# Jeopardy Auditions Post-Mortems **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 27, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851 "2009-05-27T22:08:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851/21 "2009-06-26T01:27:23Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Sorry for the hijack, but for those playing along at home, do you phrase your responses in the form of a question? I do at home when I am alone, but when I watch with someone else, it sounds too pretentious. > > I have hear they want interesting people playing but some of the contestants that I have seen over the years can make a bologna sandwich look titillating. I did when I was preparing to be on the show… but not before or after. In fact, when I was preparing for the show, I would play _Trivial Pursuit_ and my family and friends would say my answer was wrong unless I phrased it in the form of a question, just to reinforce the behavior. ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851/22 "2009-06-26T06:54:33Z")
> [@](#): > > but some of the contestants that I have seen over the years can make a bologna sandwich look titillating. Ah yes. I remember a woman who said that she had a cat with a pretty good sense of timing. This cat of hers jumped up on the table when it wanted to be fed. Hence a phrase that has entered my lexicon…“he’s so boring he doesn’t have a cat with a pretty good sense of timing” ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851/23 "2009-06-26T15:56:27Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > When I took the test, there was an attractive woman who made it to stage two. I thought she’d be a shoo-in to go all the way, but after responding to the clues in the mock game, she’d hem and haw in choosing the next category and amount. “I’ll take umm, uhhh, Music for uhh, uhhh, 200, please” Yeah, that’s annoying to watch. Lately (this week anyway) it seems that contestants really want to get as many questions in as they can, using just one word from the category title with no “please” or “I’ll take”. It seems almost rude, but it helps get the board cleared. Is there an unspoken rule that the contestants start with the lowest $ question? When a contestant starts with a higher figure, Alex almost always repeats it. It’s like whoever’s pushing the buttons needs an extra second because he didn’t expect the first in the category to be the $800 one. You hear “France” and you expect it to be followed by $200, so your finger’s hovering over the $200 button. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851/24 "2009-06-26T16:08:10Z")
Not a rule so much as a common practice. It’s not a bad idea, since sometimes the category has a pattern that the low-value clues establish. Also, if you jump to the middle or high range of a category you might be tempted to give a response that was used by a lower-value clue. So it’s a risky strategy. But a few players have intentionally jumped around categories and amounts unpredictably to throw off competitors. I’m not sure it worked, but I’ve heard that people tried it. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851/25 "2009-06-26T16:23:25Z")
A lot of times they jump around categories because they’re fishing for Daily Doubles. After the DDs have been found, then I think you are just messing with your competitors. And re the category names, I read (I think either in Ken Jennings’ or Bob Harris’ book, but maybe in a blog) that they tell you to shorten the category name to save time. So if the category is **Movies by Steven Spielberg** , you should just say **Spielberg**. Constantly saying “I’ll take” Spielberg for $200, “I’ll take,” “I’ll take” is just delay of game. At the audition I realized I was saying “please” too much and had to make myself stop. I imagine if you are playing a real game and are a little bit ahead you might do that to stall. It’s dirty pool, but it probably is done. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851/26 "2009-06-26T16:36:35Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Is there an unspoken rule that the contestants start with the lowest $ question? When a contestant starts with a higher figure, Alex almost always repeats it. It’s like whoever’s pushing the buttons needs an extra second because he didn’t expect the first in the category to be the $800 one. You hear “France” and you expect it to be followed by $200, so your finger’s hovering over the $200 button. I found that you build up a rhythm, so starting with a lower value question which you know you can answer helps. When people start at the top it seems to be mostly to catch up when behind. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851/27 "2009-06-26T16:38:34Z")
> [@Serenata67](#): > > It was an experience I wouldn’t give up for anything. It was amazing. I hope you get a phone call soon saying they want you! It took a couple months before I heard back, but I did… and it was a blast! My first thought after I finished my show was that I wanted to do it again. I also understood the rush my daughter got from acting. I just found out GSN reran it. I wished we got residuals - this was the second rerun I know of. No such luck. ---
**Author:** ![EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilHamsterOnCrack)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851/28 "2009-06-26T16:45:53Z")
I can’t wait till the college test comes back around, should be near the end of summer/fall if it follows the same pattern. I want to try to get on the college tourney while I can, but if not, I’m definitely gonna try to audition for the real thing. I only recently (2 years) started watching Jeopardy, and I just can’t get enough, I think I’m obsessed. I’ll play by myself of [J-Archive.org](http://J-Archive.org) at work when I have nothing to do. Maybe I’m not smart enough, but if I did go on Jeopardy, I know the first thing i’d do is flash card the hell out of the presidents so I know exactly who was president in what year. That seems to be a good strategy as its on almost every show. Same with characters/plots of Shakespeare plays. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851/29 "2009-06-26T17:05:36Z")
Presidents/ Vice Presidents. Monarchs Oscar, Grammy, Tony winners. Olympics. State Nicknames and Capitals Shakespeare and the Bible Charles Dickens, Mark Twain Geography … and a metric buttload of other facts which need to be known. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851/30 "2009-06-26T19:57:17Z")
> [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](#): > > Maybe I’m not smart enough, but if I did go on Jeopardy, I know the first thing i’d do is flash card the hell out of the presidents so I know exactly who was president in what year. That seems to be a good strategy as its on almost every show. Same with characters/plots of Shakespeare plays. This is a good strategy; I don’t understand people who go on the show without memorizing U.S. Presidents or betting strategies. Just this week, ALL three contestants missed a Final Jeopardy question, which when boiled down amounted to this: “Who was the President of the United States in 1895?” Not one of the three. Pathetic. That’s $10,000 or $20,000 you’re throwing away. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-auditions-post-mortems/497851.md?page=1)