I’ll take “Easy Questions” for $200, Alex.
My family loves to watch Jeopardy. Three out of the four of us get the occasional answer…nothing that would prompt us to try out for the trivia program.
The only one who can claim true success is my husband, Bill. At times, when I’ve barely understood the question, Bill’s shouting out an answer. He’s often able to keep up with some contestants. Yup, he’s that good.
Occasionally I outwit him during a show, but the category is usually something like “1960’s Sitcoms” or “Name that Cookie” or “Meg Ryan Movies.” I’ll rattle off answers while he looks on…probably wondering why he married me in the first place.
Once I was folding laundry in our bedroom, watching a version of Jeopardy that aired on a nearby NY station. When finished, I’d wandered downstairs. Bill sat on the sofa watching the program I’d just seen, now airing later on a Connecticut station. At final Jeopardy, he yelled out his answer.
I passed him on my way to the kitchen. “Hmmm. I don’t think so.”
“No?” He looked away from the TV. “Then what?”
I gave him the response I’d heard twenty-five minutes earlier, one clearly out of the realm of possibility as something I might know.
He raised a skeptical brow and turned back to the program. “We’ll see.”
I crossed my arms and watched with him. “Yes. We’ll see.”
When Alex Trebek announced the answer–same as mine–Bill’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, but he recovered nicely and smiled. “Nice job, sweetie.”
I confessed within seconds and we shared a good laugh about the look on his face when I first answered. Everyone I know says I should’ve clung to that victory a little longer. But more than being right, I love a good laugh.
This week,”Kids Jeopardy” aired on our local station. Not the college program, but elementary school students. Easy, right? I rubbed my hands together and prepared to be a champion.
Sadly, while I had some moments I’d call achievements, more than one question left me stumped. Mostly science related–never my strong suit. At one point, I shut it off. Some kid–who was about one-third my body weight–outwitted me on a cloud related question.
From now on, I’ll stick to adult jeopardy. I end up feeling far less humiliated.
Re: the above category image of “colors that end in ‘urple'”… it’s from a Saturday Night Live Jeopardy skit. If you’ve never seen their take off, you’re missing a good chuckle. Here’s a clip. They’re priceless…many episodes have been done, most with “Sean Connery.” http://www.wannafork.com/humor_video_play.php?ID=600
Jeopardy…love or leave it? What do you think?
