Are you smart/skilled enough to appear on Jeopardy!?/Do you want to be a Jeopardy! contestant?

[TDAS04]

Maybe/yes.

[Lambsbread]

I don't think I have enough general knowledge to do well on Jeopardy, but I would kill it with sports, music, and politics. I wouldn't appear on the show because I have a face for radio.

[dead0man]

I'd do good on Celebrity Jeopardy! and I'd probably do ok in a regular game if I got to pick the topics

[Crumpets]

Yes/yes. I know two people who have been on Jeopardy and had a good experience, so it's something I've seriously considered.

[Rand]

Yes and the podium would adequately hide my bulge.

[HisGrace]

Based on knowledge level I'm probably not tournament of champions level but I could probably win a couple games assuming I didn't get buzzsawed by a superchamp. My CORYAT is really good. Not sure how fast I'd be on the clicker though.

[Santander]

The average Atlas poster has autistic obsessions with categories that generally mesh quite well with Jeopardy.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I've taken the Jeopardy! online test multiple times and have had four in-person auditions over the years, but sadly have never been called to appear on the show.  I think I would have done very well in previous years, but my knowledge of current pop culture is not great, so it would be tougher these days.  I've still got very good reflexes so I think I'd do OK on the buzzer.

A friend of mine (the one who first got me interested in applying) appeared on the show, although she lost her only game.  She has a funny story about getting the call: it was an unknown number, so she immediately hung up on it.  They called back right away, and she hung up again.  They called a third time and quickly shouted into the phone "DON'T HANG UP!  YOU WANT THIS CALL!"  So when she went to LA for her appearance, she was known to all the crew as "the woman who hung up on Jeopardy!"

At least one of our members here (I believe it was riceowl) has appeared on the show, but lost to a superchampion in the middle of his run.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I don't think I would make a very good Jeopardy! contestant just based on my experience watching the show. My science teacher from freshman year of high school came very close to being on the show, but he said he made exactly one too many errors during the test/audition to qualify.

[Sirius_]

I was one of (if not the) highest performing members of my high school quiz bowl team, but there are some topics that I would do terribly in unless I put time into studying them (such as literature).

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

I like to think so. I have a friend that was on it in the Trebek era. Helped her prepare for it. For me, it would come down to nerves and the subjects. Some nights I’m really great, others I’m awful.

Edit: I did the US DoE’s Science Bowl back in high school and my team was pretty good. Not enough to go to DC, but very respectable imho. We did skirmishes against what was then one of, if not the, best teams in the nation.

[GeorgiaModerate]

So here's the procedure they used for contestant selection when I was auditioning, which was a few years ago.  I know it's changed since COVID and they started doing remote auditions, but I haven't tried since that started.

Once a year they would open the online test, which you would register for in advance.  There were a few different times over a few consecutive days, and you had to sign up for a specific window (usually based on your time zone).  You could only take the test in one of the windows, but if for some reason you missed your first window, you could get into one of the remaining ones.

The test started at a specific time.  There were 50 clues in 50 different categories as used on the show.  The clues were in "answer" format as on the show, but you didn't have to answer in the form of a question.  For example, if the category was "U.S. History" and the clue was "It was the first state to ratify the Constitution", you just had to type in Delaware, not "What is Delaware?"  There were 15 seconds to answer each question; if you typed in your entry and hit enter it would advance to the next question, or it would automatically advance when the 15 seconds were up. 

It was never stated officially, but it's widely believed that the cutoff score is 35 correct.  Supposedly, partial answers are reviewed and might be counted.  I scored between 39 and 46 each time I took the test.  Then every year, they would do traveling audtions to about a dozen U.S. cities (not always the same ones); when registering for the test, you selected your preferred city.  Then out of those who passed the test, they would select a certain percentage to be invited to an audition; the critieria for selection is unknown, but is believed by some people to be a mix of demographic considerations and randomness.  If for some reason you couldn't make the dates in the city you originally selected, they would work with you to try for another city.  My four auditions (in four different years) were in Charlotte, Lexington KY, Huntsville, and Atlanta.

The in-person auditions were typically in a major hotel.  I typically made this an overnight stay in the same hotel, except for the Atlanta one.  They would stay in a given city for 2 or 3 days, with usually three auditions per day; you were assigned to a specific time when getting the invitation.   We were told to wear the same type of clothing we would appear on the show in.  Each audition was about 3 hours long and had about 25-30 prospective contestants.  After everyone was checked in and verified to be on the list, there was another 50-question written test given (to weed out people who cheated online, I believe).  While they were grading the tests, the process was explained by one of the contestant coordinators and a short video from Alex was shown.  Supposedly, if you failed the written test they would have you leave then, but I never saw that happen.  IIRC there was an NDA to prevent revealing the written test questions.

Then you would play a mock game against two other people.  They had a mini-board (only 3 clues per category) with buzzers just like on the show.  You would play so they could judge your knowledge, quickness, buzzer skills, and overall presence.  There was a big emphasis on speaking loudly/clearly and moving the game along QUICKLY, i.e. as soon as you answered one clue, pick the next category and amount.  After the mock game, each of the three people would do a "host interview", i.e. asked about a story (you submitted 5 possibilites in advance with your paperwork) by the coordinator acting as host.  This was the same as the host interviews done in the middle of the first round on the show.

After everyone was through, they had a Q&A session.  A common question: does the show pay your travel expenses to LA?  Answer: no, unless you were the returning champion from the last show for a taping week, and had to return for the first show the next week, in which case they'd pay for your flights to return.  (This was called the Ken Jennings rule, because Ken had to return so many times during his run that it was costing him a bundle, and the show doesn't pay winnings until after your appearances air.)  They tape two days a week (usually Tuesday and Wednesday), five shows a day, with lunch after the first two.

When it was over, they told us we would be in the contestant pool for 18 months after the audition, and could be called at any time during that period to be on the show.  If they didn't call, you didn't get on.  This meant that you couldn't try the process again the following year (because you were already in the pool) although you were allowed to take the online test for fun that year, if you wanted to.

I have to say that in all four auditions, all of the Jeopardy! staff present were super nice, helpful, and friendly (they want you to succeed!)  I found the first couple of auditions to be nerve-wracking, but after that it became old hat.  In particular I thought I nailed the last one and really thought I might get a call, but didn't -- possibly they had already filled their quota of old white guys on the show that year.

[Illiniwek]

I'd probably do well on Celebrity Jeopardy, but more often than not I'd struggle on real Jeopardy. I think there are categories that I could dominate in, but also plenty that I would have no shot in.

[DK_Mo82]

I have verbal ticks I dont handle well in situation like live TV show, not that I ever got opportunity nor have I sought, my trivia knowledge is limited to spheres

[satsuma]

I auditioned before (once for Teen Tournament, and then for the regular shows right after I graduated college). I didn't really do well enough in the buzzer portion to hold my breath for a call haha. I think if I was going to try again, I'd make sure to study hard like Roger Craig did. For things like literature and celebrities, the "average Atlas poster" needs a little more awareness of those topics.

[Ferguson97]

No. My knowledge isn't broad enough. If I get unlucky with the categories, I'd flop.

[Progressive Pessimist]

It would depend on the topics. I am a cavalcade of useless trivia, but probably not enough to be competitive on the program.

[Independents for Nihilism]

I've been watching Jeopardy pretty consistently again since I visited family at Christmas and had it on. I've always been a bit of a trivia buff (I've been going to pub trivia since well before I could drink), but I find I'm a little rusty on some things that should be obvious - like, I blanked on bloody Profiles in Courage in a recent episode which really bugged me, even when I could still get higher-value clues in these TOC games. My knowledge feels almost broad enough and it's relatively easy to make informed guesses based on context but my depth of knowledge can be somewhat lacking and I've definitely got some blind spots. I fully intend to write the test this year after I've brushed up on some of my weak points and maybe done some more practice or worked on recall - I wrote the college test years ago when it was still all on one day and got pretty close to passing if I remember correctly, so I think it's within reach to pass at least. It's a fun goal anyway.