Cocky&Rude

If only we knew that when Biggest Cock & Rudest Loser 2 contestant Ty Cone was eliminated, his next step on the road to fame was as a contestant on Jeopardy!  His two-day stint on the popular game show earned him a whopping $24,405!  I sat down with Ty and had a nice chat about his experiences on the show.  (Actually, I emailed him a list of questions but “sitting down with him” seems much more professional.)  Here’s what he had to say…

C&R – First, I’d like to say — congratulations on your recent 2-day stint on Jeopardy! It was really fun to watch someone that I know on such a classic and prestigious game show.

Ty Cone – Wow, thanks! But you know we’re not talking about Winter Wipeout, right?

When the did the shows actually film?

Way back in February. I had no idea they had such a long lead time.

What was the filming process like? Do they film the episodes straight through, or are there breaks and re-shoots?

They film a week’s worth of episodes in a day, so my two were back-to-back. There’s a break between episodes so the champion can go change and pretend it’s a new day. I don’t know why exactly, but they also take actual breaks at the points where the commercials will go.

In the episode before mine, there was a glitch between the clue on the screen and the clue Alex was reading. So they re-shot that with another question. There were also a couple of times when Alex wanted to re-dub a clue. Overall, though, it went very smoothly.

Were you nervous?

Very, but only during the buildup to the filming. When we met the returning champion from the previous week, I was like, “She’s clearly a super-genius and will crush us all.” (She ended up getting beat in the episode before mine.) But once I got to the podium, I didn’t really have time to be nervous. It was just me answering as many questions as I could; everything else just kinda disappeared.

What was your strategy with the clicker? Click first, think later?

Clicker timing was, no question, the toughest part of the game. I think most people can finish reading the question before Alex is done reading it aloud, so there was usually plenty of time to “think first.” Then it was just a horse race to buzz in. They advised us to use a rapid-fire strategy (rather than just a single shot), so that’s what I did. I guess it worked out OK, but there were tons of questions I knew but got out-buzzed on.

What is Alex Trebek like? Did you get to spend time with him?

Way more down to earth than his on-screen persona might suggest. If I were given to sweeping over-generalizations, I might describe him as typically Canadian.

During those “commercial breaks” I mentioned, he talked to the audience about his hobbies (which include racehorses, wine and DIY) and even advised one audience member on a problem with her sink! As you can see on the show, the contestants talk to him during the closing credits. We talked mostly about the Final Jeopardy! questions and, I have to say, he did seem to know his stuff.

Do you miss his mustache?

What do you mean, “miss” it? I bought it on eBay.

Any gossip about your other contestants? Did any of them smell bad?

This is another question where my answer is mostly, “It’s all a blur.” I remember everyone being pretty friendly in the green room, no talking smack or mind games (or offensive odors). This is, however, probably the place to say that I LOVED answering a question after someone else had gotten it wrong! It may have been too subtle to catch on camera, but I couldn’t resist a little condescension. “Melville? Really? It’s OBVIOUSLY Defoe.”

How did you get so smart? Did you really prepare with pub trivia games?

Awww, thanks! I always think this sounds so faux-modest, but it’s just something that came naturally. I was the kind of kid who liked learning new things. Still am, really. If I’m better than average at retaining what I’ve learned, that’s probably just genetic.

In a way, going to pub quiz was a multi-year preparation for the show. In fact, a lot of the stuff I enjoy doing must make me seem like an obvious contestant. I had two friends respond to the news with, “What took so long?” But did I specifically go out and sign up to practice? Nah.

So what are you going to do with all of your winnings? Did you spend it already? Will you share it with Mikey?

I won’t actually get them until September — again with the lag time! — so I still haven’t given it much thought. Mikey’s a great traveling companion, so I suppose we’ll use some of it for trips. Oh, and I do need a new couch (which I will also share with Mikey, in ways that I won’t go into here).

Did they give you any free promotional samples of Gold Bond, PetMeds, IHOP food or Aspercream — the show sponsors?

What?! NO!! I just got an empty tote bag! Man, if you didn’t know little old ladies were a key Jeopardy! demographic, you should be able to figure it out based on those sponsors!

Was it fun? Would you go back?

It was an absolute blast! And I would absolutely go back!

When you do, can we get a Cocky & Rude shout-out?

Sure. In the meantime, this will have to do.

Thanks so much, Ty!

You’re very welcome, Perez.

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Have any more questions for Ty? Ask them in the comments and he’ll answers the ones that he feels like answering.