stepford
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
The I.Q. thread (currently running) made me wonder if any of our esteemed cohort have gotten onto any of the quiz shows on TV, and if so how long ago. This relates to a concern many of us have with the decline of our memories as we age.
When I was younger I had an unusually good memory - never forgot a phone number, always won at Trivial Pursuit, that sort of thing. While still in my late 30s and still in the possession of all my faculties I briefly parlayed this into meager fame and fortune by getting on an old show called Win Ben Stein's Money and winning a few $K. Emboldened, I went down to NBC Studios and took the qualifying test for Jeopardy, and passed (Yay!). The next step was playing a mock game under the watchful eyes of the producers, who decided (probably correctly) that I was insufficiently telegenic for network TV. And that was the end of my quest for Quiz Show glory.
A few years later, like a lot of us, I started noticing that I couldn't think of a word or a name that used to just pop into my head. Nothing serious, just the usual age related decline, but it has progressed steadily. By my late 40s I realized I really wasn't quiz show material anymore, and now nearing 60 I'd be a laughingstock.
So I wonder who else has played for the big bucks on TV, and whether you feel you'd still be able to contend today.
When I was younger I had an unusually good memory - never forgot a phone number, always won at Trivial Pursuit, that sort of thing. While still in my late 30s and still in the possession of all my faculties I briefly parlayed this into meager fame and fortune by getting on an old show called Win Ben Stein's Money and winning a few $K. Emboldened, I went down to NBC Studios and took the qualifying test for Jeopardy, and passed (Yay!). The next step was playing a mock game under the watchful eyes of the producers, who decided (probably correctly) that I was insufficiently telegenic for network TV. And that was the end of my quest for Quiz Show glory.
A few years later, like a lot of us, I started noticing that I couldn't think of a word or a name that used to just pop into my head. Nothing serious, just the usual age related decline, but it has progressed steadily. By my late 40s I realized I really wasn't quiz show material anymore, and now nearing 60 I'd be a laughingstock.
So I wonder who else has played for the big bucks on TV, and whether you feel you'd still be able to contend today.
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