Posted on 04/12/2008 7:12:32 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
"Jeopardy!" is a polished, crafted piece of Americana, from the men and women's powdered faces to the set's elaborate plaster trappings of academia to the crowd's exuberant applause.
And this year's filming of the "Jeopardy! College Championship" was no different. Over 120 "Jeopardy!" crew and tons of equipment traveled to Madison for two days of filming five shows that would decide the winner of intellectual bragging rights and a $100,000 prize.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison's own Suchita Shah and Danielle Zsenak of Marquette University were competing Friday and today among a group of 15 peers. Media were asked not to divulge who did and did not advance in the five segments.
The live taping of the show is much like the television version, fast-paced and laced with humor. When a contestant's microphone malfunctioned during the third segment and there was a pause to fix it, 24-year host Alex Trebek fielded questions from the audience, ranging from what kind of Ian's Pizza he tried (mac and cheese) to his favorite color.
Quickly, Trebek repeated the question: "What is my favorite color?" and after a pause, said: "Today. Red," raising cheers from the Badger-happy audience.
Between tapings, perched on a tall, canvas chair tucked right behind the familiar grid of blue category screens, Trebek sat patiently as make-up artists finished daubing his nose to give it that slightly unnatural tint of glowing peach.
For all the bright lights and digital, millisecond-measuring response buttons, the show hearkens back to an older era of America, one that advocated a cheery demeanor combined with elbow grease and perseverance as the recipe for success. And Trebek takes his role as a host seriously.
"Game shows are the very best kind of reality television because they reward people for all the right reasons, for excelling in one way or another. Some of the game shows of course reward you for luck, but that's expected in a country like the United States," said Trebek.
"But a television show such as 'Jeopardy!' rewards you for being bright, being able to recall information that is hopefully of some importance. I used to joke that our contestants make money the old fashioned way, they earn it."
More would-be contestants will be able to test their smarts after a deal with Airplay, a developer of multi-player television games, which will allow viewers to play along with "Jeopardy!" in real time on their cell phones, said Gary Johnson, supervising producer and head writer. Starting in September, cell phone participants will be able to play along, see their score at the end and be able to compete with their friends.
But when it comes to choosing the real competitors, "Jeopardy!" contestant executive Maggie Speak said the show uses a rigorous testing and interviewing process.
"They've gotta have the whole package. Clearly they have to be bright to get on the show, they have to pass different tests, and then we have them play a mock version of the game, standing up, so we see how they do it," Speak said.
"Plus, we do a personal interview as well. On your feet sometimes it's hard to have a discussion, a conversation. Everybody can kinda come up with 30 seconds about themselves, but if you start asking them questions you kind of get an idea of how they can respond, how comfortable they are in that kind of situation."
Attentive and alert under the gleaming lights of the elaborate Los Angeles set replica, this year's College Championship competitors fit the bill. Despite the pressure of the rapid-fire questions, the contestants joked with Trebek and at points a few playfully delivered their responses in the voice of the person who was the correct answer.
Trebek himself has been the butt of a myriad impersonations. When asked about Will Ferrell's Saturday Night Live moustached mockery of the famous host, Trebek said he loved it.
"I love it when comics or other shows poke fun at us, it means we have arrived, we're part of Americana and we're beloved enough to not feel insecure and take it in the wrong way."
I want some of that Ponce de Leon pizza too!
Very cute!
I’m good at Jeopardy, too. I’m another with a head full of useless, but nevertheless fascinating, information, LOL!
I’m amazed at what I know also. I think the answers are not that hard many times but it is the pressure of being there and thinking on your feet under stress.
By the way, what gets me about the show is the intro part where the contestants tell a little story about themselves. I always find what they say to be so stupid.
I cleared the board once playing along at home. Got every question right. However, if I tried for the show, I’m certain that they would use every category that I’m clueless on. 14th Century Khazakstanian Opera for 1200 please Alex.
Exactly, LOL!
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