Alex, I’ll take Southie Girl for 1000!
Like a lot of American families – the Cuddyer Family from Atlantic Street spent every evening glued to the TV watching Jeopardy. Gerry (Geraldine) Cuddyer loves Jeopardy – and she watched it faithfully growing up alongside her VERY competitive family. Gerry was also very good at answering the questions - yelling them out before anyone else. In pre-DVR days, her family knew not to call her when Jeopardy was on: she wouldn’t answer the phone. Her family always felt she would be a perfect contestant and urged her to try out.
In January 2008, Gerry finally signed up to take Jeopardy’s online test. It is a fifty- question test to see if you have the ability to play the game competitively. In May of 2008, Gerry received a call from the show. They were having Boston auditions and they requested Gerry come in and take the written test, and play some mock games with other prospective contestants. One of the interesting aspects of the tryouts is that not only must an applicant be able to pass the 50 question test, they also must be able to demonstrate personality on television. The Jeopardy contestant coordinators stress that the show is meant to be entertainment, so players have to look like they are having fun!
In August, Gerry was offered the opportunity to appear on the show, flying out to California for taping. Being the Election Commissioner for The City of Boston, Gerry had to say no because, of course, the presidential election was right around the corner. In October of 2008, Jeopardy called again - and again Gerry had to decline: her sister, who had been battling ovarian cancer for four years, was in the final stages of her disease.
After her sister’s death, Gerry thought about her own “bucket list” and being a contestant on Jeopardy was always at the top. Having passed up the opportunity twice, Gerry did not expect to be called again, but resolved to try out when the on-line test was offered again.
Surprisingly, less than a week after she had signed up for the latest version of the online test, she came home from work to hear a message on her voice mail from Jeopardy. Gerry was meant to be on Jeopardy. In February, Gerry flew out to California to tape her appearance: two years after she had begun the process! The episode was aired on Wednesday, June 2nd. Being on Jeopardy – can be checked off the list.
- What is Alex like? “The contestants see as much of Alex as you do on TV; he is like The Wizard of Oz – only comes out for the taping part”
- How can you prepare for Jeopardy? “Play video games – the buzzer is the hardest part. You need excellent hand-eye coordination. I don’t even text! People always ask why they see the contestants (including me) clicking the signal buzzer rapidly, but aren’t called upon. The trick is that you cannot ring in before Alex finishes reading the question: otherwise, you are locked out for about one-tenth of a second. That’s a lifetime on Jeopardy! When you play in your living room, everyone tries to be the first to respond, so you read fast: I would suggest that any prospective contestants slow down and listen. Try playing with your eyes closed!
- Did you have a Jeopardy party, invite all your friends over and watch it when it was on? “No, I do not like watching myself. I did DVR it but instead I watched The City Council Hearing on the Firefighters’ contract. I have finally watched it,and people are right: I do have a Boston accent! I guess we all do, but we don’t notice it when we are speaking to each other!
- Did your phone ring off the hook after it was on? “Yes, and mostly because I didn’t tell anyone I was on. The best part is the emails and Facebook messages I am receiving. So many people from all over the country I knew have reconnected with me after they saw me on Jeopardy”.
- What has the reception been like? “People in South Boston stop me all the time. I am amazed at how many people watched it. My favorite is that almost everyone in Southie has thanked me for saying I was from SOUTH Boston and not just Boston. I couldn’t imagine answering that any other way!”
In case you missed this episode of Jeopardy - coincidentally one of the categories was “Boston Illegal”. Also, Alex Trebek was unclear on how to pronounce Southie – the producers directed him to Gerry during a commercial break. Alex thought it was: “Soudy”. Gerry corrected him on the pronunciation; maybe Alex watches too many Southie movies with bad accents?
Thank you Gerry for representing South Boston is such a positive way – we are very proud of you!!