Two months ago, I wrote about being an alternate on the NPR quiz show, “Ask Me Another.” I got to sit in the back of the room and watch other people compete, answering questions under my breath and all the while thinking, “I could do that.”
Man, it’s not that easy. I blame a bad buzzer finger and a lifelong hatred of pig latin.
“Ask Me Another” is a weekly quiz show that pits people against each other in general knowledge quiz contests. Win a best 2-out-of-3 competition and you move on to the final round. Win THAT and you get the coveted “Ask Me Another” Rubix Cube, this time autographed by guest, celebrity chef Cat Cora.
I was paired off against Mitch, a guy who seemed every bit as nerdy as me. When the four overall contestants were introduced to the buzzer system before the show started, he told me that he was familiar with the buzzer system because he had practiced in order to be a contestant on “Jeopardy!” Obviously, this would come back to bite me in the end.
Mitch COMPLETELY dominated me in the two games we had, and I couldn’t muster the buzzer enough to get many answers in, despite knowing most of them.
Our first game, a musical quiz call Dolly’s Dollies, saw house musician Jonathan Colton adapting Dolly Parton’s “9 To 5” with the goal of naming professions that Barbie has had over the years. Like it said, it didn’t go well.
The second game, called Bring Your “Ay” Game, required a mastery of Pig Latin that I just do not have. Sadly, once again, Mitch destroyed me and guaranteed his spot in the final round. I was rooting for him, but unfortunately he went down at the end, too.
Despite bringing shame to myself and my whole family, I still had a fun time being on the show, interacting with host Ophira Eisenberg and getting the whole audience at the Bell House – the Brooklyn bar when the show is taped – to go “awwwww” on more than one occasion. I’ll call it a moral victory.
You can listen to the specific games at the links up above or listen to the whole show, either by visiting this link or downloading the show on the podcast app of your choice – which is how I usually listen… The show is a lot of fun every week, so I always recommend listening when you can.