The Jeopardy Audition Experience

A day or two ago, a buddy of mine asked for advice on auditioning for Jeopardy!, and I promised to write a post about the audition process and any words of wisdom I might have for anyone who's lucky enough to snag a spot at one. (I know it took me three or four years of putting my e-mail address in for the local auditions to get an invite; I'm not sure if it's easier or harder now that they've gone to online testing to whittle down the field). And I'm aspiring to be just as fire-and-forget as Mr. Phil, so here goes nothing.

The night before my audition, I cut my own hair.

It seemed like a logical thing to do, given that I had a six-week-old baby and the sleep deficit that would make that seem like a brilliant idea. (In fairness, it was just the bangs, which did need a trim). Lucky for me, I ended up looking more like Betty Page than a poodle who had just been involved in an industrial accident. But still.

I do not recommend this to potential Jeopardy! contestants.

The audition itself went well, except for the migraine that started when question 2 of the written test was read. This happened to be a migraine with aura, which meant that I had what looked like flash burn that got bigger and bigger until I was almost completely blind by question 10 or so of the written test. (It was read aloud in the dulcet tones of Johnny Gilbert, luckily for me, so the blindness was not Jose Saramago-level.)

I do not recommend this to potential Jeopardy! contestants either.

Aside from "no homemade haircuts the night before the audition" and "don't get a blinding migraine during the test," I do have a few positive recommendations. Some reflect my own experience; some are adapted from tips Tom Michael sent me to prepare for the audition; and some represent the collective wisdom of the fine folks at the Jeopardy! message board. You can get a lot more advice on auditioning and preparing for the show by searching through the archives there, as a lot of the regulars are former contestants.

Preface

I'm not including any tips about how to study for the test. If you look online you'll surely find a wealth of resources for building up your knowledge base if that's a concern. The test is a broad sampling of questions from common Jeopardy! categories, and there are quite a few sample tests online.

The Jeopardy! audition, first and foremost, is a lot of fun. If you approach it with the mindset that you're going to have a good time, and if you're pleasant to everyone you come across, you're likely to come off well. Above all, remember the opportunity cost is really low. You're spending an (enjoyable) half-an-hour (if you don't pass the test) to an hour-and-a-half or so (if you do) in the company of some very cool people who want it to be a good experience for all concerned, and if you don't get "the call," that time is all you've lost. Remember that, and you'll do fine.

Before Your Audition

The three most important things you can do to prepare for your audition are to:

• pick out your "Alex stories,"
• practice introducing yourself (briefly) if you're the type who gets really, really nervous doing that sort of thing, and
• find something appropriate to wear.

A little brief something-something on all of the above:

Picking Out Stories

When you get to the audition site, you'll fill out a form with basic demographic information and five stories that you would want to talk about on television. These are the sorts of stories that people discuss in the interview after the first commercial break on the show. (The ones I actually discussed on the show were that I once drove to Canada for the express purpose of eating sushi, and that I have been known to write haiku about inappropriate topics.) I think the other ones I submitted included winning first prize at the Georgia State Fair for growing a pumpkin, Phil proposing to me the second time we talked, Nora almost getting named Festus, and the fact that I've played the Celtic harp professionally. Not long after the audition I realized I should've replaced the Celtic harp thing with being paid to make animal calls by the National Science Foundation. (The haiku thing wasn't one of the original five.)

The goal is to figure out stories you can distill down to one intriguing sentence that you can elaborate on. The other most important thing is to know what you're going to put on the form before you go into the audition. You don't want to try to come up with droll sentences to show how fascinating you are on the fly. I'd also suggest trying to find a variety (don't make them all about family, or about work, or about travel), but I'm not sure how important that is.

Introducing Yourself

At the beginning of the mock game (more on this later), you'll be asked to introduce yourself briefly. If this is something you would find difficult to do in a setting where you might be similarly nervous (e.g., a job interview), then it's probably good to practice doing it in front of a mirror until you feel comfortable with it. This is one of those Socratic "know thyself" things; seeming overly rehearsed is probably not the best idea, so if you're comfortable being extemporaneous it's probably best to go with that, but if you know you'll stutter and blush then being overly prepared is better than the alternative.

What Not To Wear

My philosophy on dressing for the audition is that it's no more difficult to wear appropriate clothes (so long as they're comfortable) than to wear clothes that aren't, so wear clothes that are television-ready. (In addition to making a positive impression, I can only assume it would be easier to visualize you as a contestant on the Polaroid that they take for your application). You'd be surprised; most people (at least at the site I auditioned at) don't --- they wear loud or busy prints, or all white or black, or are dressed very casually.

And wear something that makes you feel great. Try to find something within the TV-ready parameters that's flattering and comfortable. (I wore a lavender cashmere V-neck sweater that I've always gotten a lot of compliments on). If you know you look your best, that's one less thing to worry about. Do wear shoes you can stand in easily, though, especially if you're prone to nervousness; you'll be standing during the mock game and don't want to be wobbly if you lock your knees. This is more of a concern for women than for men.

Before And During The Test

The audition really begins the moment you walk into the audition room. Go in with a genuinely good, yet assertive, attitude. The contestant coordinators (who are fabulous) will ask some sample questions. Go ahead; raise your hand and answer them forcefully and pleasantly (when called!) if you know them. Do your best to be helpful and cooperative. And you'll probably be surrounded by some interesting people in the form of your fellow auditioners. If you're looking at them as "competition," that's probably not the best mindset. Few enough people pass the test, let alone get selected after passing. Don't be that guy (or girl).

Taking the Test

Nothing can substitute for real knowledge on the test. Either you know the answers or you don't. But there are two things that could potentially make someone with sufficient knowledge to pass the test fail. The first is obsessing about questions you don't know. There are only seven seconds between the time each question is read. (You don't get a written sheet with all the questions; they're read aloud one at a time, and you have no way to go back to them). First, if you're not sure of a question, 99% of the time you're better off just writing something --- anything! --- down and going on to the next question. If you're completely sure you know an answer but can't pull it, you might jot down a shorthand version of the question and try to think of the answer between questions, but in general you're better off focusing on the question at hand. Don't obsess or get angry at yourself about questions you don't know; just move on. (That said, I still remember the question I missed on my test!). Second, guess on every question you don't know. There's no penalty for wrong answers. Some of your guesses may turn out to be right, and that could mean the difference between passing and failing.

After the Test

After a brief q-and-a session (which gives the contestant coordinators time to score the test, they'll announce the names of the folks who passed the test. Hopefully you'll be among them! The next step is filling out a more detailed application, which is basically like any other application for anything else you've ever done that required an application, and after that is the mock game.

Mechanics of the Mock Game

You'll be selected (don't know whether randomly or not) in groups of threes to play a mock game on easy questions --- much easier than the test --- using a Jeopardy-style buzzer. Due to the raging migraine I had at this point in the process, I can't remember if this is exactly like the ones used on the show, but I believe it is. After introducing yourself, gameplay will proceed just like on the show with one exception: if someone hasn't gotten a chance to buzz, they'll probably be asked to select a category at some point. This happened in both games in my audition room; I would assume it's normal.

Tips for the Mock Game

Make like you're on stage. Be aggressive with the buzzer, keep a big smile on your face, select a new question immediately after being told you're correct (you'll be advised to do that), and speak up. Loud as you can without shouting. And follow any advice the contestant coordinators give during the game. If they tell you to enunciate more clearly or pick categories more quickly, then do it.

I had a great time with this, but I'm a ham (I remember gently teasing one of the other folks I was playing the mock game with for getting a question on something that went off the air before I was born and practically singing out another answer where singing might have been appropriate) and I'm used to being in front of people. For me, it was a natural way to act given my personality and the constraints of what's appropriate for the situation. Someone on the Jeopardy! board --- I believe it was Mike --- advises "be yourself, only bigger," which I think is great advice. If you're used to auditions or performing in any capacity, you've probably got this sort of persona naturally. If not, just practice in front of a mirror, telling yourself to smile, speak loudly, and select the next category immediately.

Final Thoughts

You don't need to turn yourself into a gregarious fool to get on the show. Again, be yourself, only bigger. As folks on the Jeopardy! board have pointed out, all kinds of personalities get selected for the show. And a lot of people who pass the test try out multiple times before getting chosen. I happened to be at an unusual time in my life (I definitely got comments about auditioning as the mother of a newborn), which may have made me memorable, and I feel like I got very lucky to be selected for the show on my first try. The point is, if you do audition and you don't get on the show, don't assume you did something "wrong." Far more people audition than get on the show in any given year, and many people have passed the test multiple times before eventually appearing.

A lot of these principles, though, are general principles of auditioning and performing, and I hope they'll make your odds as good as they can possibly be. I don't know anyone who's been on who hasn't felt like it was a tremendous experience and privilege, or who wouldn't love to do it again. Everyone I met connected with the show, from the contestant coordinators to the behind-the-scenes staff to fellow contestants, was an absolute pleasure. And how often do you get to say that?