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Linda Jensen



Jeopardy!

Revisited

By Linda Jensen

Jeopardy! is the highly popular television game show where clues are given to contestants in the form of answers and responses must be in the form of questions.

Example: Category is 'Transgender Personalities; Clue "He/she wants to be the first crossdresser to appear on Jeopardy!" The knowing contestant responds, "Who is Linda Jensen." Correct for $1,000.

The show sometimes seeks contestants in searches across the country and in Canada but most often they are holding their tryouts at the Sony Picture studios in Culver City. Recently TG Forum carried an account of my first attempt as Linda to pass the test and get on the show. This is the sequel.

In mid March I lucked in to a week in Southern California. The first weekend I played golf in Los Angeles and partied at the Queen Mary. I also learned that on the following Tuesday Jeopardy! would be holding a contestant search at the Sony studios. I couldn't resist.; I would be there.

How does one prepare for a Jeopardy! tryout? I suppose some read up on current events, some study literature anthologies. I spent the day before the test playing 36 holes of golf, shopping for a new bikini and then being taken out for the evening by Sheila, a new friend from Massachusetts who was in male mode that night.

Despite the late evening I was up early to prepare for the tryout. Preparation would be extra important as after the event I was going to travel to San Diego and check in to a motel there en femme. I loaded my car and finished my makeup, checked out of the Days Inn in Studio City and headed to Culver City.

There was a large group of people waiting at the Sony main gate for the Jeopardy! test and I tried to blend in with the others. I got a few looks but most seemed concerned with collecting their thoughts for the test ahead.

Soon one of the contestant coordinators arrived and invited us to follow the now familiar Jeopardy! limousine (er, golf cart) to the studio. In the studio, Glen, the chief contestant coordinator, went through his spiel, explaining how the show was doing well and had just been renewed for another five years which was great because he had a job (laughter). He also said the test would be tough so if we don't do well we might want to try out for Wheel of Fortune, considered a low brow show (more laughter). Glen went on to explain that we would do a fifty question test made up of $1,000 type questions. A minimum score of thirty-five would be required to advance to the next round. We would not be told our scores so if not successful we could tell our friends we missed by just one point (laughter again).

While all this was being said I found myself fidgeting with my skirt and checking my hair bangs. I also looked around to see if anyone was looking at me. I still didn't seem to be attracting any attention.

Linda Jensen

The test took about ten minutes and soon Glen and his partner had collected the tests and left to mark them. While we waited I asked one of the men sitting near me to take my picture with my camera. He obliged. When Glen returned I found out what I expected; the test went well but not well enough for me. I missed by one point. Twelve people were asked to stay for the next round. The 150 rest of us were ushered off the lot.

I consoled myself by looking for a new wig at the nearby Culver Center, because it must have been my blondness that had caused my temporary lapses of memory. I decided to try life as a brunette for surely a brunette would have known the name of a Spanish cubist painter or the name of the new Secretary General of the United Nations. Wouldn't she?



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