As we headed to Overland Drive in the city of Culver, a huge black iron gate greeted us with a sign Sony Pictures Entertainment. I started to get giddy. I asked the guard where we are supposed to go for the Jeopardy taping. He pointed to the folding table where a guy was wearing a shirt with a Jeopardy logo. It was a cinch finding the line. It was also the first time my eldest son got to go to a live taping.
As the greeter escorted us towards the studio, he explained that the path we were walking on was the yellow brick road where the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz walked.
Finally, we reached the Jeopardy studio. It didn’t take long to get inside and be seated. My son was grinning ear to ear when he saw studio cameras, monitors and several spotlights.
At the lobby, there were replicas of three contestant podiums and Jeopardy sign on the wall. What a great idea for the fans and audience to have a photo op. On the other side of the lobby is a glass cabinet filled with trophies and Emmy Awards.
My husband, my son and I witnessing one of the most successful and longest running quiz shows in history. While waiting, an announcer named Johnny Gilbert who has been there for 28 years prepped us. He explained what not to do during taping and also entertained us about some quick facts of the former MGM studio and the history of Jeopardy.
After a couple of minutes, Alex Trebek entered the stage looking sharp exuding confidence and star quality. When he started and interacting with the audience, you could tell that Alex’s best trait is his friendliness.
During break time, the audience asked questions to Alex and he replied with a great sense of humor. One of the topics he talked about was being emotional towards the end of the season. He also mentioned that he gets pretty emotional with any movie that has a father and son theme.
The Jeopardy Raffle
Towards the end of the show there was a raffle where you can win a Jeopardy bag with a Jeopardy Wii video game but none of my family won. We still felt like winners for having the chance to watch America’s Favorite Quiz Show ®.
You have way too much fun! Keep blogging!
Thx Sandy