Bay Packers, of course
I remember a show once which had Stormin’ Norman Schwartzkopf up against a Babewatch girl and some other fluff celebrity. He dominated the game, but one of the few he missed was “Who was Douglas MacArthur?” (I don’t remember the answer leading to that).
No craft services. Fine with me, since I’ve been to enough craft services when my daughter was acting. The cafeteria was more interesting.
I crammed, but it was useless, because I went on just when they switched to cute questions from fact questions. You never know what is going to help. My only Daily Double (and the only one anyone got) was in the category of Famous Fred, and consisted of them playing the “I’ m Too Sexy” song. I got it (the singer is Right Said Fred) but only because it was the music to a dance in a play my daughter was in, and we went to five stores to find the single. I earned Jep cred from being an old geezer who knew that answer. 
It also helped that the returning champ was named Fred - and I creamed him in this category (if no other.)
The questions really have changed, haven’t they? These days it seems like it’s 90% pop culture, cutesy word play, etc. I had categories like Art, Mythology, Sewing. I wouldn’t even pass the test today, I don’t think.
You’re given no hint to the clues, so all you can do, as others have suggested, is study a few obvious subjects. I tried to memorize the order of the presidents, state and national capitals, etc. Didn’t really pay off for me.
While you watch the games ahead of you, as the new categories come up you’re saying, “Oh, I wish I could have gotten that one!”
As it happened, there were 12 of us the first day I taped, and I wasn’t selected for any of the shows taped that day. So I came back the second day, with a slight advantage of having been through the whole orientation process before. Although I hadn’t played, I had a slight “been there, done that” attitude that may have given me a slight edge over the other players.
Another little thing I remember: just before we came back for Final Jeopardy, the contestant coordinator said, “If you don’t know the answer, go for funny.”
I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but I practiced for the buzzer using a clicky ballpoint pen while watching at home before I went on the show (I’m pretty sure the contestant coordinators suggested this at the audition).
I don’t think that’s embarrassing at all, h.sapiens – I was still a smoker at that point, so I used my lighter, upside-down. That is, in fact, the #1 piece of advice I’ve given to people I know who have made it on: Practice standing up in your living room with something in your hand to act like the buzzer.
I did that too, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
What I do regret, though, is that I didn’t adapt my “buzzing” style to the challenge of a new player on my second day. I had realized that holding the button with your forearm at a 90-degree-angle from your body could lead to larger arm movements (like banging a gavel) that that could actually lengthen your reaction time. So I held my hands crossed below the desk level. This worked well in the first show, but in the second the eventual winner was consistently getting in before me. I had fewer wrong answers on the second show than the first, and if I had tried a different style with the button, I might have done better.
The latest updated list:
Doper Year wins place amount notes
5 time champ 2001 5 $50,703
annieclaus 1967 0 2nd
AugestWest 2004 1 2nd $31,100
Blanx 2001 0 2nd
Captain Lance Murdoch 1997 2
Colibri 1974
Commasense 1991 1 2nd $7,201
ElvisL1ves 1996 0 2nd
h.sapiens 1994 5 $62,000 semi-finals of tournament
jsc1953 1988 0 3rd
Mama Tiger 1994 0 3rd lost to a five-time champ
Mr. Moto 2000 0 2nd
Richardb 1984
The Man Who 2003 1 $50,000 Myron Myers, in one show
Tracy Lord 2004 0 2nd $5,000 2 Teen Jeopardy! shows
Twickster 1994 3 2nd $46,000
Walloon 1997 1 2nd $4,100
Voyager 1997 0 2nd
Eighteen dopers, ranging over a period of 37 years! And I’m looking forward to adding more soon. (Go, TeaElle!)
I’m still looking for any additions or updates, including those I asked for in post #33. (Capt. Lance, Colibri, richardb?)
Thanks.
The latest updated list:
Doper Year wins place amount notes
5 time champ 2001 5 $50,703
annieclaus 1967 0 2nd
AugestWest 2004 1 2nd $31,100
Blanx 2001 0 2nd
Captain Lance Murdoch 1997 2
Colibri 1974
Commasense 1991 1 2nd $7,201
ElvisL1ves 1996 0 2nd
h.sapiens 1994 5 $62,000 semi-finals of tournament
jsc1953 1988 0 3rd
Mama Tiger 1994 0 3rd lost to a five-time champ
Mr. Moto 2000 0 2nd
Richardb 1984
The Man Who 2003 1 $50,000 Myron Myers, in one show
Tracy Lord 2004 0 2nd $5,000 2 Teen Jeopardy! shows
Twickster 1994 3 2nd $46,000
Walloon 1997 1 2nd $4,100
Voyager 1997 0 2nd
Eighteen dopers, ranging over a period of 37 years! And I’m looking forward to adding more soon. (Go TeaElle!)
I’m still looking for any additions or updates, including those I asked for in post #33. (Capt. Lance, Colibri, richardb?)
Thanks.
I was on an episode that aired in July 1999. I got 3rd place.
I got waxed in the tryouts in Atlanta in 1999. The group of 75 was cut down to 6 in about 30 minutes, and I did not make the cut. I used to curse at the TV at how stupid some of the people on Jeopardy are, I don’t do that anymore because they all passed a test that I could not. :smack:
Not much to add, but I will anyway:
I tried out in person, combining it with a trip to Disneyland. I got the call to appear on the show about 9 months later, with 2 days notice… “can you be here on Monday?”. Not much time to cram, and I didn’t bother.
At the start of the show, Alex announced that they were featuring contestants who had scored particularly well on the test, so apparently they do some sort of matching of test scores. I was leading after the first round (Alex said I was “impressive”), but then inexplicably felt like I could coast to the finish line. Bet it all on FJ, and lost, to the defending champion, who went on to win (IIRC) 4 games.
My lovely parting gift was a stove. I lived in an apartment. :smack: so I donated it to charity.
And I sat in the audience and watched the next taping.
About 6 mos later my ex-girlfriend was on the show, and won.
I posted a much longer account of my experience on the " Ken Jennings and Jeopardy!" thread because I ran across it first (I am catching up after not visiting these boards for a few months now):
It should be the last post on the second page. If you are really interested in Jeopardy trivia about the beginnings of the show (at least, the Alex Trebeck era show), then it might be interesting reading.
I think I came in third (it might have been second, I’m really not 100% sure after 20 years, and I’m not motivated enough to dig up the VCR tape to check), losing to the very first 5-time champion on this version of Jeopardy!. No one except the winner kept any money, and in those first weeks of the shows tapings, the second and third place prizes were kind of sucky. I think I won paint or carpeting or something, and never bothered claiming the prizes.
Nothing to add I haven’t before, except to relate again that I won, as a consolation prize, a week’s vacation at the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort in Puerto Rico.
Nearly a year after the air date, Mrs. Moto and I used the trip as our honeymoon. 
TeaElle: Have you taped yet? Air date? Any news?
Do foreign versions of Jeopardy count?
Yeah, let us know.
For that matter, I think we should compile a game show list. Has anyone here been on the Price is Right?
Well, back in 1999 my wife and I were on a special, one-time Couples Tounament of the Israeli version of Jeopardy (identical format, much better host). We went up against two other pairs of newlyweds, answered everything correctly, and won 14,200 shekels.
My wife and I made a great team. Apart, neither of us would have won - the respective gaps in our knowlege were too large. Between the two of us, though, we knew everything. Have you heard of couples “completing” each other? Well, we found a way to make money off it. The only reason the other couples took any money at all was by having better buzzer reflexes.