American Presidents for $400, Ken

More than likely I will have just watched a national news program, and my brain is full of stories of disasters, famine, murder, fraud, war and who knows what else. We humans have never learned how to play nicely with each other. My brain needs a break and some more positive stimulation.

So, Sue and I turn on two of our favorite shows, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.

I have always been a trivia buff. My head is full of thousands of little factoids that over the years have not made me a dime. But they have brought, and still, bring me lots of pleasure. So, Jeopardy is right up my alley. And Sue is probably smarter than I am at this game.

As you know, Alex Trebek hosted the show for years. When he died, former champion, Ken Jennings, took over and does a great job.

Recently, Sue and I settled in, hoping to display our vast knowledge, when Ken asked, “Machiavelli was a big fan of this king of Aragon born in 1452.” Silence on our part. “Ferdinand” was the answer.

Next clue from Ken: “It’s the only country that borders both the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf.” More silence. “Iran,” he said. I was beginning to feel as dumb as a dodo bird. But I was learning things I didn’t know before (or care about).

“The name of this salsa means ‘beak of the rooster.’” Huh? Who writes this stuff? No clue. “Pico de gallo,” said Jennings. I was almost ready to give up and turn the TV off when, finally, a contestant said, “American Presidents for $400, Ken.” Clue: “The only President to be sworn in by a woman.”

“Lyndon B. Johnson,” I yelled! (Sue and I don’t bother with the “who is” before answering.) The contestant said, “LBJ.” “Correct,” responded Jennings. LBJ was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States aboard Air Force One by Judge Sarah T. Hughes on November 22, 1963, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Finally, I got one right. I’m not very good at science, geography or Shakespeare. But history, presidents, etc. I can hold my own. Sue is better in more categories than I am.

The game went on. We got some, we missed some, but we had fun. We both aced Final Jeopardy,

Wheel of Fortune, of course, is about putting words together one letter at a time, which is essentially what I have done for a living forever. Sue, a long-time editor and writer herself, is even better at it than I am.

I read where the runway in front of the board is about 20 feet long, so I wonder how many miles Vanna White has walked on the show, while, she claims, never wearing the same outfit twice. I also wonder what she puts on her tax return under “occupation.” Letter Lighter?

The Bonus Round is always interesting. The contestant gets to choose from three categories. Often, it’s “thing” or “living thing.” Can you imagine how many millions of possibilities there are with those? Other popular categories are “food and drink,” “what are you doing,” or “place.” All with far too many possible answers, in my opinion. I like “phrase” as a category.

They give you the R-S-T-L-N-E and then you pick three consonants and a vowel (one more consonant if you have the Wild Card). The producers, obviously, know how many R-S-T-L-N-E’s there are in the clue so they can make it very difficult to win.

One night the bonus round was the category “food and drink.” The letters were _A_ED _T_. You could have given me three days and 300 guesses and I would not have come up with “BAKED ZITI.” I have no clue what Ziti is. Never on my menu!

But, right or wrong, win or lose, Sue and I will continue to tune in for our daily dose of distraction. “More fun for $1,000, Ken.”

Contact Rick at tct@pageone-inc.com