thoughts, words, deeds

no timers, no buzzers, no pressure

Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1964, the game show Jeopardy debuted on NBC-TV. What are some of your favorite game shows? How do you think you'd make out on 'em?

When I was in high school, I was on a TV game show--trivia based. My team lost terribly. I answered some questions, but we were beaten out on the buzzers. We did better on the non-tv tournaments. I remember one time (in a tournament), the question was about dinosaurs, and there were two levels--for more points, we had to name the dinosaur based on the power ranger, and then they'd give other clues until someone got the dinosaur. I got all the power rangers (all five of them for maximum points. In a row. in front of other high school students and our team sponsor who was one of the biology teachers). I didn't even watch the show, but my siblings did and apparently I'd picked up enough that I got them all. I don't think I ever lived that one down with my team. But that's the closest I've ever come to being on TV. And we lost. Terribly.

I don’t watch TV, but I like Jeopardy. I’m not sure how well I’d do—I like trivia games, but I don’t do as well with sports and current events, and I don’t like those buzzers. They make me feel anxious and flustered, which isn’t the best inner self to be coming up with rapid answers to trivia questions.

I like Wheel of Fortune, although I wouldn’t play that either. Too much like gambling on luck, and I’m not confident in my luck when I’m playing for something that actually has value (like money—we play poker in my house sometimes for chocolate, and I am much luckier then).

There are other game shows, but they mostly either fall into the luck category or the trivia category. I tend to like the trivia better as long as the host isn’t mean or scary (like Weakest Link. That lady is scary), and I don’t think I’m lucky enough to win in the luck based ones (like the Price is Right. Or the one with the whammies), so I think I’d not do particularly well in any of them.

But I don’t mind watching. When I have the TV on, which isn’t often.