Introduce Yourself Here

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CFParrinello
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by CFParrinello »

I'm CF, a pharmacy technician in California by way of Arizona by way of California.

I've always liked Jeopardy and held it to a higher pedigree than other quiz shows, but I didn't really start to get obsessed and decide that I'm going to appear on it until a few years ago. I had a good friend who was a 5-day Jeopardy Champion (and ToC semifinalist) in 2002, and he died really tragically in January 2013. I decided that I was going to do a memorial episode. The period in his life when he won Jeopardy was a really optimistic time for him, and I want to honor that optimism.

I have no idea how many years it's going to take, but I'm going to keep trying. I tend to score in the mid-high thirties in the online tryouts, so there's a lot of room for improvement. Thus far I've mostly been coasting off of pre-existing knowledge and have done exceptionally little preparation for the tryouts, so I'd like to get a little more organized and disciplined about addressing my weaker categories (sports trivia, modern theater, portions of physical geography dealing with bodies of water, and my coverage of shakespeare/the bible are spotty).

My strong areas are: science, wordplay, crosswords, "[letter]" categories, technology, most things pertaining to math (the level that Jeopardy asks about, at least), movies and television.

At the moment I'm trying to compile some study guides for myself working backwards from the kind of questions Jeopardy likes to ask. Anyone have any tips about how to more easily compile information from J-archive? I'm way more interested in sorting questions by category than by date, but the search function seems hit-or-miss.
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Rafferty Barnes
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by Rafferty Barnes »

Welcome, CF! I know TheSunWillComeOut made a study guide out of the j-archive. She might be able to help you.
jasonf
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by jasonf »

Hi, jboard,

I am Jason. I have lurked for a while, but figured I should say hello. I am an actuary in California, though I had a 13 year career in education policy before giving it all up for the exciting world of health insurance.

I tried out for college Jeopardy long ago, and then I tried the test several times before finally breaking through to a simulated game. My first time making it to meet the crew was in Washington, DC, in 2004 (I think?). Once they moved to the online test, I have been to an audition about once every 2-3 years - DC, Portland, Sacramento, and San Francisco a couple times.

Not sure why I have not charmed the crew enough to make it to the show, but I am not giving up. I actually have professional experience as a communicator, have given speeches to huge audiences, and have a somewhat unique background (career changer, moved a lot, etc). So, I am sure I will get through to them someday. Good luck to all of you with upcoming auditions!
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TheSunWillComeOut
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by TheSunWillComeOut »

Rafferty Barnes wrote:Welcome, CF! I know TheSunWillComeOut made a study guide out of the j-archive. She might be able to help you.
The study guide was in progress but never close to completed (although it reached 500+ pages by the time I got on the show). I found a way to dump the entire J! Archive into Microsoft Excel (don't ask me how, it was ridiculously complicated given my still-nascent prowess in programming), and that allowed me to sort clues using the filter function.

I'm still hoping to figure out something I can do with that project to make it useful; in the meantime, I highly advise that you play around with mystcmage's flashcards (involving commonly-paired calls-and-responses used on the show itself, distilled from the J! Archive), which I desperately wish I'd found earlier. They're not organized yet into study-guide format (although I was also working on this at one point, and made some good progress - I should resume that project), but coupled with the Pavlovs thread on this board, they're just about the best tool for J! cramming I can recommend.

http://mystcmage.site50.net/flashcards/
CFParrinello
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by CFParrinello »

TheSunWillComeOut wrote:
Rafferty Barnes wrote:Welcome, CF! I know TheSunWillComeOut made a study guide out of the j-archive. She might be able to help you.
The study guide was in progress but never close to completed (although it reached 500+ pages by the time I got on the show). I found a way to dump the entire J! Archive into Microsoft Excel (don't ask me how, it was ridiculously complicated given my still-nascent prowess in programming), and that allowed me to sort clues using the filter function.

I'm still hoping to figure out something I can do with that project to make it useful; in the meantime, I highly advise that you play around with mystcmage's flashcards (involving commonly-paired calls-and-responses used on the show itself, distilled from the J! Archive), which I desperately wish I'd found earlier. They're not organized yet into study-guide format (although I was also working on this at one point, and made some good progress - I should resume that project), but coupled with the Pavlovs thread on this board, they're just about the best tool for J! cramming I can recommend.

http://mystcmage.site50.net/flashcards/
Thanks for this! I'll take a look.

I don't know if there is such a thing as a comprehensive study guide for J! that works for all users, my plan was mostly to try and build a guide for myself using my own shortcomings. I feel like J-archive is this incredible resource to that end, but jeopardy makes some categories harder to parse by mixing up the category names. The only way for the search function to work the way it ideally would is if each category was given a general purpose tag ([english royal family] or [geology] or something like that) to make compilation a little easier. But the addition of those kinds of tags would take an extremely long time, especially considering the huge amount of work that seems to be put into j-archive as it is.

The flashcards you linked with various keyword associations is probably the closest to a generalized guide that assists the broadest possible amount of users, so I'll probably have to revisit that in between trying to create resources for myself.
kungfury
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by kungfury »

Hey everybody, name's Jim and I'm just living the dream every day with my wife and 4 cats. I've been lurking for a while now and after the last online test, I figured I'd make an actual profile, even if I don't generally have a whole lot to say online. Like a lot of people here, I've taken the online test several years in a row now, and I felt like I did OK, but no in-person calls yet. Someday, though, right? I like the flash card idea above, and I'll have to try that out. My obvious weak spots are geography and opera/ballet/etc. so any help I find on those (or anything else) is just great.
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AgentCooper
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by AgentCooper »

Hello everyone! My name is Sara, and like most of you guys and gals, I took the online test when they offered it (and twice previously). I've never received an audition, but the first time I took the online test, I had my grandmother hovering over my shoulder yelling wrong answers at me for some reason (I think she thought she was helping?), which was not the ideal setting; likely, that irritation manifested itself in the form of a fairly poor score on the test. I think I got at least 30, though. The second time I took the test, I got at least 38 correct, and this past test, it looks like I got about the same. I said I'd want my audition to be in DC, so...fingers crossed, I suppose.

In my non-Jeopardy watching and studying life, I dabble in playing guitar, writing, theatre, reading, listening to music, and my classwork - I'm a "Social Sciences" major intending to narrow that to Psychology when I have enough credits to declare that major. Oh, and I deliver pizzas part-time, because having a full-time job while going to school wasn't working out for me.

I imagine the producers would be more inclined to introduce me as a student than a delivery driver on the off off off off off chance that I make it on the show.

So...howdy!
"The knowledge of all things is possible."
- Leonardo da Vinci
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dhkendall
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by dhkendall »

AgentCooper wrote:Hello everyone! My name is Sara, and like most of you guys and gals, I took the online test when they offered it (and twice previously). I've never received an audition, but the first time I took the online test, I had my grandmother hovering over my shoulder yelling wrong answers at me for some reason (I think she thought she was helping?), which was not the ideal setting; likely, that irritation manifested itself in the form of a fairly poor score on the test. I think I got at least 30, though. The second time I took the test, I got at least 38 correct, and this past test, it looks like I got about the same. I said I'd want my audition to be in DC, so...fingers crossed, I suppose.

In my non-Jeopardy watching and studying life, I dabble in playing guitar, writing, theatre, reading, listening to music, and my classwork - I'm a "Social Sciences" major intending to narrow that to Psychology when I have enough credits to declare that major. Oh, and I deliver pizzas part-time, because having a full-time job while going to school wasn't working out for me.

I imagine the producers would be more inclined to introduce me as a student than a delivery driver on the off off off off off chance that I make it on the show.

So...howdy!
Welcome Sara, loved your story and hope you stick around!

Just to let you know you can put down "student" instead of "delivery driver" on your information form when you're selected to audition, the producers may ask you to confirm it but it seems that they normally just go with what the contestant wrote down.

Good luck!
"Jeopardy! is two parts luck and one part luck" - Me

"The way to win on Jeopardy is to be a rabidly curious, information-omnivorous person your entire life." - Ken Jennings

Follow my progress game by game since 2012
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SeanC
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by SeanC »

Hello all,

My name is Sean Cauley, and I'm a recent contestant soon to air (March 15th). I'm announced on the show as a Purchasing Manager from Louisville, KY, though technically my title at my company is Assistant Purchasing Manager, but I figured knocking the "Assistant" off was a more succinct way of describing my occupation. (I told my boss that I had Johnny Gilbert effectively promote him to VP by doing so.)

I got onto the show after my third online test and second in-person audition; I went to the Nashville auditions in 2013 and wasn't chosen (though they were pulling from that contestant pool for nearly two full years, as I saw a couple people from my session in spring and summer 2015 episodes). I went to the Atlanta audition last June, and got The Call toward the end of the year to tape early this year.

I look forward to/cringe at the idea of everyone here seeing/commenting on my game(s), and seeing the show myself to see how it actually all went down. Actually playing is like being in a car crash--it happens very fast, and you get random flashes over the coming days/weeks to remind you of moments from the taping (you see something on TV and think, "Oh, yeah, there was a question about that!"). Be gentle with me, J-Boarders!
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patkav
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by patkav »

Welcome and retro good luck, Sean. Were you at the same Nashville audition I was? (May 14, 9am?)
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SeanC
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by SeanC »

patkav wrote:Welcome and retro good luck, Sean. Were you at the same Nashville audition I was? (May 14, 9am?)
I think so--I know I was at the first one of the day, the Monday morning after Mother's Day. I feel bad that I didn't memorize enough faces to keep up with who might make it onto the show from the group of 20 or so people in that session. The only ones I recognized over the next two seasons were a guy named Thomas (one of the first couple of people waiting outside the audition when I got there, so someone I talked to quite a bit that morning), who appeared early last year, and Tara Anderson, a radio reporter from here in Louisville, who was the champion of the "season finale" last summer (the last episode before the six weeks of tournament reruns).

I tried to do a better job of memorizing faces/backstories at the Atlanta audition this year. There were quite a few people I thought did well and seemed interesting enough to get The Call, but I don't think I've seen them yet. I know two or three people at my tape date were from Atlanta, but not sure if they were in my room or not (I was at the 11:00 on June 18th, but there were so many people that they split the audition into two rooms after taking the head shots, which I assume they did for all sessions that day).
dividebyzero
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by dividebyzero »

Hi Jeopardy fans, I'm Victoria. I'm a HUGE pop culture fan. I love reading, watching movies, and travelling. I'm from Texas, and I'm currently in college & majoring in Anthropology. I'm a new member to the Jeopardy discussion boards, but I have been watching Jeopardy for a long time and I LOVE it!!! :)
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mpahu
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by mpahu »

Hi everyone, my name's Matthew. I'm a lifelong Jeopardy fan just out of college (Hail to Pitt!) with a major in chemistry. I've been attempting to get on the show every since the first time I heard about Kids Week, and I'm still keeping up at it. Lately I've become even more of a trivia fan than usual, through local bar trivia and other Jeopardy fans. I'll be participating in my rookie season of LearnedLeague this upcoming month (PahuskiM, I think I'm in the Metro league), and I'm hoping that the difficulty and possibility of competing against some of the best Jeopardy and trivia players will help me make it to the show one day.

When I'm not doing trivia or watching Jeopardy, I enjoy baseball, biking, reading about history (Cold War, early Pittsburgh history, Chicago, WWII), and cooking. I'm glad to be here at JBoard to learn more about the show and talk about Jeopardy with people who love it even more than I do.
the_rick64
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by the_rick64 »

Hey all, I'm Neil...longtime lurker, first time poster. My once casual affection for Jeopardy! has been slowly growing over the years, leading to a healthy infatuation with all things trivia. I've taken the online test for the past 3 years and got the elusive audition e-mail last month. I'm headed down to Seattle next week to see if I have what it takes, but in the mean time I'll be cramming and hopefully participating in some of these awesome-looking TD challenges here! Looking forward to hanging out in this lil' community.
drdoug41
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by drdoug41 »

Doug here, finally joining the board between the taping and airing of my J! experience. I'm one of those "second online test, first audition, get The Call" folks that seems to reflect good fortune and timing more than anything else! I auditioned in KC in late June, got the call to appear in December, taped last week, airing in late March.

Looking forward to getting to know you fine folks and perhaps challenging myself with some of the competitions found here! Cheers, y'all!
Similar minds think alike.
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dhkendall
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by dhkendall »

drdoug41 wrote:Doug here, finally joining the board between the taping and airing of my J! experience. I'm one of those "second online test, first audition, get The Call" folks that seems to reflect good fortune and timing more than anything else! I auditioned in KC in late June, got the call to appear in December, taped last week, airing in late March.

Looking forward to getting to know you fine folks and perhaps challenging myself with some of the competitions found here! Cheers, y'all!
As a fellow late June KC auditioner (June 30, 9:00 am), I'll be cheering for you! Good retroactive luck!
"Jeopardy! is two parts luck and one part luck" - Me

"The way to win on Jeopardy is to be a rabidly curious, information-omnivorous person your entire life." - Ken Jennings

Follow my progress game by game since 2012
drdoug41
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by drdoug41 »

dhkendall wrote:
drdoug41 wrote:Doug here, finally joining the board between the taping and airing of my J! experience. I'm one of those "second online test, first audition, get The Call" folks that seems to reflect good fortune and timing more than anything else! I auditioned in KC in late June, got the call to appear in December, taped last week, airing in late March.

Looking forward to getting to know you fine folks and perhaps challenging myself with some of the competitions found here! Cheers, y'all!
As a fellow late June KC auditioner (June 30, 9:00 am), I'll be cheering for you! Good retroactive luck!
Thank you! I was on the 29th at 11, I think? Is that in the form of a question?
Similar minds think alike.
CFParrinello
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by CFParrinello »

AgentCooper wrote:Hello everyone! My name is Sara, and like most of you guys and gals, I took the online test when they offered it (and twice previously). I've never received an audition, but the first time I took the online test, I had my grandmother hovering over my shoulder yelling wrong answers at me for some reason (I think she thought she was helping?), which was not the ideal setting; likely, that irritation manifested itself in the form of a fairly poor score on the test. I think I got at least 30, though. The second time I took the test, I got at least 38 correct, and this past test, it looks like I got about the same. I said I'd want my audition to be in DC, so...fingers crossed, I suppose.

In my non-Jeopardy watching and studying life, I dabble in playing guitar, writing, theatre, reading, listening to music, and my classwork - I'm a "Social Sciences" major intending to narrow that to Psychology when I have enough credits to declare that major. Oh, and I deliver pizzas part-time, because having a full-time job while going to school wasn't working out for me.

I imagine the producers would be more inclined to introduce me as a student than a delivery driver on the off off off off off chance that I make it on the show.

So...howdy!
Hi sara! Big fan of Twin Peaks, I assume?
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Vinny V
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by Vinny V »

Hi everyone, my name is Vinny! I'm originally from Jersey and I've been a long-time fan of the show since I was a kid, having made the annual pilgrimage to my computer for the college and online tests. I stumbled upon this site a few months ago and have perused it from time to time. I've also met a few forum boarders over the past few months through some J!-related events. I think I will finally start keeping coryat scores for the games I watch. This show has now become one of the sole reasons I have a DVR! Here's to one day getting the call and talking to Alex face-to-face!
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dhkendall
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Re: Introduce Yourself Here

Post by dhkendall »

Hi Vinny! You're not the Vinny V from Jersey that's currently (or maybe just recently finished, I haven't watched lately) killing it on Sports Jeopardy!, are you? (Or is it just Jersey state law that every boy born in the Garden State has to be named Vinny V? ;) )
"Jeopardy! is two parts luck and one part luck" - Me

"The way to win on Jeopardy is to be a rabidly curious, information-omnivorous person your entire life." - Ken Jennings

Follow my progress game by game since 2012
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