This is inspired by Danger and Play's recent post about making money with a niche blog. Putting my ideas into a post helps me flesh out my thoughts, develop my writing, get some feedback on content and style, and give back to the forum by providing inside information. I am confident that many of the details below can be expanded into one or more blog posts.
Introduction
Jeopardy! is an American TV quiz show that airs around 300 episodes each year. Jeopardy has one major difference from other game shows in that the winner keeps their prize money, AND gets to play in the next game. Your experience and confidence builds, so you should get better and better at PLAYING the game, until you hit a knowledge roadblock. Though the producers introduce minor twists and gimmicks each season, the basic structure has remained the same for its 30-year run. In identifying this structure and implementing proven strategies from a three-time Jeopardy winner, RVF members can successfully audition for, and win, a slice of those 300 episodes. The results are: an unusual one-time income source, collateral knowledge, a fun experience, and some micro-fame.
Before you begin...Will you be a good Jeopardy contestant in the first place?
Do you have any interest in trivia contests such as pub trivia, high school or college quiz team, or even rounds of the Trivial Pursuit board game? These not only highlight the competitive aspect, but also serve as a good knowledge foundation. You are on the right track if you already know things like which US President served non-consecutive terms, the former names of Oslo, Istanbul, and Mumbai, and the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. Do you ENJOY learning these details? Remember, this is all for a GAME show. You need to be having a good time.
This takes us to our next qualification: your personality. The TV camera has the ability to mute your screen presence, eliminating nuance and subtlety. You will need to be more YOU. Do you smile? Does your voice 'smile'? Does your body 'smile'? The contestant coordinators - the people who recruit players - are professionals at bringing average trivia goobers out of their shells. But they will love you if you make their job easier. RVF members should demolish this aspect of the process.
So...still interested? Then let's go.
The entire Jeopardy experience takes 12-24 months, more if you kill it and are invited back for winners' tournaments. Let's look at each part of the process individually.
![[Image: attachment.jpg19497]](https://rooshvforum.network/attachments/attachment.jpg19497)
Online Test
This was the most difficult part of the process for me. Not simply because of the subject material, or the very limited time to complete it, but the 'step up'. Going from 'level zero' of Jeopardy involvement to 'level one' is (literally) infinitely a bigger step than from 1 to 2. I had to take this test multiple times over several years to either pass, or pass AND be randomly selected for the audition (your results for the online test and audition are never revealed to you). The online test is administered 2-3 times per year. Sign up for test notifications at jeopardy.com.
Audition
Perhaps the most enjoyable yet most nerve-wracking part of the process. RVF members will shine here. Before the online test, you are asked to select your preferred audition city. You then spend an afternoon in a hotel or convention center with 30-50 other potential contestants. You fill out numerous legal forms, interview cheat sheets, and take another written test. Making small talk with potential competition from surrounding states is fun, as is mentally eliminating who has no chance (400 pound woman, overly pierced man, etc). Obviously, if you've ever seen an episode, you don't have to be an Adonis, but Jeopardy is in the television BUSINESS. They have no obligation to put physically repulsive guests on the air.
You will talk about yourself in five minute mini interviews in front of everyone, similar to the back-and-forths on the show with the host, Trebek. Bring your mental list of insta-stories and ability to converse on any topic with any type of person. Be humble. Be confident and comfortable without being a showoff or too aloof. Be ready to talk about your job in an interesting way. Have a pre-baked, TV-friendly idea of how you would spend a chunk of prize money.
Dress however you would dress for the show. Upscale casual is good as you don't want to upstage Trebek.
Studying
There is no way to detail every part of a successful study process for Jeopardy in just a few paragraphs, but I will try. On the website j-archive, you will find many interviews of one-game winners claiming to have not studied in preparation. Key word: one-game. Conclusion: study and win more than one. If it is important enough for you to have come this far in the process, and you only have ONE SHOT on the show (once you appear on the TV program, you cannot audition again), why wouldn't you capitalize on the opportunity?
-Record and watch the show! DVR is a huge help in tracking your scores and weak subjects
-The site j-archive includes every question and answer for nearly every episode, and betting scenarios for the Final Jeopardy question
-For Dummies and Idiot's Guides books provide the superficial knowledge you need. Jeopardy is about range, not depth. Eyewitness Books are great for visual subjects like art and architecture. I have not yet found a great way to learn musical subjects in a short period of time, just biographical info from Bach to Eminem
-Jeopardy video games, online games, apps, magazine quizzes. Some knowledge never changes
-Dense reference and trivia books for flash cards. This is a slog, and it may not even pay off, but this goes back to the 'enjoy trivia for its own merits' factor
-Pub trivia, not as useful here, since Jeopardy is an individual game, but it can't hurt
Realize you can't know everything. If you physically cannot stomach any more European history, pick up something you dig, and learn a little more about it.
Taping
By far, the quickest part of the whole experience. If you passed the audition - again, you won't know till they call - you will be going out to Sony Studios in Culver City near L.A. on your own dime. The show justifies paying your own way by awarding $1000 or so to 3rd and 2nd place finishers.
A week's worth of shows is taped in a day. You will have brought several changes of clothes, since it needs to look like a different day when you continue winning.
The contestant coordinators you met at the audition are back, so there are some friendly faces to get you comfortable. Urge your family and friends to come to the taping if they can. It is a riot to watch someone you know compete, plus there is moral support.
There is no meet-and-greet with Trebek, but while you are preparing backstage, he holds a Q&A with the studio audience. I can only imagine the stale questions he is asked week after week, but he keeps his friendly, professional demeanor. Off-camera his personality is slightly more IDGAF, in a good way.
Be ready to record a 10 second 'hometown howdy' promo that may air in your local market. For example: Hi Zanesville, watch me steal the hearts of your girlfriends this week on Jeopardy.
After the taping but before the airing, EVERYONE will ask how you did. Contractually, you have to be tight-lipped to all, save for a few trustworthy family or friends. The intrigue dies down until...
Airing
Record this! Jeopardy provides you with no copy of your show, and you should have one to break out as a unique DHV.
At this point, the micro-fame breaks out. You may appear in the local paper or radio show. Milk this SOB.
Payment
Finally the whole point of the endeavor comes through. Quickly pay your state and federal taxes so you don't have to worry about it next April. Only California taxes are automatically deducted from your winnings. Enjoy your windfall and treat yourself.
Good luck in your studies!
Thanks for any feedback or questions you guys may have.
Introduction
Jeopardy! is an American TV quiz show that airs around 300 episodes each year. Jeopardy has one major difference from other game shows in that the winner keeps their prize money, AND gets to play in the next game. Your experience and confidence builds, so you should get better and better at PLAYING the game, until you hit a knowledge roadblock. Though the producers introduce minor twists and gimmicks each season, the basic structure has remained the same for its 30-year run. In identifying this structure and implementing proven strategies from a three-time Jeopardy winner, RVF members can successfully audition for, and win, a slice of those 300 episodes. The results are: an unusual one-time income source, collateral knowledge, a fun experience, and some micro-fame.
Before you begin...Will you be a good Jeopardy contestant in the first place?
Do you have any interest in trivia contests such as pub trivia, high school or college quiz team, or even rounds of the Trivial Pursuit board game? These not only highlight the competitive aspect, but also serve as a good knowledge foundation. You are on the right track if you already know things like which US President served non-consecutive terms, the former names of Oslo, Istanbul, and Mumbai, and the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. Do you ENJOY learning these details? Remember, this is all for a GAME show. You need to be having a good time.
This takes us to our next qualification: your personality. The TV camera has the ability to mute your screen presence, eliminating nuance and subtlety. You will need to be more YOU. Do you smile? Does your voice 'smile'? Does your body 'smile'? The contestant coordinators - the people who recruit players - are professionals at bringing average trivia goobers out of their shells. But they will love you if you make their job easier. RVF members should demolish this aspect of the process.
So...still interested? Then let's go.
The entire Jeopardy experience takes 12-24 months, more if you kill it and are invited back for winners' tournaments. Let's look at each part of the process individually.
Online Test
This was the most difficult part of the process for me. Not simply because of the subject material, or the very limited time to complete it, but the 'step up'. Going from 'level zero' of Jeopardy involvement to 'level one' is (literally) infinitely a bigger step than from 1 to 2. I had to take this test multiple times over several years to either pass, or pass AND be randomly selected for the audition (your results for the online test and audition are never revealed to you). The online test is administered 2-3 times per year. Sign up for test notifications at jeopardy.com.
Audition
Perhaps the most enjoyable yet most nerve-wracking part of the process. RVF members will shine here. Before the online test, you are asked to select your preferred audition city. You then spend an afternoon in a hotel or convention center with 30-50 other potential contestants. You fill out numerous legal forms, interview cheat sheets, and take another written test. Making small talk with potential competition from surrounding states is fun, as is mentally eliminating who has no chance (400 pound woman, overly pierced man, etc). Obviously, if you've ever seen an episode, you don't have to be an Adonis, but Jeopardy is in the television BUSINESS. They have no obligation to put physically repulsive guests on the air.
You will talk about yourself in five minute mini interviews in front of everyone, similar to the back-and-forths on the show with the host, Trebek. Bring your mental list of insta-stories and ability to converse on any topic with any type of person. Be humble. Be confident and comfortable without being a showoff or too aloof. Be ready to talk about your job in an interesting way. Have a pre-baked, TV-friendly idea of how you would spend a chunk of prize money.
Dress however you would dress for the show. Upscale casual is good as you don't want to upstage Trebek.
Studying
There is no way to detail every part of a successful study process for Jeopardy in just a few paragraphs, but I will try. On the website j-archive, you will find many interviews of one-game winners claiming to have not studied in preparation. Key word: one-game. Conclusion: study and win more than one. If it is important enough for you to have come this far in the process, and you only have ONE SHOT on the show (once you appear on the TV program, you cannot audition again), why wouldn't you capitalize on the opportunity?
-Record and watch the show! DVR is a huge help in tracking your scores and weak subjects
-The site j-archive includes every question and answer for nearly every episode, and betting scenarios for the Final Jeopardy question
-For Dummies and Idiot's Guides books provide the superficial knowledge you need. Jeopardy is about range, not depth. Eyewitness Books are great for visual subjects like art and architecture. I have not yet found a great way to learn musical subjects in a short period of time, just biographical info from Bach to Eminem
-Jeopardy video games, online games, apps, magazine quizzes. Some knowledge never changes
-Dense reference and trivia books for flash cards. This is a slog, and it may not even pay off, but this goes back to the 'enjoy trivia for its own merits' factor
-Pub trivia, not as useful here, since Jeopardy is an individual game, but it can't hurt
Realize you can't know everything. If you physically cannot stomach any more European history, pick up something you dig, and learn a little more about it.
Taping
By far, the quickest part of the whole experience. If you passed the audition - again, you won't know till they call - you will be going out to Sony Studios in Culver City near L.A. on your own dime. The show justifies paying your own way by awarding $1000 or so to 3rd and 2nd place finishers.
A week's worth of shows is taped in a day. You will have brought several changes of clothes, since it needs to look like a different day when you continue winning.
The contestant coordinators you met at the audition are back, so there are some friendly faces to get you comfortable. Urge your family and friends to come to the taping if they can. It is a riot to watch someone you know compete, plus there is moral support.
There is no meet-and-greet with Trebek, but while you are preparing backstage, he holds a Q&A with the studio audience. I can only imagine the stale questions he is asked week after week, but he keeps his friendly, professional demeanor. Off-camera his personality is slightly more IDGAF, in a good way.
Be ready to record a 10 second 'hometown howdy' promo that may air in your local market. For example: Hi Zanesville, watch me steal the hearts of your girlfriends this week on Jeopardy.
After the taping but before the airing, EVERYONE will ask how you did. Contractually, you have to be tight-lipped to all, save for a few trustworthy family or friends. The intrigue dies down until...
Airing
Record this! Jeopardy provides you with no copy of your show, and you should have one to break out as a unique DHV.
At this point, the micro-fame breaks out. You may appear in the local paper or radio show. Milk this SOB.
Payment
Finally the whole point of the endeavor comes through. Quickly pay your state and federal taxes so you don't have to worry about it next April. Only California taxes are automatically deducted from your winnings. Enjoy your windfall and treat yourself.
Good luck in your studies!
Thanks for any feedback or questions you guys may have.