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Mudcat

Mudcat

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I want to make more of a contribution to the forum - I haven't had much to say lately - and this is what I've got. I am heading to Boston for the Jeopardy audition on Thursday morning.

With any luck I will pass the audition and go into the contestant pool - and I will get the call - and this thread will actually follow the whole experience right through being on the show. It's a longshot (although not that huge of a longshot) but whatever - I can dream.



Anyway, Thursday is the big thing I am looking at right now.

I have been very uneasy over the question of what to wear to the audition. The instructions they give you are, Wear what you would wear if you were going to be on the show.

Holy fuck - what useless instructions. If I don't know what to wear to the audition, why would I be more sure about what to wear on the show? Like, dude!

So I have browsed around the internet for relevant discussion. Mostly what I have found is people trying to be funny. So many amateur comedians out there. :cono:

I have consulted the various womenfolk in my life. They are all urging me in a casual direction. There are various clothes combos - I suppose I could make a video and show you but nah - but not a single one wants me in a tie. What's up with that?

I have been making more of a point of paying attention to what people wear on the show lately. Today I took some time and looked through all the clips and shit I could find on YouTube to solidify my ideas.

Dammit I think I'm going to wear my suit and tie. The vast majority of the men on YouTube: suits and ties. Okay a lot of that goes back many years but all three contestants on today's show: suits and ties. There are lots of suits and ties lately.



Do I dare over-ride the advice of all these women? As of right now, I am thinking yes. How wrong can a suit and tie be?
 
As much as I would like to see you show up wearing a Pink Floyd or Gordon Lightfoot t-shirt with bell-bottom jeans and sandals, I would opt for a nice pair of cargo pants or slacks and a Cadigan. I think it says intellectually casual.
 
wal66
As much as I would like to see you show up wearing a Pink Floyd or Gordon Lightfoot t-shirt with bell-bottom jeans and sandals, I would opt for a nice pair of cargo pants or slacks and a Cadigan. I think it says intellectually casual.
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Cargo pants? Isn't that those pants with all the pockets n' shit? Like I used to wear working in warehouses and I would stuff pens and a tape measure and an exacto knife in them? You're saying I should go to the audition in warehouse attire? Are you fucking with me?

The stupid thing is everyone is giving me advice about pants and socks and how my belt needs to match my shoes. Basically all you ever see on the show is the contestants from the chest up anyway. I should be able to wear my fluorescent orange shorts.

But no I guess not.



Anyway, I bought this damn suit - spent good money for it - and I have worn it exactly once. I have no other prospects for ever wearing it again. It's a pretty nice suit.

I am thinking, the suit.
 
I just wanted you to dress comfortable Muddy. You are bound to be a wee bit nervous and dressing loose and comfortable will help with that. The last thing you want is to be nervous and uncomfortable and start sweating. I was looking out for ya MudMan, you are out there but you represent the hopes and dreams of so many.
 
Yeah that's what everyone keeps coming back to: be comfortable. It's not a bad thought but the fact is: I am just fine in the suit comfort-wise.

People keep saying that a tie is uncomfortable. Meh. After 7 and a half seconds of wearing a tie, I forget I have one on.

I got through that whole nervous thing of playing a song at my sister's wedding wearing the suit and tie. I wasn't even conscious of what I was wearing.
 
Polaroid
What happens at the audition? Do you play a mock game with opponents? Do they interview you?
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First there is a re-exam. 50 questions in 50 different categories with 8 seconds to answer each. They don't say exactly what you need to get but 35 is a commonly accepted number. Everyone has already passed a 50 question online exam to get there so maybe they make it a little harder. Not sure.

If you don't pass, you go home. If you do pass you are in the contestant pool. Then they start evaluating you.

You do play a mock game with two other people. I have been that far twice before and it wasn't a whole game. Just like 12-15 questions. I don't think they are even keeping score; they just want to see how you look and if you keep the game moving and I guess if anything stands out about you that would make you an appealing contestant. (Although judging by some of the people who end up on the show, it is hard to tell what they are looking for).

Then they do a short interview such as you see after the first commercial break of the show. You have to come prepared with 5 little snappy anecdotes they can ask you about.

After your anecdote, everyone is asked the same question: what would you do if you won a lot of money?

Then they take your pic. That's about it.

You are in the contestant pool for a year so you just wait and hope.
 
Mudcat
You do play a mock game with two other people. I have been that far twice before and it wasn't a whole game. Just like 12-15 questions. I don't think they are even keeping score; they just want to see how you look and if you keep the game moving and I guess if anything stands out about you that would make you an appealing contestant. (Although judging by some of the people who end up on the show, it is hard to tell what they are looking for).
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After that post I'm now presuming that this is your third time at these auditions and you have already passed the re-exam twice before so that shouldn't be a problem. Did you get into the contestant pool both times before?
 
Yes I got in the pool twice before.

I definitely don't see the exam as a slam dunk though. I don't pass these exams every single time. I took all three online exams when they did those a couple months back and only passed 2. Fortunately I passed the one I was officially signed up for.

I failed last year and was not even close. But I have passed those couple other times.

Seems like it's about a 2/3 prospect for me. But I have been doing quite a bit of brushing up for the last few weeks. That can definitely make a difference. The couple times I failed I was more or less going in cold.



One thing I read that I found interesting was the odds of getting on the show once you get into the pool. I was assuming the odds were still like 1000-1 or something. But I read an article by a guy who had been through it all and went to the Tournament of Champions and seemed to know what he was talking about. He estimated the odds at between 7-1 and 10-1. That doesn't seem so pipe-dreamish.
 
No they don't tell you that specifically. They simply stress that it is a numbers game and there are no guarantees. They strive to give you as little concrete information as possible about all things.

I have my own analysis of course. In LA, I feel I did poorly on the anecdote/question. I wasn't prepared. I didn't know they were going to want 5 topics from me so I basically had to think of them all on the spot. I don't remember the specifics but I remember feeling that they were very lame.

This time I have given them lots of thought and consulted with my mom who had some ideas for upgrading them. I will be ready.

My other strong memory was being told repeatedly to speak louder and show more enthusiasm. That was very off-putting. By the time I was done, I was speaking/acting in this weird unnatural way and feeling like a choad.

But that was not just me. There were a few naturally annoying shrill twats in the crowd but everyone else got that coaching.
 
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