Are the contestant interviews during "Jeopardy!" consistently the worst minutes of television?
Asked by
kevbo (
25672
)
September 2nd, 2009
from iPhone
How is it possible that this show has lasted so long, that the interviews are ridiculously painful to sit through, and that they’ve never improved despite Trebek’s and the production crew’s decades of experience?
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55 Answers
The actual game only takes like 10 minutes, so they’ve got to fill up time somehow. Ever notice how that show ends like 7 minutes before the end of the hour?
Maybe I haven’t seen enough Jeopardy, but what exactly are you talking about? I don’t remember anything particularly traumatic during when they interview the contestants in the episodes that I’ve seen.
Have you ever watched Jerry Springer?
Yea, they’re pretty awkward and forced.
No, my vote on that subject would have to go with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. “Are you sure that’s the answer you want? You wouldn’t want to ask for help? You know you still have 3 help questions left? Well, if that’ your final answer, let’s see if you are right.”
On and on and on and…..............
Alex: “So, tell me, Jim. I hear you had a dog with a particularly interesting physical trait.”
Jim: “Doho, yes, Alex. I once had a dog that, for some reason or another, was born with two vaginas.”
Alex: “Oh, dear! What was her name?”
Jim: “Snatches, Alex!”
* forced applause and laughter from the audience *
yeah, those are sickening moments. seems these jeopardy panel stiffs are too smart and intellectual to loosen up. good observation. i agree with you. love the show, though. love the show.
They’re the worst! It’s always supposed to be an interesting fact about the person but it always seems to me that they are too nervous to tell it correctly or without being shifty and weird.
They are so inane, lame, pathetic and BORING. I know they have to fill in some time but I would really rather see more commercials that listen to that drivel!!!
The worst moments of television always follow the words “Hi, I’m Bill O’Reilly”
@rooeytoo Head On! Apply directly to the forehead!
@Ivan Noooooooooooo
I can’t stand that commercial
Did you see the one where the guy recited “Jabberwocky” in one breath? Seriously. It was painful.
I agree with you, those moments are almost as bad as reality TV.
My favorite (and I wish I could find it) goes a little something like this:
Alex: So, I hear that you have a very interesting hobby?
Contestant: Oh yes Alex, I do.
Alex: Would you care to share it with the viewers?
Contestant: Well, Alex, my hobby is that I like to flip things.
Alex: Flip things?
Contestant: Yes, flip things. *proceeds to flip pen *
Seriously, very awkward. Cringe-worthy.
@Les, OMG yes. So weird for an adult.
The worst ones are usually during teen week or the college tournament. ALEX, leave those kids alo-oone!
When that uberwhite guy was on, Ken whatever, they ran out of stuff to talk about with him. Trebek had this look of sheer hatred in his eyes.
@augustlan I was just about to say that at least the kids are interesting! Lol! They’re not as wrapped up in appearing intellectual as the adults, so they seem less forced and stupid.
@avvooooooo I agree with you, the college kids are the most interesting ones.
@avvooooooo, except the kid who told a pointless story about driving through a hail storm in Tucumcari.
I think the reason I don’t like the kid ones is because of Alex… he tries to be ‘cool’ with them.
@YARNLADY well, 1) i’m white and 2) if i like that race, is it racist?
p.s. – he was uberwhite. he made me look like Louis Farakhan.
@YARNLADY i wanted to give you something to talk about.
@eponymoushipster Thank you, that was so thoughtful
@avvooooooo Sooooooo are you saying no other color person (race) could have done such a thing? I don’t get it, I bet out President could fit that same mold
@YARNLADY yeah, that’s what she’s saying. only a white guy could do it. no, i was saying the guy was a prototypically nerdy white guy. good grief. let it go.
@YARNLADY I’m saying that he fits all the preppy, nerdy white guy stereotypes. I said nothing about his achievement, but his look, mannerisms, and so on with the stereotype. You’re looking for a fight that isn’t going to happen with something that nobody said.
@eponymoushipster I don’t get the animosity, I have asked you to back up your own statement, and you take such offense. Why? What about Ken Jennings prompts you to make such a racist statement? and when I ask, why do you take such offense?
@YARNLADY it wasn’t racist, for pete’s sake. sorry for discussing the outside world with you.
@avvooooooo Since when does asking someone to back up their comments constitute looking for a fight? I’m just wondering what prompted that word? what is so Uberwhite about doing very well on that show? I don’t get it, and I’m thinking someone will explain it.
@eponymoushipster So you’re saying that by using the word “uberwhite” you weren’t being racist?
[mod says] Please take this discussion elsewhere.
@YARNLADY Putting words in people’s mouths and accusing them of something they neither said or meant is picking a fight.
Forced laughter all sounds the same, in every damn show I swear I always hear the same people laughing.
@Tink1113 I believe that’s what they call “canned” laughter, meaning it was recorded at one time, and is played back on the sound track of each show. I suspect that is the case on just about every show that has an audience, since they can’t be sure the real thing will sound as good.
@Tink1113 One skit on the old Carol Burnet show was about that, and they had a whole thing about one person in their audience (fake) who had a distinctive HooWhaaHa, HooWhaaHa kind of laugh, very loud which showed up in every joke for the entire show and got hired at the end of the show to be a paid audience member.
@YARNLADY I’ve seen that in some tv shows before. It’s quite annoying.
Part of the reason for this is the way they come about. The contestant has to write down five interesting things about himself or herself on an index card. This happens while you’re being briefed on the rules and fed pastries and coffee, in the morning before taping starts. You’re stressed out, and you’re nervous, and you have to come up with FIVE interesting things. And you just signed seventeen releases that say that you won’t be on another game show for six months, that you don’t have a conflict of interest in being on the show, that you don’t have any relationship to the producers or the auditors, and so on.
And then the taping is incredibly streamlined, and it’s a blur, and your heart is pounding because you’re ahead, or you’re in third place, and here comes Alex to talk about something that you might not even remember putting on your index card. And he’s got an encyclopedic knowledge of trivia, and he can converse on any subject, but face to face he’s completely unreadable—he’s always his TV persona, and that’s incredibly unnerving. And you have to talk intelligently about whatever it is, and you’re nervous as hell because you’re about to go back to playing against two formidable opponents, and it’s almost impossible to sound intelligent and erudite under those circumstances.
Yes, personal experience.
@Ivan – I don’t know that commercial, remember I live in the land down under, we have lots of beer commercials here. Is the one you’re talking about on youtube???
@Ivan Hmmm I would say that achieves about the same degree of inanity as the interviews! Is she putting roll on deodorant on her head?
@rooeytoo
I have no idea what it actually is. The company now sells ‘ActiveOn’, which I guess is a similar product that you apply to any part of the body. Head On got quite a bit of media attention, and I remember that the only place I ever actually saw the commercial on TV was during Jeopardy.
The worst is celebrity jeopardy, they always have several clues left after each round.
Hey Alex it’s a game show not a talk show.
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