The Jeopardy bus is here!

I tried out for Jeopardy on Friday.

It started out as DH and I wanting to get away for an overnight....something we haven't had a chance to do in over a year. I saw a promo that the Jeopardy Brain Bus was going to be at a Casino about an hour away from our house. I suggested to DH that we go. My mom was all for handling the kids and my niece wanted to "help" take care of them too.

Off we went. DH was sure there would be a huge line and an even bigger hassle. It wasn't so bad. We ended up waiting in line for about an hour before the show. It was a little bit hot while we waited in line, but we chatted with some interesting people. They told us they would guarantee the first 1000 people, and we were well within the first 400 or so.

So the line leads into a conference room with about 40 seats. You are given a pre-test with 10 questions and about 5 minutes to complete the test. I couldn't answer two of the questions, so I just assumed that I didn't pass. I was stunned when they asked me to come back the next morning! DH didn't pass, but he didn't expect to either. I'm the one who yells answers at the TV set when I watch the show, not him.

I was amazed at the fandom for the show, and how seriously people take it. Standing in line and looking smug and self satisfied that their intelligence was just waiting to be discovered....only to end up practically in tears because they did not make it past the first round. When others found that I had passed (remember, I was just as surprised as anyone!), they shook my hand and congratulated me like I had passed the bar exam. The reverence in the voices of some as they spoke of Alex Trebek was more than surreal...it was "stalker-ish" and slightly frightening. "Jeopardy knowledge" is not a stamp of complete intelligence in my book. It's just a facility for remembering interesting bits of trivia. I like trivia, therefore I enjoy Jeopardy. However, Ken Jennings is NOT the smartest man in America, he's just very good at the game.

So we ended up staying overnight at the Casino. Fun, except for the latte I had at 11pm. Between the caffeine and nerves...OK I admit it, once I passed the first exam, I wanted to pass the second one...I didn't sleep well at all! I woke up at 6:30am for a 10am appointment! After breakfast,I headed back to the conference room. There were about 60 people there, and we were given a second, 50 question test. Then we waited to find out if we passed. It took about 25 minutes, and we were "entertained" by a staff member who answered questions about the show from us. Once again, I got that weird fandom vibe, and I really didn't want to be associated with the hardcore devotees of the show. Really? I don't give a rat's behind about Mr. Trebeks facial hair and what kind of pencil he uses......ick!

Anyways, I didn't pass the second round, but was encouraged to "keep trying". It was an interesting experience, and no, thank you, I'll just watch from home, OK?