me
    well as I managed to win the first and second games I played and then
    reality caught up with me as I stumbled and fell in the third game.
    The show broadcast in Sept '89 and then appeared in a couple seasons of
    the reruns.  The experience was almost like a dream and although it
    all culminated in one afternoon it was like an adventure with many
    chapters.

  Being a two time champion on Jeopardy is really good. Most people don't seem
to win more than once.

  Good going,
  George

    I'm definitely impressed! If they do another contestant search out this
    way again, I may go for it.
    
    Thanks for the inside view.

  Well it's that time of year again. Jeopardy just started their two week
tournament of Champions. 

  The Tournament of Champions consists of jeopardy champions through out year
going head to head to try to win the $100,000 1st prize. The contestants
consist of the winners of the college, teen, and senior tournaments, players
who throughout the year retired after winning 5 games in a row, and as many 4
time champions as needed to fill out the 15 player field. 

  Each match consists of 3 players. This week will consist of 5 quarter round
finals, one each day. The 5 winners and the 4 non-winners who finished with the
highest totals advance to the semi-finals which will be played next week on
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The 3 winners of those matches play a two day
match for the championship on Thursday and Friday of next week. 

  The questions for this championship are much tougher than normal. For example
if they asked you for the largest lake in Nevada you'd probably guess Lake
Tahoe but what's the largest lake completely enclosed in Nevada's boarder? Or
most people might guess that iron is a reddish colored element but what's the
other red element used to give red fireworks their color? Hint it is found in
nuclear fall out. 

  It's fun, tune in and play along but remember, you must phrase your answer in
the form of a question. 

  George