Nathan wrote, "Last I'd heard it was not a good idea to mention QB experience when auditioning for Jeopardy. I'm trying out in late June, should I or shouldn't I mention QB?" Some one who has been on more recently than I can comment on any exact evidence that it's not a "good idea" to mention the experience. Mostly what I've seen in this forum is paranoid speculation. Unless the process has changed greatly in the past few years, there is a point where potential contestants are asked to write down five things they could talk to Alex about. If you have five interesting things outside of academic competition (mine were, IIRC, attend Virginia wine festivals, amateur magician, collect globes, was Ralph Nader's chauffeur once, and last but not least, at the time coached an academic competition team), then list them. But if you don't list your experience as one of the five things, at least mention it in passing when you make it to the "interview" portion of the audition. Alex and the producers will decide what they want to talk to you about. The contestant coordinators are looking for people who can recall knowledge and have poise under pressure. Academic competition experience is a plus to them - shows you know games and are used to competing. Community theater experience is also a plus for similar reasons - shows you have experience performing before an audience. Given the huge number of people in recent years and months who have been on WWTBAM and J!, I see nothing to indicate that indicating academic competition experience has ever hurt - quite the opposite. But that alone won't get you on. There are other triggers that can help you or hurt you once you get over the first hurdle of passing the test. How you "project" and come off in the interview segment is crucial. They want contestants who will do well, and look like they're enjoying themselves. On J!, one of the triggers that could kill you (again, my most recent knowledge here comes from debriefing someone two years ago) is the hint that you need the money, or that it's a motivating factor for you. J! doesn't want contestants with that image. WWTBAM wants you to have a good story for it if you need the money. And there are other, highly subjective factors at play as well. The thing to keep in mind in a game show audition is that it's an audition, not a competition. The highest scorer on the test may not be picked. You're auditioning for a part on an entertainment program that uses competition for entertainment. They want you to be able to compete, and they want you to be "entertaining" in the sense of the image they want their contestants to have. The academic competition experience goes to the ability to compete. But you've got to meet their other criteria as well, which varies between coordinators, and can change slightly from season to season. These thoughts come from my own experiences (J! 1992, WWTBAM 2001), the debriefings I've done of other contestants on these shows, extensive reading (Greg Muntean's book - I forget the title, but he was J! coordinator in the 1980's - though long out of print, is still the best general introduction to the process), recent conversations with people knowledgable about several other shows, and the other preparation I've done recently. (I will be offering a course next Fall through Auburn University Montgomery's Continuing Education Office on "Becoming a Game Show Contestant" - another way I've found to make money out of the hobby and the Sport.) Tom
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