Try Out For A Gameshow

Yesterday, instead of going to class, I went down to the great New York City to audition for a game show.  I won't say what game show it is here in an effort to limit search terms in case they don't want me talking about the audition.  But it should be apparent.  If it's not, I hope you're taking the Mass and NY bars.

I applied online to try out for this game show over a year ago.  I've always played this well from the couch.  So I figured I should at least apply.  One year later, last week, I got an e-mail inviting me to an audition in New York.  Why not?  I headed down to the city for the day and will eventually watch cruella sing her property songs later.  That's also why I wasn't blogging much yesterday.

For those who are curious about how it worked, I got to the hotel conference room where the audition took place at about 2:00.  The audition was slated to begin at 2:30 and they asked us to get in 15 minutes early.  There was already a line when I arrived.  They brought us all into the presentation room where the audition took place.  They had rows of chairs lined up and a video projector in the front of the room.

They sat us down and gave us applications.  While the fifty (or so) of us that were there filled out our applications, one of the talent scouts went around the room and put our names into a seating chart.  After we finished, we started by playing the game as a big group.  They would call on someone from the audience randomly and it would be that person's turn.  They wanted to see us playing the game.  Your turn continued until it would have ended on the show (you guessed wrong) or you got the full answer right.  If you did, you got a prize.  I now have a hat.

After everyone had a turn, some two, they handed out a quiz.  We each got 16 difficult questions that were only partially filled in and had five minutes to complete as many as possible.  They took the quizzes out of the room and "deliberated."  When they came back into the room they said that they were going to call out some names and that if they called our name we would stay but if not that they thanked us for coming and hoped that we had a good time.  My name was the first name called.  There were sixteen names called in all.

After everyone else left they took our head shots with a polaroid camera.  Then they had groups of four "play" the game.  They went through two of the show segments and then had us do an "introduction."  Four sets of Four played a simulated game.  Then they told us that they would mail us a letter within four weeks if we were going to be on the show, and if we didn't hear by then, we should assume that it didn't work out. 

So that's where I stand.  We'll see if they write the congratulations letter.  I'll let you know if I hear.  If I don't hear by the bar then it's clearly a no go.  Nonetheless, it's a good story.