Skill with minutiae gets woman on TV

LOWVILLE — What is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

To one Lowville woman, the answer is an appearance on the long-running television quiz show "Jeopardy!" next month.

"It's still kind of unreal to me that I made it on the show," said Quinn F. McDonald, who was a contestant on an episode slated to air March 9.

Ms. McDonald, the inventory manager at Otis Technology Inc. in Lyons Falls, in November flew to Los Angeles, accompanied by her mother, Shirley McDonald, for taping after receiving word in October that she had made the cut.

While contractually obliged not to divulge details of her performance, she said the experience was exciting. "The whole staff was just really nice," she said, "especially for doing it day in and day out."

Longtime show host Alex Trebek was very professional, Ms. McDonald said. While Mr. Trebek may reread questions during commercial breaks if he makes mistakes in his delivery, she saw him do so only two or three times over the course of several shows.

Two weeks' worth of "Jeopardy!" shows are taped on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Ms. McDonald said. While potential contestants are not guaranteed a spot, producers make every attempt to accommodate them, particularly those who traveled a long distance, she said.

"They don't bring you out there for no reason," said Ms. McDonald, who watched four episodes before being tapped as a contestant.

Contestants are allowed to participate in practice rounds, with no studio audience, before taping in both the morning and afternoon, she said.

The only previous game show experience for Ms. McDonald, a 1989 graduate of Lowville Academy and Central School, was as a school-age contestant on "Whiz Quiz" on WPBS-TV in Watertown.

She said that the bulk of her preparation for being a "Jeopardy!" contestant was watching episodes of the two quiz shows and brushing up on state capitals.

Ms. McDonald said she had to rely mainly on her ability to recall obscure facts because show officials go to great lengths to ensure that categories are chosen randomly and that no cheating occurs. She did practice putting answers in the form of questions, as the rules require.

Ms. McDonald first applied for the show a few years ago, after "Jeopardy!" officials introduced online testing. She did well enough on that test and another at an audition in New York City to get on a list of potential candidates, but she was not tapped during her 18-month eligibility period.

Ms. McDonald failed to qualify in her second attempt at the online test, but passed the third attempt and did well at a subsequent audition. Her eligibility was to expire in December.

Her co-workers at the company, which has more than 160 employees, held a send-off party that included an Otis trivia game.

"They are just really supportive, and they are very excited for me," she said.

The trip allowed Ms. McDonald to visit her younger brother, Bradon P. McDonald, a former professional dancer in New York City who is attending fashion design school in Los Angeles. She had stayed with her brother during the two New York City auditions.

Since the taping, Ms. McDonald said, she watches "Jeopardy!" differently, focusing on more technical details, but she still yells at the television when a contestant makes a mistake.

"I actually enjoy watching the show even more now, because I had my chance," she said. "If anybody wants to try out for a game show, I haven't found a downside."