Make sure you phrase your response in the form of a question.
Buford resident Andrew Moore won this nerdy but oh-so-cool popular television quiz show six times to advance to the Tournament of Champions.
If you said, “What is Jeopardy!?” you win.
Actually, Moore won $137,802, enough to put him on the show’s all-time top 20 list and earn him the chance to go against other top competitors some time next year.
Moore, married with three young children, has long played armchair contestant on Jeopardy!, yelling out questions to the answers in categories ranging from historical figures to potent potables.
After Moore decided he wanted to play for real, he took an online test and did well enough to advance. Some luck factored into his success after he eventually was flown to the show’s Los Angeles studio and randomly selected to play. He finally got tripped up on a clue about grass on a show that aired this past June.
Moore owns Top Score Test Prep, an SAT preparation business, but said his profession isn’t responsible for his success. It’s really about knowing a little about a lot of things.
Q: What prompted you to try out for Jeopardy!?
A: I have always just wanted to. I did it because I thought I could probably do some real damage on it.
Q: You were born the same year the show entered syndication. Did you grow up watching it?
A: I have been watching it since I was in high school. Now it is a nightly occurrence in my house.
Q: How did you study for the show?
A: That is a good question. The people who are successful retain information well. Other than trying to shore up any weaknesses that you have in certain areas, there is not a ton you can do.
Q: What are your weak areas?
A: I am very pleased there were no Shakespeare categories during my tenure on the show.
Q: Does teaching a SAT prep course come in handy?
A: I was lucky enough to have a math category that had some things I teach but the test and the game actually have nothing in common. The SAT is not an information-based exercise. It is a test of reasoning aptitude.
Q: What else does it take to be successful on Jeopardy?
A: You have to be aggressive. It helps to be able to keep up with the pace of the game. There are some tricks to the buzzer.
Q: What answer in Final Jeopardy! tripped you up?
A: “Economically speaking, this plant family with about 10,000 species is by far the most important.” I said corn.
Q: Are you kicking yourself that you didn’t say grass?
A: Not really. The consensus that I’ve encountered is that it was a pretty lousy clue, but you have to play it as it lies.
Q: Are you a celebrity now?
A: A couple of people have recognized me but not on a large scale so I would say no.
Q: What is Alex Trebek like?
A: You don’t see him until he steps on stage before your first show. I heard he doesn’t want to meet people beforehand for fear of tipping them off in some way. I did get to speak with him after the show.
Q: Have you ever wanted to play another game show?
A: Truth be told, I have never been interested in anything else. Jeopardy! is about as iconic as it gets.
Q: Are you doing anything differently to train for Tournament of Champions?
A: I’ve got a few ideas I am working on. That is all I am going to say about that.
The Sunday Conversation is edited for length and clarity. Writer Ann Hardie can be reached by email at ann.hardie@ymail.com.
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