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Jeopardy! Tryout Screenings Go Online
KingSkippus writes "According to a CNN article, the television game show Jeopardy! is now offering online contestant screenings in addition to conducting contestant searches in various cities across the country. Potential contestants will still have to pass an interview and an additional test in person to be considered for the pool of 400 contestants each year, but now the next Ken Jennings can apply without leaving the comfort of his or her own chair. The first online screenings begin March 28."
Also the article summary clearly states that you still must pass an interview and another written test.
Good luck making those into a "googling-contest."
Not to be a stickler - but it amazes me that Ken Jennings is always quoted in stories that relate to Jeopardy - like he's the greatest ever or something. Brad Rutter was actually the winningest Jeopardy contestant before Ken Jennings came along and there were restrictions on how long a contestant could be on the show. Then he proceeded to kick Jennings' a$$ on the Jeopardy Master's tournament and reclaimed the title. So - in fairness - we really ought to say "the next Brad Rutter". I'm just sayin....
Have you checked out the other questions they typically ask on an episode? It goes back further than that. You would have to have been living in France during the 1700s to get some of those dang questions right.
As clearly mentioned on the page this is a *preliminary screening* process. There will be further screening for those who advanced.
Remember, open source is free as in speech, not free as in bear.
I was one of the test subjects for this process. I'd signed up for future auditions on their website, and got an email one day: Go to this website on this day - at this specific time - to take an online test.
They had a page with a Flash application that gave you questions and a place to enter your answer. Didn't have to be in the form of a question, which was fortunate, because you didn't get much time to enter it. There were plenty I barely answered, so I can't imagine typing it into Google first. (Just realized: Because it was Flash, you couldn't copy and paste it there, either.) No going back to previous questions, either.
I evidently did well enough, because I was called to an in-person audition as well. It sounds like it was about the same as previous auditions as mentioned elsewhere in this thread. In any case, the people there said they were testing this to do the initial filter on contestants - previously, they'd pull dozens (hundreds?) of hopefuls, they'd take the test, wait an hour to get them tested, and most wouldn't do well enough to go to the next step. (One audition was mentioned where NOBODY did well enough on the test to move forward.)
The one I was at had maybe 30-40 people, and everyone passed the written: They made us take another test, similar to the online one but written rather than electronic. Different questions, just the answers again, and not a lot of time to get it right. (But you could, if you wanted, go back and change your answers. Not that you had time for that.)
Evidently, the rest of the audition was just like it used to be: Take people three at a time to play a mock game, to see how you handle being in front of people. I thought I did okay...but haven't heard back yet. And they said that the only way we'd know how we did was if we heard back within a year. Still waiting...
TSG