So, apparently, there’s this big bar trivia game group that’s based in
New York City, but runs events in bars all over the country. And it seems they met up with executives from the NY City-run media group to produce a TV version of the game, with a NY-Centric vibe. And that’s what’s airing in July 2013. And I’ll be a contestant...
on game shows. He had done “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and was attempting to get on some game show pilot hosted by Lewis Black. Even a Transit Trivia Day at the City’s Subway Museum. Then he stumbled across an ad to fill out an application to be on this new quiz show on the NYC channel. However, that required contestants to be in teams of three. So Jordan threw out a wide net to see if he could snag a couple of partners in minutia.
I got an email and agreed to come aboard. I’ve often gone forth on the premise of “It’ll be fun.” I’m often wrong. But after a strict vetting process ("Do you want to do this?"), he was able to entice another friend, Valerie David, to join the threesome. Once that was locked down he submitted a team application. Amazingly, our application was accepted.
Now came the tricky part: We had to be “pre-interviewed” so producers could get a sense of the team’s chemistry and find out a bit more about the players. Also to make sure we weren't too ugly for TV, that being the real deal-breaker. An appointment was made that was convenient for all. As it turned out, it was also convenient for a major
winter storm to make it. The interview was not cancelled, so I guess they wanted to make sure we were hardy enough for the rigors of game show taping.
The headquarters of NYC Media (and our meeting place) is housed in the Municipal Building in Lower Manhattan (fortunately, not far from work). It’s a quirky building that looks like it was built during the time of Tammany Hall and employs many of the same people. We got to travel up to the 27th floor and back about 90 years in time.
In the end, the storm rolled in later in the day and we passed our interview with flying
colors. Also, Jordan is incredibly witty and fast on his feet and he charmed the interviewers to no end. This established our team strategy; defer to Jordan whenever possible. Seriously, the guy knew the most obscure facts possible, especially about the Big Apple, and was quick with a quip.
We had to come up with a team names, a fun, wacky moniker like “Hulk Hogan’s Heroes” or “TriBeCa DeMorney” or “Scurrilous Accusations.” So, things that came up:
- Pangaea United (already a band name)
- Grade Pending (not bad)
- Lee Harvey Onslaught (deemed "unacceptable")
- The Stop & Friskers (too controversial)
triangles, and we are three.”
We made the cut, were given a tape date in February and then just had to show up, camera
ready (we had do our own make-up and hair, which is absurd. I can barely handle a Chapstick.) Oh, and one other thing, the shows won’t be airing until July, so try not to dress too seasonally. They even told that to the people we invited to the taping! Naturally, taping day was the coldest day of the year. And that’s why I’m sitting in a bar in July wearing a
sweater. It was freezing out! It was so cold the squirrels in Central Park were rubbing their nuts together to stay warm! But seriously folks…
Would the cold effect our play? How does a game show starting from scratch work?
And would those snacks be for us? We’ll learn the answers to these questions and more in Part Two, coming soon to a blog near you!
The Big Quiz Thing premieres on Sunday, July 14, 2013 at 9pm on NYC life (Channel 25). Episodes will encore on Wednesdays at 12pm and 10:30pm as well as Saturdays at 2pm and 10:30pm. NYC life is available in the New York tri-state area on broadcast, cable and satellite channels. Visit www.nyc.gov/media for local cable and satellite listings. The Big Quiz Thing will also be available to watch online on the NYC Media Video on Demand player – www.nyc.gov/vod – and through the NYC Media app, available to download for free from iTunes.