ICYMI, I got to attend Jeopardy! tapings in California last week.
— Jeanie Kenkel (@vamosdavid) December 19, 2013
But more on that later. And I mean much later – not in this post! (And thanks, Andy, for covering the entire last week for me.)
What I can tell you about now is my second magical night at O’Brien’s pub quiz.
Mark May, who hosted the quiz when I was there the first time, was so welcoming, and props to him for already having a team for me to join. Mark, by the way, is in the Jeopardy! contestant pool. And I learned last week he is originally from Oklahoma and his family’s been there 105 years!
As I was talking to Mark, Stefan Goodreau leaned waaaaayyyy over and waved, so that his head would be right over Mark’s shoulder in the background! (Think photobomb but my eyes were the camera.) I was off to a good start!
No way was I gonna miss asking Stefan to play the Jeopardy! theme like he did in his original run on the show. And he did it for me, on the spot! Maybe next time I’ll ask him to teach me how to do it, especially the hand-clapping part. Stefan, by the way, said Merry Christmas to me as he was leaving, which I thought was so sweet.
I was on a team with Warren Usui, Andrew Jones (who took the Jeopardy! test when Mark did) and a girl named Jasleen. Warren was good enough to help me meet more Jeopardy! types, including Vamsi Adusumilli and Alan Bailey. (Warren said to me, “I was on Jeopardy! in 2003; I don’t know if you knew that.”) Warren was also on The Experts Show, which Alan produces, as was Mark! I got to tell Alan in person how badly I want to be on The Experts Show.
I have to say I was surprised our team came in 7th of 8. At the half, I think we were in second place. Warren seemed to know everything, and I’m proud to say I contributed too (and if I did last time it was very little!) Mark told me about the time there were 15 teams at the quiz. This had appeared in a local magazine…
…and the same week, Mark Labbett, The Beast from The Chase, attended.
I finally got to meet Ryan Chaffee! I also saw Cliff Galiher and Jerome Vered. Michael Rooney was there but I did not speak to him 🙁
Like last time, my name was announced, but this time because I won a raffle prize.
Here is the winning team.
New winning team! 12/18/13 – Olivia de Havilland Still Not Talking To Joan Fontaine http://t.co/2023jjxcVM
— O’Brien’s Pub Quiz (@obrienspubquiz) December 19, 2013
I told Warren (and Andy) I wanted to be on the winning team for the selfish reason that I wanted my picture tweeted!
I was invited after the pub quiz to join like 8 or 10 people at a coffee shop across the street. Apparently this happens every week after the quiz. As I understand it, the week’s hosts, this time Rebecca Ward and Jonathan Dinerstein, talk about the questions and sort of brainstorm for future quizzes. My whole team went, and so did Mark, Jerome and Cliff. Jasleen got me a hot chocolate! Afterward Mark and Warren, gentlemen that they are, saw me to my car.
Who was not there that I thought would be? Hans von Walter. Bill MacDonald. Marty Butterick. And Cat Still. But I was still on cloud nine when I left, and haven’t quite come down yet.