Art Fleming was the original host of this American TV game show that Salmon Arm香蕉视频直播檚 James Cowling hopes to be a contestant on?
If you answered, 香蕉视频直播淲hat is Jeopardy!?香蕉视频直播� you would be correct.
On Saturday morning, Feb. 24, Cowling was at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre where he and approximately 20 other people were answering questions and testing their buzzer-pressing abilities during an audition to be future contestants on Jeopardy!.
Getting to that point for Cowling involved a Greyhound bus and, before that, an online tryout involving 50 questions, with 15 seconds to answer each 香蕉视频直播� though not in the form of a question.
Cowling said about 100,000 people take the online test each year. Of those, depending on test scores and the luck of the draw, between 2,000 and 3,000 may receive a call for an interview.
For Cowling, a self-described trivia hound, receiving that call was cause for exuberant shouts of joy.
香蕉视频直播淢ost people who take the test, even if they do well, don香蕉视频直播檛 get the call,香蕉视频直播� said Cowling. 香蕉视频直播淪o you know, my lottery number came up essentially.香蕉视频直播�
At the Vancouver audition, one of two held Saturday, Cowling said he and other Jeopardy! prospects were asked into a ballroom where they received an explanation of the audition process before watching a brief video with the game show香蕉视频直播檚 current host, Alex Trebek, offering his congratulations. And then it was down to business, with another 50-question test (and only eight seconds to answer each), followed by buzzer training and then mock games preceded by contestant interviews.
香蕉视频直播淓verybody got different questions, so they asked me, 香蕉视频直播楾ell us about yourself,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈 said Cowling. 香蕉视频直播淚 said, 香蕉视频直播楳y name is James and I香蕉视频直播檓 from Salmon Arm,香蕉视频直播� and the room sort of broke out into laughter. I said, 香蕉视频直播榶eah, yeah, I know, salmon don香蕉视频直播檛 have any arms, I get it all the time.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈
Asked what his dream purchase would be should he win on Jeopardy!, Cowling said a tiny house for his backyard, where he and his spouse could retreat to do their hobbies.
香蕉视频直播淏ecause it香蕉视频直播檚 impossible to do that in the house right now with two kids age three and under,香蕉视频直播� laughs Cowling. 香蕉视频直播淢y wife can香蕉视频直播檛 quilt, I can香蕉视频直播檛 paint, we can香蕉视频直播檛 do anything, so that would be lovely.香蕉视频直播�
While he feels he did well on the second quiz, Cowling wasn香蕉视频直播檛 satisfied with his speed on the buzzer. He also came away feeling the a need bone up on U.S. history and sports. Part of his current studies involves reading through the j-archive.com, an online repository of Jeopardy! questions and answers.
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 going through the archive to get an idea, a refresher on the kinds of questions that they ask,香蕉视频直播� said Cowling. 香蕉视频直播淏ecause香蕉视频直播� Even though they don香蕉视频直播檛 ask the same question over and over, there are patterns.香蕉视频直播�
With the testing and the audition out of the way, Cowling says sometime over the next 18 months he may receive a call to come to the big show. If, in 18 months, he doesn香蕉视频直播檛 receive a call, he香蕉视频直播檒l know he didn香蕉视频直播檛 make the cut this time around. However, though it may have been the subject of laughter, being from Salmon Arm may be Cowling香蕉视频直播檚 ace in the hole.
香蕉视频直播淗ere香蕉视频直播檚 the thing; Robert Slaven, who is the winning-est Canadian on Jeopardy!, he香蕉视频直播檚 from Yellowknife,香蕉视频直播� Cowling explained. 香蕉视频直播淏ecause he香蕉视频直播檚 from Yellowknife, that was so unusual for the Jeopardy! people, they actually called him back the first week. So you never know, maybe being from Salmon Arm is going to help me.香蕉视频直播�
Until he gets that call, to keep sane, Cowling says he香蕉视频直播檚 going to try and put the idea of being on Jeopardy! out of his mind 香蕉视频直播� though he intends to keep watching it on TV.
lachlan@saobserver.net
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