The shuttle left the Radisson at 8:00 am, filled with 12 sleep-deprived people carrying garment bags (everyone brings 3 sets of clothes to the studio in case they win so it will look like a "new day" to viewers at home). I had three alarms - the hotel clock radio, my cell phone, and a wake-up call - and didn't need any of them. I found on the shuttle that my experience was not unique. It was about 15 minutes to the studio, and we were passing through the studio gates. Just like in the movies. How glamorous!
Then we were dropped off. In a parking garage. Not so glamorous, after all.
While we waited on benches at the parking garage, I struck up a conversation with a fellow-contestant. We quickly ascertained that this wasn't the first time we had met.
Remember Sven? Sven who I auditioned with in DC. Sven who had played the mock game with me in that audition? Sven whose wife I responded to in my first post on the Jeopardy! Message Board? Sven who I had played trivia with with online? Well, that was him.
As happy as we were for each other that we had made it onto the show, we were also somewhat concerned. We knew how careful Jeopardy! - and all game shows - are about the appearance of collusion. What would they do about two contestants who sort of knew each other? We agreed that we needed to tell the Contestant Coordinators as soon as possible, not just because it was the right thing to do, but so that it wouldn't look like we were trying to collude.
Soon we were picked up in another small bus and taken to the Jeopardy! studio. It's right across from the Wheel of Fortune studio, by the way. When we got off the bus we were led inside to the Green Room, which, of course, is not green. There were papers to fill out and rules to go over. There was also a pretty good spread of danishes and bagels and doughnuts, but none of us seemed really hungry. Especially Sven and I - or at least me, I shouldn't speak for Sven.
We did make the coordinators aware of our situation. Maggie told us not to worry about it, they would handle it but she'd have to speak to the lawyers.
Great. Lawyers.
The Defending Champion, Lowell, arrived later than the rest of us because he is from there in Los Angeles. I thought he looked much calmer than the rest of us. I wondered how many games he had won - I figured he was probably a multi-day champion who would just run over all of us newbies.
For about an hour, Maggie went over the rules for the day and rules for the show, as well as a review of how the game was played. It was an awesome presentation - she is so much fun that any nervousness about the game or about the possible-appearance-of-collusion situation dissolved for the time Maggie was doing her spiel.
Then it was time to go to the actual Jeopardy! set to practice the buzzers. It was about this time, I think, that Maggie explained that she had talked to the lawyers and that everyone would get to play. Eventually. I'll explain more about that later because to do so before the games air could be something of a spoiler.
Going onto the set was a rush. Seeing the podiums (podia?) and the game board and Alex's podium was very cool. There was a big difference between this set and the Millionaire set - although the Millioniare set was also impressive, when you looked up close it was kind of tacky. But because Jeopardy! is filmed in HD, the set was much more solid.
We all got to play parts of two Jeopardy! games, taking turns at the different podiums (podia?) and getting used to the signaling devices. As you probably know, you can't ring in until Alex is finished reading a clue. At that point, an assistant producer presses a button that activates the signaling devices. Two white lights at the sides of the game board light up that show you can ring in.
Ring in too early, and you're locked out for a half second. Ring in too late and you're, well, too late. I followed the advice in Mike Dupee's book to not wait for the lights, but to try to anticipate them. When you watch the show you can see how well that worked out. He also suggests resting your hand on the podium rather than holding the buzzer up - I tried both ways and his way definitely felt best.
After the practice games, we went back to the Green Room. It was almost time for the taping to begin - the audience was arriving! We were told that Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter, and Bob Harris would be in the audience that day. We all thought that was very cool. To explain to non-Jeopardy! obsessed people what that was like, I have said to imagine playing golf in front of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Lee Trevino.
Just before time to start, it was revealed who would be facing Returning Champion Lowell. My only real preference was not to go first - not that I was really that intimidated by Lowell, but I wanted to prolong the experience. If I was going to lose, I didn't want it to be in the first game of the day and be done with Jeopardy! so quickly. I was really hoping to watch a couple of games before jumping into the fire.
So . . . of course my name was the first one called. It was time to play Jeopardy!!
To the next installment - GAME ONE
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