# I passed the Jeopardy! try-out today. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363 "2006-03-21T23:15:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/1 "2006-03-21T23:15:01Z")
(Mods - Please feel free to move this to MPSIMS or elsewhere if this is in the wrong forum.) I just got back from the Jeopardy! auditions in Salt Lake City and I passed. Whoo-hoo! I now have the potential of making a fool of myself in front of millions of people. About 1400 people tried the first quiz (with the non-cute blonde members of the Clue Crew), and three groups were chosen for the next test. I was in the first group for the first test with @60 others. 17 of us were chosen for the next round of interviews and mock game. Now I’m in the “pool” of potential contestants to be called on. Now, If I can only get the people at Jeopardy! to realize that their show really needs another pudgy balding lawyer. . . ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/2 "2006-03-21T23:29:19Z")
Congratulations! Here’s hoping we see you on Jeopardy! in the near future! I’ve thought about trying out for a number of different game shows, but never gone so far as to actually do so. One of these days, maybe… What was the testing like? I can imagine it might be fairly strenuous. But how hard are the tests, really? Judging from some of the questions (or should I say answers?) I see on the program, I’d bet it’s somewhat difficult. But I do love watching–some days I’m really smart, and others–well, the word\* ignorant\* comes to mind! 😉 Anyway, good luck, and keep us updated! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/3 "2006-03-21T23:43:06Z")
Add my congrats as well. Dish as much as you can without running afoul of the confidentiality and proprietory information agreements you doubtlessly had to sign. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/4 "2006-03-21T23:47:08Z")
Congratulations! You also reminded me that I got an e-mail from the Jeopardy! Web site the other day and am set up to take the test online next week. So now I’m registered. Thanks a bunch! ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/5 "2006-03-21T23:53:10Z")
Big congrats, **Reloy3**! Taking that test a few times has given me tremendous respect for anyone I see on that show. > [@Chanteuse](#): > > What was the testing like? I can imagine it might be fairly strenuous. But how hard are the tests, really? It’s been a number of years since I’ve tried out, but the three times I did were exactly the same (don’t know if it’s changed in recent years). You’re given a sheet of paper with 10 questions. You have, IIRC, seven minutes to answer them. They’re on a very broad range of subjects, they’re roughly the difficulty level of the $1,000-2,000 questions, and you need to get at least eight correct to move on. I think my best was five correct. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/6 "2006-03-22T00:19:45Z")
Here is [sample test](http://hometown.aol.com/tdciago/jeopardytestanswers.html) that is not really. Still it seemed pretty hard. I tried to answer them fairly quickly, as if I was on the show and I got 11 right. There were several I could have gotten if I allowed myself to think more. Still, most of them I had no clue. Good job **Reloy** ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/7 "2006-03-22T00:22:01Z")
Not to spoil the party, but as you wait by your phone for a call from the _Jeopardy!_ production office, keep in mind that they have a pool of about four times as many contestants as they can use in one year. They do this so they can have a good mix of gender, geography, age, and occupation. I passed the contestant exam, waited a year, and never got a call back. So I took the exam again, passed, and this time they called me. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/8 "2006-03-22T00:35:40Z")
I’ve been in the pool four times so far. No call back. I presume (judging from the examples at every try-out I’ve been to) that there is a glut of middle-aged white guys auditioning. And it is an audition; they don’t care how well you can answer the questions (they turned off my buzzer in one of my mock games) but how good you will look on TV. If I could get The Wife to try out I am sure she would get on, but She has no interest in being a nationally recognizable geek-master. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/9 "2006-03-22T00:41:43Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > And it is an audition; they don’t care how well you can answer the questions (they turned off my buzzer in one of my mock games) but how good you will look on TV. Do you have any other reason to think that? I wish I could get on Jeopardy – I’d mop up. I used to be a champion Quiz Bowl player. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/10 "2006-03-22T00:43:47Z")
Cool beans. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/11 "2006-03-22T00:45:31Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Do you have any other reason to think that? You mean aside from my being loud, rude and obnoxious in person? Nope… ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/12 "2006-03-22T00:46:06Z")
Good luck! I got called to be a contestant back in 2003. The week they wanted me to be on the show, I had to go on a business trip. Instead of being on _Jeopardy!_ in glamorous, sunny Southern Californa, I was in cold-and-rainy Murray, Kentucky, guest-lecturing to a bunch of students who could not have been less interested. Yep, still bitter. Oh yeah, I knew I had a reason for dredging up the pain: It was, IIRC, about seven months after I tried out that I got the call. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/13 "2006-03-22T00:59:15Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > You mean aside from my being loud, rude and obnoxious in person? Nope… 😕 How could that not be what they’re looking for? It’s a **game show!** ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/14 "2006-03-22T01:23:59Z")
I’m pretty darn sure there was a Doper who was on Jeopardy. Now, who was it? Anyway, good luck, **Reloy3**. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/15 "2006-03-22T01:40:34Z")
Thanks for reminding me- I watched _Jeopardy!_ last night and Alex was telling us to sign up for an online test next week. I did just now. > [@Sal Ammoniac](#): > > I’m pretty darn sure there was a Doper who was on Jeopardy. Now, who was it? There are at least two: **5 time champ** , who was, as the name suggests, a 5-time champ, and **The Man Who** , who, until Ken Jennings’ record run, held the one-day record for most money earned. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/16 "2006-03-22T02:23:52Z")
Let’s not forget 5 time champ **h. sapiens**. IIRC **Twickster** was 3 day champ. **August West** , **Annie Xmas**. . . there is a roster around here somewhere. **Mr Moto** came in second, but took Mrs Moto on their honeymoon with the trip he won. Good luck **Reloy3** , don’t be discourage if they don’t call the first, or even second time. I was in the pool three times before they finally called. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/17 "2006-03-22T03:10:43Z")
> [@5 time champ](#): > > IIRC **Twickster** was 3 day champ. Correct. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/18 "2006-03-22T03:57:33Z")
Are you working on any kind of strategy? Ken Jennings said one of the things that worked to his advantage was being able to speed-read the answer and buzz in before Alex could finish saying it out loud. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/19 "2006-03-22T04:20:08Z")
That’s not possible. You can’t buzz in with your question until Alex finishes reading the clue. There are small red lights near the game board that go on when you can buzz in. If you try to buzz in before then, you will be locked out for a second or so. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363/20 "2006-03-22T04:36:31Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > That’s not possible. You can’t buzz in with your question until Alex finishes reading the clue. There are small red lights near the game board that go on when you can buzz in. If you try to buzz in before then, you will be locked out for a second or so. True. But if you read the question quicker, you’ve got more time to think about it, while people who just listen to Alex (in theory) can’t really consider it until he’s done speaking. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-passed-the-jeopardy-try-out-today/349363.md?page=2)