Is it just me, or is it getting very difficult to call the Grand Slam games recently? It seems most of my calls have been on such petty items that it seems more like a guess than anything else. Anyway, on today’s Grand Slam on GSN at 7PM ET, we see Ken Jennings face off against Phyllis Harris and Michelle Kitt versus John Carpenter. Let’s take a look at Jennings/Harris.
This one is tricky because of how they both stand. Jennings is obviously a trivia giant and used to the speed of a game because of Jeopardy!. Phyllis Harris has been on roughly two million game shows and has experience across the board; on shows that require and don’t require speed. I’m going to actually go with Phyllis Harris to win. As I saw in Ken Jenning’s initial round, he’s awesome at trivia but not as much on the word and math round. Phyllis is very well rounded because of her massive game show experience and that will easily come in handy. Where Jennings gets her on trivia she can easily make up on words, logic, and math. I’m calling Phyllis Harris to beat Ken Jennings.
And now we come to the other match: Michelle Kitt versus John Carpenter. I’ve been talking to a few people about this one, and I am truly stumped. John Carpenter is, again, one of those masters of trivia obviously. He answered 25 Millionaire-level questions correctly without a lifeline; 28 out of 30 in total. However, Who Wants to be a Millionaire does not involve any remote amount of speed thinking. This is where Michelle Kitt might have an advantage. It took me a bit of time to realize it, but think about this: Weakest Link and Grand Slam are very similar in the style of the game. The only huge difference is the voting. Michelle Kitt’s game involved trivia, words, logic, math, and more under intense time pressure. You have to be the perfect player to make it to the end and win over $100,000 on that show. Sadly, I have no clear opinion of who will win this one. On just some weird hunch I’m going to say that Michelle Kitt beats John Carpenter and I am completely ready to be totally wrong. What are your pre game and post game thoughts? If we’re lucky, maybe Ms. Kitt can tell us of her experience on the show.
It’s basically two testosterone-fuelled trivia titans vs two ultra-dependable consistent females. I’m thinking KJ (I think he’s got enough about him to dismantle Harris) and Kitt (the speed will do it). Harris is certainly good enough to give KJ a real fright though, and Carpenter is probably better than Kitt on paper in many ways. Indeed, I’d fancy Carpenter under most conditions, but Grand Slam really is Link sans disapproval voting, and suits Kitt perfectly.
Holy shit was I wrong about the first match.
OK, didn’t expect any real one-sided clashes, but then Grand Slam does produce them more often than I’d like.
I’m watching the Jennings/Harris match now, and it’s almost painful to see poor Phyllis going down so hard. They just finished the numbers & logic round, and Ken has over a full minute. Living on the West Coast, I get to see the matches after everyone else, so I’m just now getting caught up. I’m going to have to go with Ken at this point, and I’m hoping MK can whip JC a good one.
Harris never really got it going all game long against Jennings.
For a minute, I thought Carpenter would erase that near-minute final-round deficit and beat Kitt. What do I know.
Ken played the perfect strategy game with his “switches”. If Carpenter had did the same, he might still be around in the tournament.
Phyllis must be an Orioles fan…She had about as good a game as they did against the Rangers this week (30-3)…Michelle is the George Mason of this thing!
The switches are a curious thing… Ken Jennings pointed on on his blog something to the effect that in theory, using a switch is a losing or break even proposition — the best you could really hope for is that your opponent doesn’t know it either and burns his switches to send the question back. In the worst case, your opponent knows it and answers immediately and you’ve gained really just a second or two off his clock for your switch while giving him the “switch edge” to where he can really stick you with a question later.
In practice, it seems to catch a lot of people off guard and does function as a “free correct answer”.
The perfect use for the switch seems to be to knock off the last less-than-a-second from your opponents clock on a question you don’t know to preserve your own clock time, but we’ve only seen that once.
Carpenter, it seemed like, was actually hurt by knowing the answers in the final round — he would have needed to use more switches to win, but every time I was really rooting for him to use a switch, he had the right answer.
Yes, the time to switch - and hardly anyone worked this one out in the UK either - is to take the last fraction of a second off the clock.
I’m calling a Jennings-Ogas final, but Kitt’s brilliantly suited to this format and Legler’s proven he’s no dummy. If I were seeding this thing right now, I’d be going Ogas-Jennings-Kitt-Legler.
Michelle, here. A few responses to your comments:
I got my Master’s degree at George Mason. :-)
Prior to the game against John, I came up with my one and only strategy of the game - switch on spelling questions. I felt that some of the contestants suffered from the inability to let go of a question - that they felt compelled to try, or take the time to think of the answer. I don’t compete in trivia contests nor write trivia books and so I had accepted the fact early on that I could let questions go by that I did not know and suffer no ego-damage. There’s a lot of other stuff I do know and I am secure with that. (Like pyrite, Neptune, Hippocrates, Dawson’s Creek, Wilson, numismatics, Descartes, and milkshake - just in case you may think I got easy questions and wouldn’t have known anyone else’s).
Anyway, John took the bait in the first switch and so I continued to press on and it worked out well. The interesting thing is I have basically no recollection of any questions I was asked at the time and so I am watching as if I never played. I cringed at some of the questions I didn’t even try to answer! (Particularly in math). I am a fanatic speller and do know how to spell “mausoleum” but felt too shaken to concentrate. I just rattled off letters until the questioner stopped me and hoped they were the right string.
Yogi Bear - I didn’t hear the question clearly. Remember, we can’t see the question like you can at home. I had no idea what had been asked. Everyone at my viewing party knew it right away, of course. I suspect the same thing happened with John on “Floor.” We couldn’t see that question either. And the question was “every other letter” but I don’t think specified which letter to start with…(though I know “lo” doesn’t spell anything, at that speed the extra info would have helped).
John is very smart and also very witty - he kept me in stitches the whole time. In fact, prior to our match he showed me a picture of his son and asked “Do you see this little boy? Do you want to make him cry?” He openly admitted that math would be his downfall while I kept all that to myself - I didn’t want to appear to have any weaknesses to any of the other contestants. I think John’s laid back attitude is a reflection of his personality - he’s just that laid back in real life. He doesn’t “do” any trivia either.
Lastly, the bit about “Ken Who?” was a joke. Just want to make that clear. I am pretty sure I told Ken I said it - and if not, I’m sure Ken himself laughed at it.
Any other info I can provide? Let me know what you want to know! Thanks for watching…!
MK
No problem, Michelle!
Like you, and most other Grand Slam competitors, I strive to never stop learning, and always look to better myself every day. That’s the real way to go through life, IMO. Always believe and trust in yourself, and you can do anything.
BTW, no matter what happens next week, you did yourself proud in this tournament. Also, might I add, you are quite a smart, and lovely lady. (blows friendly kiss)
Indeed, my opinions Ken vs. Phyllis was jsut painful to watch. I think what happened is that Phyllis got nervous because she ahd to play ken and just couldn’t get in the right mind frame. John vs. Michelle one of the clsoest games we’ve seen yet but if Joh had switched on that last question there may have been a different finish
Predictions for the semi-finals (btw, I’m now batting .307 as opposed to .300 going into the quarter-finals)
Ogi vs. David: I’m gonna say Ogi but it’s gonna be close.
Ken vs. Michelle: Last night I was ready to say Ken in a blowout but now I’m not so sure, I’m gonna go with Ken but it’s a coin flip.
Is it possible to be following this show and NOT be rooting for Michelle Kitt? I certainly don’t see how. All the best, MK, you’re doing awesome.
I haven’t been watching, but I’ve been making predictions…and now I’m batting .167 or something :P
I’ll take Ogi in a blowout and Michelle in yet another upset. I won’t call the finals until I’ve had a few beers :P
Howdy Michelle –
I have a few questions that aren’t clear to the viewer if you will .. :D
1. You say that the contestants can’t see the questions .. but what about the anagrams or the missing letter puzzles? Only then do they somehow display those on a screen for you?
2. On occasion you’ll see a contestant look inwards, presumably to check on the time remaining. Do those huge screens behind you that we see really showing what we see at home , or is that added post-edit? Are the clocks you are able to see on separate actual clocks off stage?
3. Before your match, were you allowed to watch the other games before yours so you could get a feel of a potential future opponent’s weaknesses? Or did they quarantine/sequester you until you went on like most other game shows?
4. Another GS contestant mentioned earlier that there was a lot of “downtime” and cuts in the middle of the rounds, presumably due to fact-checking or tech problems. Did they actually stop tape a few times for any reason during any of your rounds? (when a tech problem happened during my lil’ bonus round stint on Lingo they edited the hell out of it, and during airing the clock didn’t count against the delay, of course, so the clock was obviously post-edit — on GS I can’t imagine how they’d be able to stitch together an edited piece unless the clocks are indeed post-edit)
5. (Technical quirky geeky question) — in order to create that effect where they show all the contestants rapidly rotating around (when they show the stats) did they make you sit still and someone walked around you taking numerous shots? Just wondering how they did that :D
Thanks for givin’ us the scoop! :D
LObs
Great to see you along here Michelle!
Firstly, just seen the introduction to your first game; fascinating story about your life with the bodybuilding and the restaurant. And the spinning. I had one session of spinning at my gym at university, and it was vaguely fun, but I feel a tiny bit out of control with the class going at a given pace and no means of stopping save for an awkwardly-placed brake (much less so than in most group exercise, though).
The bodybuilding interests me because I (and, I would imagine, you) encounter so many females that I would describe as ‘treadmill hamsters’, whose gym routines will consist of continual one-paced cardiovascular exercise and - if you’re lucky - some exercises with trivially light dumbbells, repeated for more repetitions than an episode of Grand Slam has questions. Knowing a bit about the body and how it works, it drives me mad! Most people just plain don’t realise that non-trivial weight training helps with metabolism and won’t make them excessively muscular. (For crying out loud, I’m 5′11″, weigh under 135, and I’ve been TRYING to put on muscle mass for the last eight months!) I’ve been trying, with varying success, to persuade some of my female friends (of varying sizes) to change their gym program(me)s.
Now for the game show geekery the rest of us are here for. :)
You’re clearly well suited to this format through your experience on Link, as you pointed out yourself. How much of winning this do you think is down to knowledge and how much is down to adaptation to the format?
You’ve appeared to be amongst the most cool-headed contestants of the lot; interesting that you too recall an awful lot of nerves. Is that the biggest challenge of the show, holding your nerve?
In the pre-QF interview you said you were sticking up for those who hadn’t been on J! or Millionaire. Would you have wanted to appear on either of those and how do you think you would have fared on them?
I’ll probably post a more detailed post-mortem a little later, but I jus wanted to draw attention to the fact that the women have completely held their own in Grand Slam. There were 25% females in the first round (4/16); 25% in the quarterfinals (2/8) and now 25% in the semi-finals (1/4). And this percentage is “guaranteed” to continue into the finals, depending on whether you choose to round up (1/2) or down (0/2).
Also of great interest is the fact that the four semi-finalists represent 4 very different game shows: Jeopardy, Milliionaire, 21, Weakest Link. I guess Grand Slam proves its not the game show that matters, but the man (or woman).
Millionaire and 21 are slow games; Jeopardy and Weakest Link fast ones.
Also, the semi-finalists ages are all in the early-to-mid 30s — perhaps representing a good balance between maturity and experience on one hand, and quick thinking and fast reflexes on the other.
LOBs- Thanks for all the questions!
1. The general knowledge questions do not appear on a screen; they are audio only. All math questions do appear on a screen behind your opponent. The anagrams and missing letters questions also appear there but the spelling questions and the “What ‘x’ is a musical instrument that produces sound by banging a mallet on flat metal planks…” type questions do not. (I made that one up; clearly I shouldn’t quit my day job). Anyway, this format was difficult for several reasons: The Questioner had to read so fast that sometimes the questions were unclear, some questions sounded as if one thing were being asked but the last word would change the question completely (that LOST question could have gone 100 different ways and so I knew to wait until the end of the question) and I am more visual than auditory.
2. The screen you see on TV is the exact same as the screen behind us during play. So I am not sure what was more unnerving; the ticking clock or the 8 foot version of our faces… There are no other visible clocks. Seriously, it’s almost like playing in a silent vacuum where time is invisible and your face is 8 feet tall.
3. We couldn’t see other matches. We were sequestered with other Grand Slammers with no phones or study aides and several producers babysitting us - even accompanying us to the bathroom (Weakest Link was like that, too). We talked about everything but the game. For example, Kevin and I chatted about water quality and his upcoming speech at his Toastmaster’s club. I’m seeing the games for the first time along with you. The only strengths/weaknesses I knew about were those that the other contestants chose to share. John really did say that he was most afraid of math but I wasn’t sure if that was true or a “psych out” strategy.
4. None of my games were stopped. No technical problems or fact checking… I’m wondering if any other conestants’ rounds were re-taped entirely myself.
5. The opposite - they put us on a turntable…
… doesn’t seem possible to edit posts here; I meant to write early-to-mid 30s for the ages, not mid-to-late.
Hi Ogi,
Yes, you can’t edit posts. However, if one of your humble editors/writers catches it, they can edit it, which I just did. :-) Also, when you tried adding the link to a post last week, it ended up in our spamcatcher. I accepted it and deleted the other versions you penned.
Hope that helps. :-)
Hi David,
Thanks! It’s great to be here. Grand Slam LOVES that bodybuilding angle. I competed one time and decided it wasn’t for me. The diet is the pits! I like to eat.
Spinning can be taken at your own pace however many instructors do not think to adjust the directions for new folks; sometimes that results in new people not coming back. The restaurant is a terrific place and I love volunteering there. They’ve taken a break for the summer and so I am looking forward to starting up again this fall.
You are preaching to the choir re: resistance training. Many people - men and women - don’t see the benefits of a balanced exercise program, especially if they are trying to lose weight. They hit the treadmill full speed for an hour and burn out after just a few days. I could go on for a while about this… keep persuading your friends!
Format vs. knowledge - hmm, tough one. I think you really have to be comfortable with the format. There are many people who could clean up in a game like Grand Slam but would never play on television. Knowledge is important, but you need to be quick to interpret the game and adjust your playing style accordingly. For example, my statistical average is only about 50% right now; I’d attribute advancing this far to my comfort with the format.
As on Weakest Link, my nerves got to me when questions WEREN’T being asked. As soon as the questions start, I get in a zone. Off camera and offstage, I paced, I ate, I went to the bathroom 20 times, I walked laps around the green room, I tried to meditate and I got testy because there was no hot water for tea. (They eventually brought us some).
I would love to appear on Jeopardy! or Millionaire! Having defeated two of Millionaire’s best known contestants in Grand Slam, maybe I should try their game? The multiple choice messes with my head. Playing at home, I always think of the answer then talk myself out of it. I need to work on that… I’m stronger in science/technology than history and literature and so I don’t think I’d fare too well on Jeopardy.
:-) MK
I betcha kitt could win the whole thing
i agree, it’s gona be millonare vs weakest link.
After watching the tournament to this point, it’s becoming clear that both the spelling questions and the arabic-to-roman numeral conversions are far more time-consuming than they’re worth - especially considering the fact that if you make a misstep partway through, Kiernan interrupts you and you’re forced to wait out his reading of the entire answer, which shaves at least an additional 2 seconds off your time. (And poor Phyllis - she got stuck with not one, but [i]two[/i] reverse spelling words.)
I will say, though, that this whole tournament has been an absolute joy to watch. It’s gratifying to see a show challenge their contestants as much as Grand Slam does, especially given the current era of all-frill-no-skill shows that have been put on their air in the past few years. I see Ogi taking out Jennings in the final round, but all four semi-finalists have proven to be worthy competitors, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see any one of them walk out with the trophy.
I find myself rooting for Michelle and Ogi because they have been not only too kind to share their experiences and insights with us on this site, but because they are darned good players and approach the game strategically as if they really want to win. Kudos to both !!
Jennings doesn’t need the money or fame, and Legler doesn’t need the cash, though both are fine fellows. Neither seems to have the “fire” in this format, they seem to be here more for fun and challenge than anything else.
Watch out for Jennings, though…he is getting better as the tourney goes along. Michelle and Ken will be a fierce nail-biter. Hopefully Michelle learned a few things from her bout with Carpenter in the final round. She will need to improve further against Jennings, but I think she will prove a very worthy challenger. Ogi is just lightning-quick and so scary-smart at the math so that may be the edge in his semi (if not the final, too).
Overall, too close to call at this point. After all is done, it will be interesting to hear what Ogi and Michelle have to say. And so glad to see that the trash talk has been left on the soundstage.
Like most people who have responded, I, too, am enjoying this show and find that it’s a REFRESHING, original format here in the states. (I know it’s imported!) I hope this translates into good July and August ratings for GSN. If so, I hope this will help those people who are justifying to “The Powers That Be” that there is decent interest in seeing more original, challenging quiz programs than just those word, casino and psychological games (Without Prejudice) and classic reruns we currently see on the network.
As an aside, I find it humorous when I see frustration among the contestants who missed a spelling question and Pat Kiernan abruptly interrupts to relay the correct answer, screwing people’s time. Yes, I do value the notion that spelling is mostly easy to do in some casual, non-pressure situations. Though I’m happy none of the contestants fainted, unlike Akshay Buddiga in the real spelling bee a few years back. :-)
Also Michelle (congrats on your Masters Degree!) for me understanding the primary, basic main idea about the purpose and the processes of instructional design, I’m wondering do any of the skills students and teachers progressively acquired through this encourage or develop critical thinking and questioning skills over time?
Mike: Thanks for editing my last post for me — and for fixing that link in my earlier posting. I noticed that you did that for me (thanks!); I apologize for the multiple posts in your spam-catcher, it took me a while to figure out what the heck was going on.
I’m glad I didn’t see David Legler’s games before I played him, because he looked as good as anybody in the tournament. However, I went into my game with him with a different strategy than I had used previously in the tournament.
I’m actually kind of dreading watching the match with Legler, not for anything to do with the game itself (actually, I can’t remember much about that match, or any match; it’s kind of like trying to assemble the details immediately preceding a bomb detonation), but after seeing how I came across in my Rutter interviews. I didn’t remember saying anything that I said (except that Brad did math like a little girl), and I pretty much cringed at everything. I knew I was thinking stuff like that, and I’m sure I’ll continue thinking stuff like that in future games (we just saw Phyllis add herself to the list of competitors who talked themselves out of a game), but I sure won’t be talking like that again!
I do recall that I delivered a similar line regarding people with PhDs from MIT. This was due to an error: when they taped my pre-game interview, they did not know if I would be playing Leszek or Legler, and so that did 2 interviews with me, one in case Legler won, one in case Leszek won. That’s where I learned most of the details about the two of them (also, I learned some in the green room). But Leszek had the PhD from MIT, while Legler had an advanced degree in nuclear engineering, and by the time I was interviewed at halftime, I had it in my head that Legler had a PhD in nuclear physics. All I can remember from my halftime interview is dissing people with PhDs from MIT (a little ridiculous, considering I work with MIT PhDs every week, and many are good friends of mine…) Hopefully, however, this will make it harder for Davies to continue his narrative, but I’m pretty sure that I must have given him enough material to keep going at least through halftime against Legler.
I mentioned earlier that at some point the interviewing producer said, “How do you feel about being the villain of the tournament?” That was sort of the wake-up call for me, making me realize that those interviews mattered more than as opportunities to maintain my self-confidence, and I believe I stopped all trash-talking after that, but I cannot recall when that happened. I guess not before my match with Legler, since I recall trash talking MIT PhDs at halftime.
To be completely honest, the biggest reason that my trash-talking bothers me is because it steals control of my Grand Slam narrative away from me. Until the show first aired, I had my own storyline about my experience, that basically revolved around getting REM sleep and resetting my circadian cycle. I constantly talked about this in all my interviews, but so far it only made the screen during my halftime against Nancy, when I babble briefly about being tired and my circadian. Michael Davies has assembled a compelling “Lex Luthor” narrative about me.
Basically, Ken Jennings is like Superman: a sunny, Eagle-Scout supercerebrum with natural gifts far above those of mortal men. I, however, am mortal: an envious, scheming, hubris-inflated mortal who exploits science any way possible to augment my mediocre abilities in order to conquer the invincible. My arrogant reaching for the higher powers can only be successful through tricks and ruses, or clandestine cortical kryptonite. My ungracious fanatacism contrasts with the cheerful, self-effacing relaxed authority of the Mind of Steel.
Hey, it’s a pretty good storyline, I have to admit, and if I was producing the show, I’d probably run the same plot. It sure makes everything more exciting, gives viewers more vivid characters to root for or against. I can’t fault Davies at all: I sure want the show to be successful and become an annual event, and if my performance aids that in any way, I’m genuinely happy about it. And I can’t say a Lex Luthor-style characterization is all negative.
But the storyline that shaped my experience was as follows: during the summer (when the show was taped), I usually sleep late (until 9-10am) and go to sleep late (1-2am). But I expected Grand Slam to tape early. Mainly because other Davies shows taped early (morning/afternoon), and because the very first time I asked, a PA told me that the show would *probably* be taped during the day. (In Grand Slam’s defense, nobody EVER again stated the taping times, and even that first “slip” by that PA had a very big qualifier.) So I spent 2 weeks shifting my sleep schedule to waking at 5am, sleeping at 10pm, so that my maximum brain activity would peak around noon-1pm.
When we arrived in NYC, we were told matches would be taped in the early and very late evening. I remember thinking, “Christ, I’ve put all this work into Grand Slam, I was going to be the unknown underdog rising up to take on the champions, and now I’m going to lose my very first game and nobody will ever know about all this effort I put into cracking the game.” I was scheduled to play Nancy Christy at 7pm, at the twilight of my mentation.
As I’ve described, my entire game was based on a series of cognitive tricks. The metaphor I keep using is Johnny Mnemonic, a William Gibson short story and a disappointing Keanu Reeves film. Johnny Mnemonic is a courier who stores gigabytes of data in his brain. One time, he crams way too much data into his neurons and it starts to leak out. That’s kind of like how I was when I started Grand Slam: my brain was packed full of these heuristics and tricks and I had to remain completely alert and rested or it all started to leak out and disintegrate. I was extremely vulnerable to getting tired (which is why I spent so much effort shifting my circadian cycle.)
Then, my match with Christy was pushed back to 8pm. Then to 9pm. I remember feeling like HAL 9000: “My mind is going, I can feel it.” Then 10pm. I was dead. I was just heartbroken, I knew I didn’t stand a chance against Nancy Christy at that point. BUt then, a miracle. The producers told us that our match was getting postponed until the next day.
I returned to Hotel Mela in Times Square and again forced myself to stay conscious until 2 am, frequently shivering beneath icy showers. I presumed the suprachiasmatic nucleus in my forebrain was getting triggered by environmental light cues to decide it was time to wake, so I taped newspapers over every square inch of window, then nailed a blanket over the newspapers, then taped over the door frame so that I was in total, timeless, circadian-duping darkness.
When I awoke, I felt uneasy. I ripped the tape off the nightstand clock: 5am. Horrified, I twisted in bed until 7am, but my brain was already doing jumping jacks. Time for drastic measures. I needed a sedative. Benzodiazepines—Valium, Xanax, Klonopin—would certainly force sleep and shift my circadian; they also tend to cause memory deficits. I was willing to trade the possible degradation of my mnemonic architecture for the catastrophic collapse of all cognition—but how could I procure Valium in New York at 7am? I couldn’t possibly emergency-page my buttoned-up primary care physician in Boston and ask him to fax a prescription to Manhattan. Could I just go to Duane Reade and offer the pharmacist 50 bucks for a couple pills?
Suddenly I remembered an ex-girlfriend who used to live in Greenwich Village who suffered from severe anxiety disorder. I had not spoken to Megan in about 5 years but at 7:30am I called her, praying the number still worked. It rang three times, then her voice spoke from the answering machine. For just a moment, I considered leaving a message—“Hey, it’s Ogi, I know we haven’t talked in a while—I got married, by the way—but I’m on this game show here in NYC and can you spare some Xanax?”—then hung up.
That left diphenhydramine hydrochloride, AKA Sominex, Benadryl, Unisom: the most common over-the-counter sleeping aid. Diphenhydramine probably should not even be called a sedative: it does not produce deep, wonderfully soporific sleep like the benzodiazepines, but rather a shallow, agitated demi-slumber occasionally troubled by hallucinogenic fugues. Still, I was running out of time. I ran to Duane Reade, bought a box of Sominex, and gulped down 8 pink-and-white gel caps. I lay back in my lightless room and waited. Soon I felt disoriented. Then deranged. Then deranged, disoriented, and desperate because I was still not falling asleep.
After a couple more hours I got up and ripped the newspapers off the windows to attempt to study, but I was so stupefied I could not even focus on Tier One. I stumbled outside and shuffled through Central Park like a zombified panhandler, hoping to flush the pseudo-sedative garbage out of my system. By the time the van came around to chauffeur Christy and I to the studio most of the stupor had worn off, though I felt raw and burned out. Make-up, a coin toss, microphones, and we were ushered onto the dance floor.
Oops, gotta run… I’ll continue later.
Oops, quick note: Tier One were easy trivia facts that I tried to have primed up in short-term memory.
Holy..
Ogi. Wow. And I thought I was hardcore for pre-loading my Wheel of Fortune auditions with 10mg of time release Dexedrine so I could act psycho-hyper-retarded enough for the coordinators’ penchant for dumb over-excited people while maintaining a heightened level of focus for my ninja-style puzzle-solving. (Wasn’t effective) .. Nonetheless, my one time on FOF and two times on Lingo were all whilst on the wondrous Valium — your doctor will prescribe it for you if you have the slightest fear of flying — therefore due to the fact that I must fly to tape game shows, I always seem to have some on-hand during a taping :D .. I was only taking them to stave off the stage fright nervousness (even though both games do not have a live audience), but yet while I was originally worried that taking an anti-anxiety drug would bust up my skills, it turns out that removing the element of nervousness made me concentrate more on the game, no matter how relaxed and chill and unfocused Valium can make me. Xanax is a completely different beast — as, a day later, I forget most everything that happened to me following taking it… Valium doesn’t seem to poop my memory.
Anyway, man, your story is hilarious and is a fantastic tale of game show preparedness taken to a level way farther than anyone would imagine. Can’t you just picture Legler and Rutter and the like hangin’ out at the hotel bar drinking Rum Diet Pepsis chatting about former White House pets while you’re up there taking freezing showers and metaphysically shaping your brain for the next day’s game?
Do like Ken and Bob Harris and write a fucking book about this stuff. It’s gold.
LObs
At this point, I’m predicting an Ogi vs. Michelle final, though as many people say, Ken vs. Michelle will be difficult to call. I guess I’m one of those game show fans who love to see giants of the game(s) like Rutter and Jennings get taken down a couple intellectual pegs by underdogs. To paraphrase from Ogi himself, like mental Kryptonite to Superman.
As an aside, I remember the night Ken lost on Jeopardy!. I was cheering not only for that, but because I work for the company he couldn’t figure out, H&R Block. It was deeply satisfying to see him go down.
But back on the topic of GS, for final winner I’m going out on a limb and saying Michelle. All the rest of the matches seem to be toss-ups, making it very hard to call any of them, but I just have this gut feeling Michelle will walk away with the grand prize. Though I can, and very often have been, wrong.
I’ve never been on a game show myself, though I have tried out for WOF, H2, and College Week for J!. Maybe someday I’ll learn what Lobster said about “the coordinators’ penchant for dumb over-excited people”. I guess I’m just too serious for my own good at times.
Lastly, Thank you to Ogi, Michelle, Leszek, and everyone else connected with the show as contestant or otherwise for your insights into this show.
Sorry Ogi, but you seem just a bit too cocky. I apologize, but it just seems that way. Maybe you aren’t, but on screen (and Dennis & Amanda have commented on this before) it’s like you are a bit of an @$$hole. I’m hoping for an Ogas-Kitt final, but if I were to bet on this like sports, I’d go Jennings-Kitt. Sorry Ogi, but that’s just how it seems on paper. Michelle, you fit so well to this format. Like someone said before, this is like WL, without voting (and without some red-haired British lady screaming at you). And like someone else said, Twenty-One and Millionaire don’t have a speed factor, whereas Jeopardy! and Link do, and that’s where I think that could be a downfall to Ogi and David.
Just the Whammy’s opinion.
“Who’s one spin short of being the WINNER? Bye-bye!”
Oh yeah, Michelle’s playing Kenny next. Oh crap. Well, I go with Kitt-Ogas. Make everyone happy.
“Who would ever hurt a Whammy… Who would ever want- OW!”
It’s going to come down to performance on the day. I think Kitt’s the most consistent, and Jennings is clicking through the gears; I’d guess the winner of that will win the final, but that makes me sound like I’m completely discounting Ogas, and I really don’t want to do that!
Here’s what I’m going to guess, and I’m sure I’ll be wrong; Ogas-Jennings final, Jennings edges it, and Ogas is forever remembered as the nearly man of game shows. DAMNIT!
(Incidentally; what’s the Jennings-Rutter gap? Is it less than $100,000? If it is, KJ becomes #1 on the earnings list again…)
Lobster: Many of us WERE at the Irish bar next door. The first night, I wasn’t - my boyfriend was coming from the airport and I was waiting in the hotel lobby. But I do know that several contestants stayed out late doing shots and making bets among themselves. The next night I was there.
Ogi: You should have tried Valerian! I love the stuff. Totally works and totally natural.
Lady Kitt:
I considered valerian root, but since I needed something that would force me to sleep against my natural cycle (I was taking it in the morning, not in the evening) I was skeptical it would be potent enough. I probably should have taken valerian before I went to sleep at night in the hope it promoted me to sleep longer and later.
Others have recommended modafinil, a “a eugeroic drug” (as characterized on Wikipedia). I had never heard of this, and if there is another Grand Slam with an ambiguous shooting schedule, I will certainly experiment with this beforehand and perhaps pack it up in my future pharmacopoiea of sleep. Of course, this might induce the need for “neurosteroid” testing and accusations of brain doping (Ogi’s besotted with valerian and methamphetamines, no fair!) I’m already getting accused of spoiling the game, I can only imagine the fallout if I’m accused of bringing surreptitious performance enhancing agents into Grand Slam…
Well next time I need a fun drug, I know which two to talk to, ha.
Continuing my narrative…
By the time the van came around to chauffeur Christy and I to the studio most of the stupor had worn off, though I felt raw and burned out. Make-up, a coin toss, microphones, and we were ushered onto the dance floor.
My amygdala surged with apprehension, and all weariness was blotted out by a hot flood of adrenalin. Sitting on stage, surrounded by the audience, I had a panicky flashback of the Millionaire Hot Seat. I closed my eyes and slipped into my calming routines; my heart rate slowed from Uzi to techno. I mentally ran through the squares of the integers from 25 to 35, ticking them off rapidly and accurately: somehow my lack of sleep, the unwise diphenhydramine, and the adrenal surge were not interfering with basic cognitive processes. Thank God it was only 5pm.
I managed to squeeze through Nancy Christy. But next up, the following day, was the Game Show God himself, Brad Rutter. Fortunately, I was scheduled to play him at 4pm. But if I beat him I would play my semi-final match at 8pm the same day—most definitely past my cognitive “event horizon.” That night was my last chance to get some serious REM sleep and shift my circadian back, even by a couple hours. I plastered over all light sources and crammed rubbery plugs in my ears, thinking the morning rumble of Time Square might be cueing my hypothalamus to wake me. I fell asleep at 2am, hopeful I would not wake until 8am at least, and maybe even 10 or 11.
I woke at 5:30am. At 4pm, Rutter and I were shepherded onto the dance floor. I riffed through the squares from 25 to 35; answers came fast and accurate. It was early enough that I was still 100% in control of my heuristics.
I beat the game show virtuoso by eight seconds.
A couple hours later, I was hemorrhaging neurotransmitter. As I neared my 8pm semi-finals, my alertness evaporated like breath on a bathroom mirror. I was scheduled to battle Dave Legler, a former submarine officer, a nuclear engineer, University of Chicago MBA, and the biggest winner on Twenty-One, where his $1,765,000 triumph granted him the title of world’s biggest money winner for more than a year. Legler was an imposing presence: tall, burly, with a booming voice, he was exactly the kind of guy you want commanding your navy’s submarine, but exactly not the kind of guy you want to insult in a bar. (It’s pretty cool that there are so many masculine, anti-nerds in the top tiers of game show greats: gravelly, virile Ed Toutant, the imposing, moustached, two-fisted police lieutenant Frank Spangenberg, and the brawny navy stud David Legler.)
Even more intimidating about Legler was the fact that he had defeated two hard core contenders in his own matches: Spandenberg and the brilliant Leszek. Legler was strong in every category—especially math, which he had dominated in his two matches. I spent my green room intermission wrapped in ear plugs and a sleep visor, futilely yearning for any REM to revitalize my exhausted synapses. As Legler and I were escorted to the dance floor, I walked through the squares from 25 to 35: my responses were still accurate… but ponderously slower, requiring diligent concentration instead of flashing up instantly.
Like Johnny Mnemonic, the bleeding had begun…
Oops, I beat Brad by 16 seconds, not 8…
Michelle, St. Andrew is Scottish, not Irish.
Ogi’s narrative is fascinating and I’d like to comment on much of it, but I scarcely know where to start. For now, I guess I’ll just savor the fact that he called me “virile.” But I’d gladly trade that warm glow for a win in the first round. Playing is more fun than watching, regardless of which drugs you’re on.
Lobster I looked up your Lingo clips, why weren’t you on this show? You would have shredded this game
I put a “heart sign” and it canceled the rest of my post! HTML, Hmph! Anyway,
With all the pharms being discussed, how about different pharmaceutical companies sponsoring certain contestants, promoting the fact that they are on those very drugs! Then the pill prescribers at home would be cheering for their guy, and whoever wins would get a huge endorsement deal, lol! I’m cheering for the guy on Ambien!
Whatever you guys are taking, send me a triple dosage! :P
Ed - I am clearly failing Discussion Board Posting 101.
MK
Okay, I’ll admit to using performance enhancing substances on a game show. When I was on WWTBAM, I bought a 20-ounce bottle of Arizona Memory Tea and drank it before I went to the studio. I did it mostly as a joke, though I figured if I performed well and Arizona Tea offered me an endorsement deal, I’d be receptive. Unfortunately, the company ran into legal and regulatory problems regarding their implied memory claims, and the product was soon discontinued. I stll have two rare bottles of Arizona Memory Tea at home, vintage 2001, but I didn’t use them on Grand Slam. Maybe I should have, but at least what viewers saw on their screens was all me and didn’t come from a bottle.
When I won on WWTBAM, I also brought a can of V8 juice to the studio and drank it just before I went into the hot seat. That was intended to give me a little psychological boost, and finally vanquish the bad vegetable question that tripped me up on my previous appearance. But it was mostly tongue in cheek.
I guess if I knew any nutritional, physiological, psychological, or other legal tricks that would reliably enhance my performance, I’d use them. But I didn’t. I just got into the ring and tried to do the best I could.
Hmmm, Arizona Memory Tea. Leszek lives in Flagstaff, Arizona. I wonder if he still has a private stash of Arizona Memory Tea that he drank before he played me.
I took a calcium supplement a.k.a. TUMS.
I understand where Ogi’s coming from, though. I was too wired to get any sleep at all.
MK
Hiya Ogi,
You should totally get together with a sci-fi writer (perhaps Gibson or Sterling, but I’m thinking Cory Doctorow) and co-author a story similar to that ^_^
Since everyone else is confessing to their Grand Slam drug use, I cannot tell a lie: I had a Diet Dr Pepper before the Phyllis match. There was just one tucked away in the greenroom fridge, and when Brad Rutter saw me open it, he looked pretty disappointed that he’d settled for a Coke.
Then he told me it was probably a good thing–he never drank Dr Pepper anymore because of some, uh, adverse digestive reactions it produced in him. Actually he was a bit more specific. I’m sure Brad would be pumped that I’m telling this story on-line.
(While I’m here, I also wanted to pimp the blog and message boards at ken-jennings dot com, where there is also some interesting Grand Slam chat going on. Though Ogi uses the word “amygdala” less over there for some reason.)
Ken :D
Welcome.. a pleasure to have The Ken in on the discussion .. that makes 6 I believe :) .. hey, two more and we can recreate a mini-GS right here! :p
Anyway, forgive me for typecasting, as I know you’ve fielded a lot of this in defense of your mastery of Potent Potables on Jeopardy!, but I half-raised one eyebrow (party tricks.. what can i say) at the Dr Pepper mention. I, like most people, still apparently subscribe to the notion that Mormons are still banning caffeine as a whole, but I’ve also heard that lately this is not the case among moderates. If you are so inclined to humor me and forgive me for my lack of knowledge on this, your answer will be duly noted.
Also — another question for you :D ..
I was wondering what the consensus was among people on GS who originally won over a million on their respective game shows regarding the relatively small prize GS has to offer. Naturally, game show folks have a spirit of being up for a challenge, but also the cash should be a motivation too (that’s the hook of game shows, right??) .. So, is it kind of a “buzz kill” (forgive the recurring game shows on drugs theme) to play for $100k when you and others have won so much more?
Don’t get me wrong, $100k is a lot of money to anyone, but I guess the real question is: How much do the stakes play into the excitability of being on a game show again — I assume it isn’t “just for the fun of it” since we don’t see million dollar plus winners appearing on Camouflage, for example.
(Ok ok I’m trying to be cool but being a game show nerd I’ll admit I’m a little star struck)
LObs
Just an off-beat question for rarejoule (a.k.a. Kitt):
Since you got your Master’s Degree from George Mason, how did you feel once you found out they had won their game against #1 seed UCONN and were heading to the Final Four last year?
by the way, mangosteen, thank you for the vote of confidence, as I share your sentiments. I share them so much, that I made a personal delivery of gourmet cupcakes to the ER offices when I was in NYC last and had some extra time. (Yes, extra time .. apart from my real agenda of messing with Al Roker via cryptic signage at r’feller plaza) .. but the cupcakes were to no avail, they had already made up their minds that a large progressive jackpot winner on Lingo somehow intellectually and word-tastically trumps the bonus round record-holder (toot toot) :D .. (remember, you could totally SUCK at the bonus round and only get ONE word solved in two minutes, and still pull the winning jackpot ball on that one try) ..
BUT ! Then again, I suppose the hook of GS is that they were pitting “large money winners” against each other, not necessarily “people who severely kicked ass and broke records but didn’t necessarily win assloads of money” .. still, though, maybe being 3 for 3 on separate GSN games will make them come to their senses and give me a shot and represent the lowly-perceived GSN Kontestant Krew if there’s a season 2 :D .. I think on the math portion alone I’d get +45 secs in :D
LObs
Live Chat 9/1 with Jennings, Kitt, Legler, Ogas after Semi-Finals
==============================================
This Saturday, September 1, at 8pm EST — immediately after the Grand Slam semi-finals — all four semi-finalists (gentleman genius Ken Jennings; Lady Giantkiller Michelle Kitt; navy powerhouse David Legler; and that arrogant egomaniac Ogi Ogas) will go on-line for a LIVE online chat.
Access this chat with the Final Four by visiting http://www.gsn.com/grandslam and clicking the live chat button.
cool — but will they moderate out any continuation of our fun drugged-up game-show chat? :p
LObs
As a former member of the Weakest Link contestant pool (though I never made it onto the show) I can tell you how nerve-wracking even the tryouts are, and how lightning-quick the answers must come to mind. This gives Michelle an edge (and respect) that is difficult to find elsewhere.
What a great thread. How cool that these champs share their backstage stories with us (or Ken, given your recent Random House / Merriam Webster blog entry, should it be “back stage stories”?)…
…hoooly hell KJ’s come here.
…I feel this shouldn’t shock me but somehow it still does.
And to see someone who was AMAZINGLY GOOD at Lingo rather than someone who won a ton of money on it through being a beneficiary of circumstance… oh boy. He’d have been a danger on words and letters for sure.
Interesting to see how seriously the players are taking it, almost thriving upon the ‘intellectual sport’ theme that seems to be central to this format (certainly with the commentary and stats - and indeed both your version and ours had a sports commentator and a pretty female as presenters, it’s just that the latter in our case was the main host because she’s known for her brains and has hosted an assload of other shows).
As for me, I wouldn’t ever have anything carbonated. Chalk that one up as originating from a curious hypersensitivity that I believe is not unrelated to my Asperger’s Syndrome; strong flavo[u]rs, spices, sauces, anything carbonated… I literally cannot assimilate the input readily.
But I digress.
I may shift my sleeping pattern a wee bit so I can be online Saturday night…
To David Howell:
Like Robert McKee perhaps? He’d kick some butt on the Words & Letters. If noone knows about him:
A) he created FiveLetterWord.com, a Lingo words sim in Flash
B) he appeared on Lingo’s Hawaiian Week in S3, aired New Year’s 2007, got 10 right in 1:46, won $10,000 with the pull of a 10.
C) he created Word Sandwich, which is similar to Clock Game, in that, there’s a higher-lower aspect to the five letter words (i.e. if the word is CHAIN, you guess CAMEO, the word goes above the text box, and then guess ENTER, it goes below the text box)
D) he created Pipsquack.com, a Java PYL clone.
And no, this isn’t Robert McKee.
Just the Whammy’s opinion.
O/S: “Spell loser.”
“Loser. Y-O-U. LOSER!!!”
OGI!! i’ve wanted to meet you ever since you were on WWTBAM. after school, mom and i often go out to have chinese at a local joint. when i saw someone was playing for $500,000, i was glued to the TV, paying no attention to my dish. after the 50/50 was used, i had a 98% hunch the answer would be D. i was amazed when you actually went for it. but WHY did you go for this when you were acting solely on instinct (even if there were only two choices), and not go for the million when you had a solid guess? i was yelling in my mind to do it, because me, the owners, everyone watching, thought the answer would be D. if you had at least a 75% inkling, it’s worth going for it. i know $500,000 is a lot of cash…..but a 75% chance to double your money is too big to pass up.
Just wanted to respond to others’ posts and questions. (I guess the trade-off with the forum format here at BuzzerBlog is that you don’t need the hassle of logging in to post, but you can’t edit your posts or quote from others’ posts, either.)
Lobster: Hey, buddy, thanks for all your kind words!
Andrew: I’ll be kicking myself for the rest of my life about the million dollar question. I guess if I haven’t made peace with it by now, I never will. I kind of viewed Grand Slam as my shot at redemption after WWTBAM. I wrote about my million dollar decision here: seedmagazine.com SLASH news SLASH 2006 SLASH 11 SLASH who_wants_to_be_a_cognitive_ne.php [Maybe Alex or Mike will be nice enough to add the slashes back into this link? ]
Back to lobster: Personally, I wanted the money more than anything. I needed the cash. Also, when I started training for Grand Slam, I expected the money to be much more than $100K. Anybody that battles their way through this field of superstars surely deserves a bigger payday. But that’s all GSN can afford. I don’t know if I would have prepared so hard if I knew from the start that the prize was so low, though I expect that I would have. After I learned the prize amount, I kind of figured I would be the only one willing to break their back for such a “small” payoff, so it also kind of stoked me to keep working, since I thought it might discourage the wealthy braniacs (i.e., Ken, Brad) from going to the mat for a victory. But it sure didn’t seem to diminish Brad’s play!
Mike: I liked Cory Doctorow’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, and I’ve liked his short stories, too. Gibson has talent, but sometimes I think his writing is a little turgid. I’m zero for four with submitting sci-fi stories to magazines, including a narrative about Who Wants to Be a Millionaire where the fifteen questions are a kind of cosmic evaluation of cognitive and ethical advancement and the Hot Seat is a Contact-like portal.
David Howell: Even if Ken were to win Grand Slam, I believe he’d still be around $200K short of Brad’s all-time money title.
yow, whammy, you are too kind indeed :D ..
(I happen to be Robert McKee in case you didn’t know) — and I’d like to think I would have made it to at least the semis with my word n’ math (and occasional obscure trivia) skeeels, but then again, as the lowest $ winner of all of this particular group, they would have pitted me up against Rutter. ( But as Ogi says, he does math like a little girl .. best line ever :D )
Anyway, it’s funny, I contacted ER early on and talked to CastDiva Megan Miguez herself and told her I broke Lingo’s record and was on another dumber GSN show in the past, and she responded with interest: “Wow, we were actually looking for a good Lingo player — why didn’t you contact me sooner??” .. Bah! Alas, she did ask me to email her my info incase one of their alternates bailed on the competition. Then there was nothing *smiffle smiffle* .. So! Perhaps if there IS a next time, I would love to come up there (have some nyc pizza) and show ‘em that some GSN alumni can possibly throw down with the big boys..
(lingo super nerd story dissertation– uberzine dot com slash lingo — or, click on my name above)
cheers
LObz
Lobster: In all seriousness, if there is another Grand Slam (and nobody knows if there will be, though we all hope there will be), the moment you hear about it, jump on ER again. The actual alternate for this year’s Grand Slam became the alternate by being interminably persistent. And since you do have a GSN pedigree, I bet that would give you a leg up (can’t say that without thinking of Dennis Miller) on other GS-wannabes that don’t have the big dollar wins of the high seeds. Of course, you’ll still likely get beat out by million dollar winners or Jeopardy champs for the guaranteed slots, but it looked like this year’s alternate coaxed his way in through perseverance.
Though who knows what future GS formats will be like, whether they will be open to “the public”, how many slots there will be, etc.
Ogi — I appreciate the advice! Funny you should say that, as I think Miss Megan may tell you that I’m super-hardcore persistent extraordinare in my efforts to get on their much lower-profile Chain Reaction, going as far as to hand-deliver gourmet cupcakes to the Manhattan offices of ER for the cause and to assert just a tad bit of name-recognition for the future :D .. But I’m hoping that didn’t backfire and creep anyone out, I was just trying to illustrate my passion for the game! Isn’t that what they all want? :D .. (Since I did this AFTER GS had already taped, I figured perhaps the notion would just be seen as funny and quirky and motivated)
You should see the lengths and ninja tactics I’ve gone through trying to get on Wheel — THE most impossible game show to penetrate, even for someone who can actually solve their silly puzzles blank — (I wouldn’t be surprised if they put out a restraining order against me, muaha — all in fun!) .. You see, I like to think I have a knack for social engineering on the blackbelt level, and getting the attention of a game show coordinator is really no different than applying for a job — you have to illustrate your passion and somehow rise above all of the other candidates so they remember you and recognize your hardcoredness. It’s well-known that employers love it when applicants follow-up after an interview to re-assert their interest in the company, etc. I like applying those same tactics here, although since we’re talking about GAME SHOWS, I always thought an element of creativeness and perhaps a bit of quirkiness could sell ‘em. At least that’s how I got on Lingo :D ..
So, this whole convo leads me to another question for all you GS folks :) .. Did they just contact you out of the blue after doing research on big game show winners? Or did they put out some sort of call among the hard core game show circles and you heard about it?
cheers!
LObs
Oh. My. God. This chat room has had comments by Ken Jennings, Ogi Ogas, Michelle Kitt, all semi-finalists, and Ed Toutant, who could’ve been a semi-finalsit if not for an unlucky first-round draw.
*bows down*
I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy!
Hi everyone!
I want to say that it was a pleasure meeting everyone involved with Grand Slam. I had a great time in NYC, got to win one round, and most importantly, met some amazing people. I know most of you have never heard of me, but I started participating on game shows in 1979, have played on 7, and have been asked to participate on 12. (some I wouldn’t do, some I couldn’t do, and 2 went off the air after being told I would be a contestant, but before I got to be on) If this show ever gets picked up, I’d love to be a color commentator. Unlike my perfomance against Ken, I know I could hold my own with Dennis Miller.
Welcome Phyllis! Kudos to you on your GS performances. You did great! Thanks for coming and chatting with us about GS. I do have two question for you, if you don’t mind. I’m just curious, one, which 5 shows you couldn’t or wouldn’t be a contestant on, and two, how you have managed to be selected as a contestant so many times. I’m sure the answer would be very enlightening to those of us who keep trying out, but never seem to get very far in the process. Thanks in advance, and hope to see you on more shows soon!
Two questions. Plural. :D Seems I’m so starstruck I’ve forgotten basic grammar.
I agree with Ryan that this comment thread discussion has turned into something star-studded! (Note to Alex…DON’T UPDATE ANYTHING! :))
I’m so curious, how much did you win on Card Sharks, Phyllis, and how was Jim Perry off-camera?
LOBs - I got an email out of the blue which I thought was a joke. So I emailed back and called the number and left a voice mail (at which time I figured it was legitimate). Megan called the next day. She said “We have been looking for you for so long…” which surprised me because I didn’t know I was that hard to find.
In 2004, I did one natural, amateur bodybuilding competition to try it out and posted the photos on a women’s bodybuilding site. I placed 3rd however never did another contest (dieting down was the pits) but the photos still remain. That’s how GSN found me. Unfortunately they can’t let go of the bodybuilder angle! I am about to start a new drinking game where you drink every time that shot of me flexing shows up.
I am simply in awe of this thread! Seeing a good number of Grand Slam contestants offer some great insight… I don’t know what to say!
I just wish I had a question or two, but I can’t think of any that haven’t already been asked. :/
Don — if you are ever at a loss for questions, always quote Airplane! as a last resort.
i.e. Have you ever seen a grown man naked?
In answer to Rick’s questions: The 5 shows include “Weakest Link” half hour version (wouldn’t go on because I believed that getting the most answers correct would get you voted off- Michelle dispelled that) “It’s a Mad, Mad House” (forgive me if I got the title wrong of a Sci-Fi network reality show that I wouldn’t go on because when I asked if there might be nudity I was told that they couldn’t say no) “Caesar’s Challenge” (wouldn’t go on because at the time, the prizes were awful and I thought there would be more opportunities to win more money on another show… I chose “Wheel of Fortune” at that time ) “Sale of the Century” (couldn’t go on because I chose “Scrabble” instead) “Hollywood Squares” (was in the contestant pool, but it went off the air before I was called)
Getting chosen as a contestant has two separate components. The first part is passing the test. I can’t help anyone do this, but I suggest that if you want to be on a quiz show, tape some of the shows and practice answering the questions. They almost always use questions from past shows on the test. (I’ve never done this, but I understand it’s extremely helpful) The second, and for most people who are reading this I suspect, hardest aspect is the audition. I’ve found, from my experiences and from speaking to contestant coordinators, you need to speak loudly, smile often and engage the judges. Think of the audition process as a job interview or blind date. Nobody would hire, or date somebody that wasn’t interesting. You never should lie about your life experiences, but you can make them exciting to listen to. You only have about 30 seconds to get a judge’s (AP, PA or producer) to want to put you on their show. Give them a reason to think that people will enjoy watching your performance. If you notice that nobody is looking you in the eye as you speak, ask a question that they have to answer. You can try saying something like “I’m kind of cold, is anyone else here cold?” Do something to get them to look at you.
For Stanford: I was on Card Sharks in 1979. I was a five day winner and won $9350. I haven’t a clue what Jim Perry was like. I never imagined winning money on a game show, was entering my junior year in college, and won more than my entire college tution cost at that time. I was so excited that even if Jim had spoken to me, I have no recollection of it.
If this webpage is accurate with its calculations (in 2006 dollars. I know it has been bookmarked for AWHILE!), $9,350 then is $27,915 in 2006. That’s enough for me to stay at a dorm and take classes for all my five years in-state…
((John Carpenter’s voice)) at Rutgers University!
Rutgers-Camden that is. :) Thanks, Phyllis for the reply!
I am calling this game show GSN GRAND SLAM “The Best Game Show You Are Not Watching”. Not only because of the ratings GSN has been getting nowadays, but also GSN is mostly available on digital cable. At where I live we get cable but not digital cable. Fortunately there is YouTube and I have been following it that way when I want to see it. I have also been following the news at Steve Beverly’s Game Show Convention Center. After watching the clips on YouTube I have to admit this is one exciting game show! Tense and intense as well! As of now, I won’t reveal my picks for the Championship round so I will say GOOD LUCK TO THE FINAL FOUR!
By the way, Jonathan Gabel is my real name. At the GSN website my ID name is JMGTPIR. Last week over at the GSN Classics, I listed the three longest running game shows. I believe it is now at page two. Just go to the community section. Then to GSN Classics. Then to page two and you will find my post on THE THREE LONGEST RUNNING GAME SHOWS!
Meanwhile back at GSN GRAND SLAM all I can say is Ken Jennings, Michelle Kitt, Ogi Ogas, and David Legler: good luck to all of you and feel free to respond. That will also go to the others who played GRAND SLAM! HAVE AN AWESOME TIME! I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO EVERYTHING!
Phyllis is here now too?
*bows asgain*
I’m even less worthy! I’m even less worthy!
OK, now that that’s taken care of: Phyllis, you were on Scrabble and Super Greed, so it’s natural to ask: Are you an expert on Chuck Woolery, or what?
the only game show I ever appeared on was one with Chuck.
Ryan: Due to compliance and practice rules, there’s little communication with the hosts during commercial breaks, so I know almost nothing about Chuck Woolery. He does root for his contestants, and tries his best to pronounce words, but other than that, I really can’t give you any inside info.
I noticed that on grandslam some questions take longer to read than others. Did this present a problem to any of you, since if both people get all of their questions right but one person’s questions are longer overall then that person will lose.
Also, if you could change the format of grand slam, what would you do to make it better?
In answer to a couple questions (way) above:
1. Mormons don’t drink coffee and tea, but there’s no injunction against any soft drinks (though I imagine many Mormons don’t drink caffeinated ones, by choice). Common misconception.
2. Obviously prize amounts are a GSN budgetary decision, and I’m sure Embassy Row would have loved a bigger pot, to increase the tension, perceived “stakes,” etc. Personally, I don’t think $100K is comically low that it interferes with the gravity of the show, and it’s pretty clear that most of the contestants were in it for the thrill of the game and (potential) bragging rights anyway. We would have shown up for gas money. Maybe game show contestants need to unionize.
Hey Ken, it’s Chris from the Cali Congress…thank you again for signing my book and my offer for Passwords still stands
and a related Grand Slam alert, Phyllis Harris started yesterday, Friday, her run on GSN with Card Sharks at 1:30PM weekdays, where’s shes facing contestant Charlie (Colonel Mustard from Clue :)) keep an eye on all of next week at that time
Welcome Phyllis Harris, Game Show Juggernaut of GS. Now, I find this interesting, but she’s appeared on game shows with 2/3 real Card Sharks hosts. (By that I mean pre-2001.) Jim Perry (for CS) and Bob Eubanks (on Trivia Trap). Phyllis, did you appear on anything with Bill Rafferty and make it a 3/3?
Game Show Chris: Thanks for the heads up about my Card Shark appearances running on GSN. Whammy: I have not been on any Bill Rafferty shows.
Ken: I know you played Grand Slam for reasons having nothing to do with the monetary prize, but that wasn’t true for me. Yes, I love competition. I was a varsity tennis player, inter-mural water polo player, nationally ranked swimmer and competitive cheerleader. Those, I did for the competition. Televised game shows are for winning money. Otherwise, anyone can get the thrill of playing against terrific trivia minds by playing NTN, at many venues, each night of the week. I knew that Grand Slam was going to be extremely competitive and that, without practice and preparation, I was a big underdog going into the show. However, I love the concept, love game shows, and hoped to be a part of a change in