Have you ever had the feeling when watching Jeopardy! that you could go in there and whoop some Trebek-ian booty? Have you ever been "on-fire", answering each and every question before the leader could click their buzzer? Have you ever trounced each question, including the daily-double?
This happened to me the other day, and no, I wasn't watching student, celebrity, or teen Jeopardy!. I was, in fact, watching the Jeopardy! World Championship. I was hitting 9 for 10 in the double jeopardy round. Then, along came the final round...Category: United Nations. HOO BOY!! I was set. (For explanation, see my On becoming a Global Citizen write-up). Answer: This is the point which can be found at the center of the UN emblem. Don't even waste my time! "What is the North Pole, Alex" popped into my head seconds after the Final Jeopardy! music started.
After my Jeopardy! arm-chair streak, I actually sat back and thought about what chances I might stand on the show. To sum it up, I wouldn't be as great as my earlier run had suggested. Here's why:
A number of factors come into play when actually doing real Jeopardy!. First of all, there is the factor of nervousness. One cannot dominate the board if one cannot remember their own name out of stage fright. This is severely debilatating for some, and is amplified in the face of another contestant off to an early lead. I cannot say how much it would affect me, but I must attribute a small reduction in effectiveness due to it.
Moving on, we come to perhaps the most important part of Jeopardy!: the Buzzer Finger. If you don't have catlike reflexes combined with spasm-like repeated pushings, you'll never get an opportunity to speak. This is the true downfall of many a contestant, as those with a quick trigger finger dominate the competitions.
Finally, we come to the last factor. This happens to be the interview portion of the show with Alex. Of course, this isn't hugely important in terms of actually winning, but it really matters for style points.
So, the next time you think "Man, I'd be so much better than ALL these contestants combined", review the three main factors. Doesn't seem so easy now, does it?