Art Fleming was the original host of this American TV game show that Salmon Arm害羞草研究所檚 James Cowling hopes to be a contestant on?
If you answered, 害羞草研究所淲hat is Jeopardy!?害羞草研究所� 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 害羞草研究所� 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.
害羞草研究所淢ost people who take the test, even if they do well, don害羞草研究所檛 get the call,害羞草研究所� said Cowling. 害羞草研究所淪o you know, my lottery number came up essentially.害羞草研究所�
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害羞草研究所檚 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.
害羞草研究所淓verybody got different questions, so they asked me, 害羞草研究所楾ell us about yourself,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 said Cowling. 害羞草研究所淚 said, 害羞草研究所楳y name is James and I害羞草研究所檓 from Salmon Arm,害羞草研究所� and the room sort of broke out into laughter. I said, 害羞草研究所榶eah, yeah, I know, salmon don害羞草研究所檛 have any arms, I get it all the time.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
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.
害羞草研究所淏ecause it害羞草研究所檚 impossible to do that in the house right now with two kids age three and under,害羞草研究所� laughs Cowling. 害羞草研究所淢y wife can害羞草研究所檛 quilt, I can害羞草研究所檛 paint, we can害羞草研究所檛 do anything, so that would be lovely.害羞草研究所�
While he feels he did well on the second quiz, Cowling wasn害羞草研究所檛 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.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 going through the archive to get an idea, a refresher on the kinds of questions that they ask,害羞草研究所� said Cowling. 害羞草研究所淏ecause害羞草研究所� Even though they don害羞草研究所檛 ask the same question over and over, there are patterns.害羞草研究所�
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害羞草研究所檛 receive a call, he害羞草研究所檒l know he didn害羞草研究所檛 make the cut this time around. However, though it may have been the subject of laughter, being from Salmon Arm may be Cowling害羞草研究所檚 ace in the hole.
害羞草研究所淗ere害羞草研究所檚 the thing; Robert Slaven, who is the winning-est Canadian on Jeopardy!, he害羞草研究所檚 from Yellowknife,害羞草研究所� Cowling explained. 害羞草研究所淏ecause he害羞草研究所檚 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.害羞草研究所�
Until he gets that call, to keep sane, Cowling says he害羞草研究所檚 going to try and put the idea of being on Jeopardy! out of his mind 害羞草研究所� though he intends to keep watching it on TV.
lachlan@saobserver.net
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