Prisoner of Trebekistan – A Decade of Jeopardy!
Many years ago, Web Watch had an opportunity to take the JEOPARDY! contestant test.
It wasn’t easy – 50 rapid-fire questions that were asked so quickly so as to not give you the opportunity to go back and correct answers that you thought you’d be able to answer later lest you lose track of the current questions being asked.
Needless to say, we’re sometimes not the best test takers under pressure. We missed the cut to move to the next round by 2 wrong answers.
It happens. Maybe next time.
Since then, we’ve had the opportunity to chat with JEOPARDY! super-winner Ken Jennings, and have learned the one piece of important knowledge that all JEOPARDY! winners share: an inate ability to buzz in as soon as the players’ controllers are unlocked. Remember, if you buzz in too early — before Alex Trebek has finished reading the question — you will be locked out for a brief moment (about 1/5 of a second), allowing another contestant to buzz in ahead of you.
So why is Web Watch telling you about this? Because JEOPARDY! has announced that registration for their 2011 ONLINE CONTESTANT QUALIFICATION QUIZZES has opened.
- The standard Adult test is taking place February 8-10, 2011
- The teen tournament is set for March 1, 2011
- College students have their test on March 15, 2011
If you’re curious about the format of the test and whether you’ll have a good chance at becoming a JEOPARDY! contestant, you might want to try taking the JEOPARDY! PRACTICE TEST. Here are some example answers, where you have to supply the question:
- In 2008 she played Daisy, the lifelong friend of Benjamin Button
- This 14,700-foot peak in the Swiss Alps is famous for its shape, and the danger of ascending it
- He was President during the War of 1812
- Mozart’s last and perhaps most powerful symphony shares its name with this planet
- This language was invented in Warsaw in 1887 by Dr. L.L. Zamenhof
If you’re considered fairly smart and want to try out to be on a game show, why not take a shot? There’s no shame in losing on JEOPARDY!. It’s not like you’re on Wheel of Fortune and got the puzzle answer wrong when almost all the letters were showing…