Three people who've never been in my kitchen
April 13, 2015 11:47 AM Subscribe
This Tuesday through Thursday (April 14th to 16th) is the latest Jeopardy! online contestant test. Are you ready?
The show has amassed a dedicated fan community, and much work has gone into strategies for getting on the show, including webinars, archives of past tests, and debate over the significance of one's score.
Mefites on Jeopardy.
The show has amassed a dedicated fan community, and much work has gone into strategies for getting on the show, including webinars, archives of past tests, and debate over the significance of one's score.
Mefites on Jeopardy.
Psst, think you mean this for archives of past tests.
Why, yes, this is already on my calendar. Why do you ask?
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 11:53 AM on April 13, 2015
Why, yes, this is already on my calendar. Why do you ask?
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 11:53 AM on April 13, 2015
Thank you for reminding me of this. I apparently missed the reminder when I received it from the Sony website. When I do not qualify again this year, I'll be sure to thank you.
(But seriously, thank you.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:04 PM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
(But seriously, thank you.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:04 PM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yeah, the reminder is helpful. I should brush up on my pop culture a bit, remind myself who won Oscars recently, etc. I've made it to the second round twice, so I'm hopeful that the third time's the charm.
posted by tau_ceti at 12:11 PM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by tau_ceti at 12:11 PM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oh man, I totally forgot. Need to clear the calendar tomorrow evening. I've had two in-person auditions since they started doing online tests, but obviously I haven't been called for the show. There was one contestant in my last audition who showed up in monk's robes and was, to boot, both personable and an excellent player. At the time I thought, yep, he'll make the show. And of course he did (and I think he was a multi-day champion).
posted by uncleozzy at 12:14 PM on April 13, 2015
posted by uncleozzy at 12:14 PM on April 13, 2015
[+] for the title
posted by Rock Steady at 12:23 PM on April 13, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 12:23 PM on April 13, 2015 [8 favorites]
I'm still waiting for Trebek to retire so I can try out again. Every time I think about Jeopardy I think about the 2 or 3 crucial questions I messed up on my episode, blah.
posted by kmz at 12:28 PM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by kmz at 12:28 PM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
I took a city-specific online test in December and actually got called in for an interview when the producers came to town -- my only bit of advice is to film yourself taking the test (it only takes a few minutes) so you can go back later and see what you got right or wrong.
posted by Clustercuss at 12:35 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Clustercuss at 12:35 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm afraid to sign up. If I did actually get on the show I'm pretty sure I'd giggle uncontrollably the entire time while the little voice inside my head kept shouting, "Say Turd Ferguson! Say it!"
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 12:43 PM on April 13, 2015 [15 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 12:43 PM on April 13, 2015 [15 favorites]
I took a city-specific online test in December and actually got called in for an interview when the producers came to town
I got called for an interview too! This is the first time I'm not allowed to take the test since I've had an interview in the past year. I'm sure it's also the LAST time that will happen, but it feels good anyway to be like "oh, no, I can't take that test, I am already on the list."
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:48 PM on April 13, 2015
I got called for an interview too! This is the first time I'm not allowed to take the test since I've had an interview in the past year. I'm sure it's also the LAST time that will happen, but it feels good anyway to be like "oh, no, I can't take that test, I am already on the list."
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:48 PM on April 13, 2015
A partnership between Jeopardy and Twitch.tv would be interesting for at least a portion of the candidate competition. Even though it may be outside their traditional expected target market, there are a lot of people on twitch of all ages, and has the potential to bring in new viewers with minimal cost.
- Twitch's platform means streaming costs would be less than going elsewhere, and already has an established audience able to view the stream on PCs, mobile devices, and consoles.
- Initial competitions could be stream from people's homes, and the default delay means the viewers can't help them.
- Advanced competitions could be held at the various gaming cons, under more controlled and monitored conditions, which further promote the show.
- A very small portion of categories /questions could be added that target the twitch audience, but only a very small fraction - not enough to skew the selection process, but just a bit to keep things rolling.
- Viewer interaction further promotes the brand throughout the rest of the Twitch audience.
- Although calling gamers 'nerdy' is an ever-increasingly false stereotype, it's hard to dismiss a least a bit of an overlap between the two groups - 'gamers' (particularly PC gamers) and 'people who might be good at Jeopardy.'
posted by chambers at 12:52 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
- Twitch's platform means streaming costs would be less than going elsewhere, and already has an established audience able to view the stream on PCs, mobile devices, and consoles.
- Initial competitions could be stream from people's homes, and the default delay means the viewers can't help them.
- Advanced competitions could be held at the various gaming cons, under more controlled and monitored conditions, which further promote the show.
- A very small portion of categories /questions could be added that target the twitch audience, but only a very small fraction - not enough to skew the selection process, but just a bit to keep things rolling.
- Viewer interaction further promotes the brand throughout the rest of the Twitch audience.
- Although calling gamers 'nerdy' is an ever-increasingly false stereotype, it's hard to dismiss a least a bit of an overlap between the two groups - 'gamers' (particularly PC gamers) and 'people who might be good at Jeopardy.'
posted by chambers at 12:52 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
What is "Sandstorm" by Darude, Alex.
posted by griphus at 1:00 PM on April 13, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by griphus at 1:00 PM on April 13, 2015 [8 favorites]
I can think of few things more horrific to imagine than "Twitch plays Jeopardy"
posted by backseatpilot at 1:01 PM on April 13, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by backseatpilot at 1:01 PM on April 13, 2015 [5 favorites]
If I did actually get on the show I'm pretty sure I'd giggle uncontrollably the entire time while the little voice inside my head kept shouting, "Say Turd Ferguson! Say it!"
If Final Jeopardy were a category I knew I would fail on, I would have a hard time not wagering "$TEXAS" or "sucK it trebek."
posted by entropicamericana at 1:02 PM on April 13, 2015 [4 favorites]
If Final Jeopardy were a category I knew I would fail on, I would have a hard time not wagering "$TEXAS" or "sucK it trebek."
posted by entropicamericana at 1:02 PM on April 13, 2015 [4 favorites]
Somebody signed up for the test using my email address, so I got their Jeopardy email out of the blue. I think that automatically counts as failing.
posted by darksasami at 1:10 PM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by darksasami at 1:10 PM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
I've made it through the initial screening bit to get to an invite to an in-person screening three times now, though the third time I didn't manage to make it to the in-person screening because of the death of a close friend.
I think I do pretty well, generally, on the trivia part. Does anyone have concrete suggestions for dress, comportment, etc to maximize your chances of selection if you make it to the in-person test?
posted by Nerd of the North at 1:32 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think I do pretty well, generally, on the trivia part. Does anyone have concrete suggestions for dress, comportment, etc to maximize your chances of selection if you make it to the in-person test?
posted by Nerd of the North at 1:32 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
When I was on I specifically paid for my wife's engagement ring the day before I flew out--with it being delivered the day I got back--so I would not be in any way tempted to propose to her if I didn't know the final jeopardy question. (We had previously discussed that I was not in any way to attempt this.)
But as it turns out, if you don't know the answer, the only thing you are thinking about for the longest thirty seconds of your life is What the hell is the name of the woman who founded Christian Science?
posted by thecaddy at 1:36 PM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
But as it turns out, if you don't know the answer, the only thing you are thinking about for the longest thirty seconds of your life is What the hell is the name of the woman who founded Christian Science?
posted by thecaddy at 1:36 PM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
Since nobody else has done it, mad props for the Cliff Clavin reference in the FPP title.
posted by Shepherd at 1:36 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Shepherd at 1:36 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Registered last week. Eagerly awaiting further instructions.
posted by DrAstroZoom at 1:41 PM on April 13, 2015
posted by DrAstroZoom at 1:41 PM on April 13, 2015
Does anyone have concrete suggestions for dress, comportment, etc to maximize your chances of selection if you make it to the in-person test?
They want to see that you're having fun, not treating the audition like a test to stress out over. At least that was my takeaway from the couple of in-person auditions I've been to.
posted by stopgap at 1:48 PM on April 13, 2015
They want to see that you're having fun, not treating the audition like a test to stress out over. At least that was my takeaway from the couple of in-person auditions I've been to.
posted by stopgap at 1:48 PM on April 13, 2015
I totally was going to go for a variation on the Cliffy answer, but no I either knew the answer or got knocked out due to insufficient funds.
And yeah, I'm waiting on Trebek to retire too. Hell, I'd go play the game for free
posted by drewbage1847 at 2:02 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
And yeah, I'm waiting on Trebek to retire too. Hell, I'd go play the game for free
posted by drewbage1847 at 2:02 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, as a suggestion for the interview - be personable, have a good story. They're not expecting fools or people with amazing social skills, but they want people who aren't just answer computers - they want a little personality. I think your stories are helpful too - I went with that I'm a seriously nutty homebrewer and that I celebrated losing a bunch of weight by skydiving and terrifying my mother and my girlfriend.
posted by drewbage1847 at 2:03 PM on April 13, 2015
posted by drewbage1847 at 2:03 PM on April 13, 2015
The contestant coordinators at the audition really liked my story about being a bridesmaid in a Star Wars themed wedding but they weren't as excited about me telling it on the show, so instead Trebek asked me what rhetoric is. Good times, good times. Everybody try out!
posted by Tesseractive at 2:10 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Tesseractive at 2:10 PM on April 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
How do they stop people gaming the test? If you have a friend who's a pretty fast typer, couldn't they just Google the answers. Many questions seem like the sort of thing you could get an answer to in 7-8 seconds ("author Mockingjay").
(Actually I have the same question about pub trivia. Doesn't everyone just look up the answer on their phones under the table?)
I'm sort of fascinated by how trivia, as a concept and a pursuit and a recreational game, is managing to survive in the age of web search. Also in what forms of trivia aren't easily Googleable.
posted by dontjumplarry at 2:43 PM on April 13, 2015
(Actually I have the same question about pub trivia. Doesn't everyone just look up the answer on their phones under the table?)
I'm sort of fascinated by how trivia, as a concept and a pursuit and a recreational game, is managing to survive in the age of web search. Also in what forms of trivia aren't easily Googleable.
posted by dontjumplarry at 2:43 PM on April 13, 2015
I would suspect that's part of why they have the second round of testing. You have to take another test before they interview and play test you.
Also, you'd be surprised at how fast that time goes.
And when I ran pub trivia, I switched up the format a bit to make it harder to google and other teams will call people out in 2 seconds if they catch. (Plus I kept an eye out)
posted by drewbage1847 at 2:45 PM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Also, you'd be surprised at how fast that time goes.
And when I ran pub trivia, I switched up the format a bit to make it harder to google and other teams will call people out in 2 seconds if they catch. (Plus I kept an eye out)
posted by drewbage1847 at 2:45 PM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yeah, the online test is generally too fast for effective Googling, and there's the in-person 50 question test too.
I've seen some pub trivia hosts ask for everybody to put their phones in a basket on the table, but honestly it's generally just too low stakes to really matter.
posted by kmz at 2:53 PM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
I've seen some pub trivia hosts ask for everybody to put their phones in a basket on the table, but honestly it's generally just too low stakes to really matter.
posted by kmz at 2:53 PM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Thanks for the reminder, kagredon.
But I'll probably be doomed by my ignorance of last year's pop culture trivia like usual.
posted by Zed at 2:55 PM on April 13, 2015
But I'll probably be doomed by my ignorance of last year's pop culture trivia like usual.
posted by Zed at 2:55 PM on April 13, 2015
you're in luck, Zed! There's even a thread of recent events that are likely to be folded into the Jeopardy writers' usual favorite topics!
I haven't taken the test in several years (I kept forgetting), and really I think the only edge I have over my ~2008 self is the 200-or-so hours I've since sunk into Crusader Kings II, which is maybe the most addictive way to brush up on medieval history and European geography, short of snorting coke off of a map of the Holy Roman Empire.
posted by kagredon at 3:13 PM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
I haven't taken the test in several years (I kept forgetting), and really I think the only edge I have over my ~2008 self is the 200-or-so hours I've since sunk into Crusader Kings II, which is maybe the most addictive way to brush up on medieval history and European geography, short of snorting coke off of a map of the Holy Roman Empire.
posted by kagredon at 3:13 PM on April 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
(Actually I have the same question about pub trivia. Doesn't everyone just look up the answer on their phones under the table?)
Have you no honor?
posted by asperity at 3:36 PM on April 13, 2015 [11 favorites]
Have you no honor?
posted by asperity at 3:36 PM on April 13, 2015 [11 favorites]
Today was the first day of hanging out my shingle and owning my very own law practice.
WHY YES I TOTALLY HAVE TIME TO STUDY FOR A JEOPARDY TEST, TYVM.
posted by Lemurrhea at 3:40 PM on April 13, 2015 [16 favorites]
WHY YES I TOTALLY HAVE TIME TO STUDY FOR A JEOPARDY TEST, TYVM.
posted by Lemurrhea at 3:40 PM on April 13, 2015 [16 favorites]
Who is Mary Baker Eddy?
posted by wotsac at 4:55 PM on April 13, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by wotsac at 4:55 PM on April 13, 2015 [5 favorites]
I don't believe in hell, except for people who use their phones to cheat at pub trivia. THEY ARE SCUM.
posted by sallybrown at 5:02 PM on April 13, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by sallybrown at 5:02 PM on April 13, 2015 [8 favorites]
In my house, she's Mary Baker Effing Eddy.
posted by thecaddy at 5:16 PM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by thecaddy at 5:16 PM on April 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
(No offense meant to Christian Scientists! I mean, y'all can understand, right?)
posted by thecaddy at 5:19 PM on April 13, 2015
posted by thecaddy at 5:19 PM on April 13, 2015
Man, if we could change the Wiki to "MeFites who have made it to the audition round of Jeopardy!" I could finally be in the Wiki!
posted by Ruki at 7:02 PM on April 13, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Ruki at 7:02 PM on April 13, 2015 [4 favorites]
Anyone caught Googling in my pub trivia league would be called out and shamed. Rules!
Also...kmz: what do you mean you're waiting for Trebek to retire...can we try out again if he retires??
The first thing I would do differently is play video games requiring thumb dexterity for, oh, four hours a day so that I would actually have a chance to buzz in.
I'm an singer and Julie Andrews is my hero and a dude from Tampa named Ben-Hur (!) was so good buzzing in I missed saying "The Sound of Music" on TV. Oh well.
The show runners/contestant coordinators are very good at their jobs and have all been doing it a loooong time. Enthusiasm and personality go a long way at the in-person audition level.
At my audition I told a story about growing up on a farm and having to practise singing in the barn with the cows. And that's the story they chose for the show. I didn't get on until the second day there so I got to watch a full day of tapings. All the next-up contestants murmuring responses and nodding to each other in the audience. That was fun. Then we had lunch next to extras from Masters of Sex. If I'd seen Michael Sheen or Lizzie Caplan I may have died.
My bf @mightygodking wants me to tell you that during the break Alex asked me what kind of soprano I was, and that during the credits 'chat' we talked about LA Opera's production of Lucia di Lammermoor. So yeah I lost but I got Donizetti and 'homicidal bride' into a conversation with Alex Trebek. FAME.
It was fun and SURREAL and was over so quickly! I made a couple stupid mistakes (really hard not to laugh when something ridiculous comes out of your mouth) but ultimately was out-buzzed. During final (correct question: What is the Divine Comedy?) the words DANTE and INFERNO were screaming in my brain but the main title wouldn't come to me.
Afterwards I drowned my sorrows in fish tacos on Venice Beach.
As I type this I realize that today I am wearing the sweater I wore on the show. Weird.
Go for it and have fun!!
posted by operalass at 7:14 AM on April 14, 2015 [6 favorites]
Also...kmz: what do you mean you're waiting for Trebek to retire...can we try out again if he retires??
The first thing I would do differently is play video games requiring thumb dexterity for, oh, four hours a day so that I would actually have a chance to buzz in.
I'm an singer and Julie Andrews is my hero and a dude from Tampa named Ben-Hur (!) was so good buzzing in I missed saying "The Sound of Music" on TV. Oh well.
The show runners/contestant coordinators are very good at their jobs and have all been doing it a loooong time. Enthusiasm and personality go a long way at the in-person audition level.
At my audition I told a story about growing up on a farm and having to practise singing in the barn with the cows. And that's the story they chose for the show. I didn't get on until the second day there so I got to watch a full day of tapings. All the next-up contestants murmuring responses and nodding to each other in the audience. That was fun. Then we had lunch next to extras from Masters of Sex. If I'd seen Michael Sheen or Lizzie Caplan I may have died.
My bf @mightygodking wants me to tell you that during the break Alex asked me what kind of soprano I was, and that during the credits 'chat' we talked about LA Opera's production of Lucia di Lammermoor. So yeah I lost but I got Donizetti and 'homicidal bride' into a conversation with Alex Trebek. FAME.
It was fun and SURREAL and was over so quickly! I made a couple stupid mistakes (really hard not to laugh when something ridiculous comes out of your mouth) but ultimately was out-buzzed. During final (correct question: What is the Divine Comedy?) the words DANTE and INFERNO were screaming in my brain but the main title wouldn't come to me.
Afterwards I drowned my sorrows in fish tacos on Venice Beach.
As I type this I realize that today I am wearing the sweater I wore on the show. Weird.
Go for it and have fun!!
posted by operalass at 7:14 AM on April 14, 2015 [6 favorites]
I'm not a big fan of the on-line tests. There's just no sense of urgency. It's like sitting down to play You Don't Know Jack at your computer. Now, when you went straight to the in-person tryouts, that was different. Weeks before those tryouts I would print out lists of Jeopardy type trivia, first ladies, famous operas, world rivers etc., and cram like crazy. On top of that, there was the travel to the testing location, mingling with other testers...it just seemed like more of an "event" that was worthy of preparation.
I made it to the contestant pool once, and it was during the reign of Ken, so had I been picked, it would have been to face him. But I never got the call.
I'll still be taking the test this week though.
posted by Otis at 7:43 AM on April 14, 2015
I made it to the contestant pool once, and it was during the reign of Ken, so had I been picked, it would have been to face him. But I never got the call.
I'll still be taking the test this week though.
posted by Otis at 7:43 AM on April 14, 2015
Man, if we could change the Wiki to "MeFites who have made it to the audition round of Jeopardy!" I could finally be in the Wiki!
What about "MeFites who got invited to an audition but didn't go?" I got an invitation once but I couldn't make it because it was on a day that I had to teach. In retrospect I didn't like those students much and they probably would have appreciated the day off.
posted by madcaptenor at 8:02 AM on April 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
What about "MeFites who got invited to an audition but didn't go?" I got an invitation once but I couldn't make it because it was on a day that I had to teach. In retrospect I didn't like those students much and they probably would have appreciated the day off.
posted by madcaptenor at 8:02 AM on April 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
Took the Denver test for practice this morning. 39/50, mostly by missing stupid things (I knew that "aviology" had to be wrong--mixing Greek and Latin!--but I couldn't think of the right word)
also I started giggling really hard at question 36 because this
posted by kagredon at 10:30 AM on April 14, 2015
also I started giggling really hard at question 36 because this
posted by kagredon at 10:30 AM on April 14, 2015
38/50 tonight, with another two possible for partial answers. I thought I totally bombed, but I did better than I thought. The questions are posted on Jeopardy's Facebook page now.
posted by Ruki at 5:50 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Ruki at 5:50 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Pretty sure I got 43/50 (and I should have gone with my first instinct of Danube, damn it), but apparently there was some issue with the "sample test" to see if your browser worked being the same as the actual test, according to the Facebook page...
posted by Rock Steady at 8:55 PM on April 14, 2015
posted by Rock Steady at 8:55 PM on April 14, 2015
I was planning on doing the test tonight but am still waiting for my password reset email. Tomorrow is likely a better time for me to take it, but who knows what will come up between now and then.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 5:49 PM on April 15, 2015
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 5:49 PM on April 15, 2015
ugh I blanked on so many stupid things taking the test tonight
edit: and yet squeaked just over the line with 37-38, depending on whether "drum" was an acceptable answer to "timpani"
posted by kagredon at 6:23 PM on April 15, 2015
edit: and yet squeaked just over the line with 37-38, depending on whether "drum" was an acceptable answer to "timpani"
posted by kagredon at 6:23 PM on April 15, 2015
> and yet squeaked by just over the line..
Is the pass/fail threshold known? Or are you assuming?
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:39 PM on April 15, 2015
Is the pass/fail threshold known? Or are you assuming?
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:39 PM on April 15, 2015
35 is commonly cited, but of course it's to the casting department's discretion each year. So a little of each.
posted by kagredon at 11:46 PM on April 15, 2015
posted by kagredon at 11:46 PM on April 15, 2015
what do you mean you're waiting for Trebek to retire...can we try out again if he retires??
Contestants from the Art Fleming days were eligible to be on the Trebek Jeopardy. I think people are hoping for a similar reset but I don't know that they've commited to such a thing... anyone know better?
posted by Zed at 2:47 PM on April 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Contestants from the Art Fleming days were eligible to be on the Trebek Jeopardy. I think people are hoping for a similar reset but I don't know that they've commited to such a thing... anyone know better?
posted by Zed at 2:47 PM on April 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Pretty sure I won't make it to the next round, but it was fun. Thanks for the reminder to sign up in time this year!
posted by asperity at 8:15 PM on April 16, 2015
posted by asperity at 8:15 PM on April 16, 2015
An idiot who plumb forgot this was the last night and got a haircut after work instead.
What am I?
posted by Zed at 8:55 PM on April 16, 2015
What am I?
posted by Zed at 8:55 PM on April 16, 2015
Are the answersquestions posted anywhere in list form at all? Wanna check to see how I did, but don't want to spend the time clicking around the fbook page and then googling the questions.
posted by Lemurrhea at 7:00 AM on April 17, 2015
posted by Lemurrhea at 7:00 AM on April 17, 2015
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posted by griphus at 11:53 AM on April 13, 2015 [4 favorites]