For The Love Of Jeopardy!

So, here's something you may not know about me - I am a Jeopardy! fanatic. For the past couple of years, I have taken the online test in the hopes of becoming a contestant. This year I passed the online test and was invited to audition for the show!

Monday morning Jim & I packed up the Kia and hit the open road. My audition was scheduled for 3:00pm in Kansas City, Missouri so we had to travel about 3 hours. The drive down was interesting. We got to see several areas of imminent flooding and also areas of sandbagging to create levees. We arrived in KC just before 1:00pm so we decided to explore the downtown area a bit and grab some lunch.

I had some difficulty swallowing lunch - I was nervous! My throat was dry and my heart was racing a little bit. I didn't expect to be anxious as this was something I was doing just for fun. It reminded me of taking an important test or my first day working as a physician assistant. New. Exciting. Intimidating. Full of anticipation.

I was feeling all of these feelings and more.

The first thing I had to do was complete an application. Then the contestant coordinators took everyone's
photo with a Fuji Instax instant camera. It's funny but this was the thing that reassured me, helped me to relax. I also have an Instax and this commonality seem to bring the whole experience back into focus. I was here to have fun. I found myself starting to breathe easier. My heart slowed. I could suddenly swallow again.

The aspiring contestants were taken to another room. We went through some practical instructions on how to play the game, including tips on ringing in and review of specialized topics like "Before & After" and "Rhyme Time." Then we had to take another test, play a mock game and participate in an interview. I had such an amazing time. I laughed. A lot actually. I got to talk other people who love Jeopardy! just as much as I do. Really smart, funny amazing people. And if nothing else, I got this totally awesome pen.

Thank you, Jeopardy!