Seeing "Jeopardy Masters" live

For "Jeopardy" nerds, this was the place to be.

It was the first day of taping for "Jeopardy Masters," the annual tournament showcasing the show's best and brightest, and I was there.  

I was among a couple hundred people arriving at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, California to see one of the three "Masters" episodes being filmed that day 

I had been to "Jeopardy" taping sessions three times before. Two of those happened in the era of host Alex Trebek, one in the late 1990s and once in the 2010s. And then, just last month, I saw my first taping with host Ken Jennings.

After the latter taping, I happened to see that Masters was coming up. I rushed and quickly got a ticket for a taping. For a "Jeopardy" fan like myself, I felt like I had snagged a ticket to the World Series. But let's keep things in perspective: Tickets to "Jeopardy," like most TV shows that have an audience, are free.

In some ways this was like any other taping day. On arrival, the guard directed me into the parking garage. Once parked, I checked in on the first floor of the garage, and then took a seat in a waiting corral with other ticket holders.

All that was part of the normal process. But there were signs this day was different. First, we were all required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which was atypical. Understandably, they didn't want to the results of any of the Masters games leaked (don't expect any spoilers here). 

Also, roaming among the crowd was five-time "Jeopardy" champion Alison Betts. Honestly, I'm not totally sure why she was there (she wasn't in the tournament). She bounced among various people in line, chatting amiably. Was she simply there as a fan or as some kind of goodwill ambassador? 

Mostly, I sat with the other ticket holders and waited. Our group had tickets to the 1 p.m. taping but at 1:15 we still hadn't left the parking garage holding area. 

In the Trebek era, "Jeopardy" ran as an efficient taping machine. At start time, maybe even before, audience members were escorted directly into the studio. With only a few preliminary announcements ("Don't shout out the answers!"), the show began. Breaks for commercials lasted about as long as they do in the actual airing, so the taping of a single show was close to the length of the final product. Alex Trebek was so smooth that he rarely had to re-shoot anything.  Even when I saw three episodes taped in succession, it all seemed to go by pretty fast.

Alas, in the Jennings era, the gears of "Jeopardy" have slowed, as I discovered at the previous month's taping. I saw two games, a total of about 45 minutes of actual show time. And yet I was on the Sony lot for three hours and 45 minutes. This was partly because they've now added a mandatory 30-minute stop in the gift shop, but also because the taping had numerous stops to reshoot portions. 

Ken had to do numerous "pick-ups" — instances where he had to re-read a clue or redo some other line that he had muffed. I like Ken Jennings a lot, but seeing the taping in person shows that he still lacks the broadcasting polish of Alex Trebek.

On the day I was there for Masters, the first taping had run long and caused ours to be delayed. Also, the taping was overbooked. The last ticketholders to arrive were told there wouldn't be room for them and encouraged to come another time.

Eventually, we were let into the gift shop for the required stop and then finally guided through the studio to the "Jeopardy" studio. At the front of the group were people with purple wristbands — friends and family of the competitors. Some of these had T-shirts announcing their allegiance, like "Team Victoria." 

The rest of us, with green wristbands, followed. We were warned to turn off our cell phones, put them away and never take them out once in the studio (I get it — no spoilers). 

Despite the delays and even though I'd been there before, it is still a magical moment when you walk into the "Jeopardy" studio and see the stage you've seen so often on TV. The stage shimmers in shades of blue. In the rafters above are countless lights, big and small, directed in different directions. 

On TV, you just see Ken and the three contestants. But there's much more. Just off stage is a long row of show staff, including producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss, sitting in front of computer monitors. There are multiple cameras around the room with one or two operators each, including one huge boom camera that swings back and forth.  Then there's the crowd of about 180 people, and signs that flash "Applause" at appropriate times. On this day, the Masters tournament trophy was sitting on a table three rows in front of me. 

There was a buzz in the crowd. Popular "Jeopardy" champ Sam Buttrey, who works on the show's podcast, was there mingling with audience members. During a break, Ken mentioned that former superchamp Brad Rutter was also there, but I didn't see him. 

Once in our seats, there was more waiting. Jimmy Maguire, formerly of the "Jeopardy" Clue Crew and now the stage manager, talked to the audience trying to keep things lively. The contestants were brought out with cameras in their faces, like boxers entering the ring. 

During the show breaks, Ken would do his "pick-ups" and then often take questions from the audience, including one from yours truly (in case you're wondering, some of the writers work on both "Jeopardy" and "Pop Culture Jeopardy," but not all of them). Ken is delightfully friendly. He tells funny stories and just seems like a genuinely nice guy. 

Still, the show moved forward in clumsy stops and starts. The opening of the episode had to be done over. The breaks dragged for mysterious reasons. None of the actual gameplay was changed (that would be illegal), but the taping was much less-polished than the show you see on TV. 

One of the stranger aspects of the tapings comes at the end of each game. On TV, as soon as the game is over, Ken quickly wraps things up and the credits roll. You might catch a short glimpse of Ken talking to the players.

In reality, Ken does an extended post-game interview with the players that lasts for several minutes. He asks about key moments in the game, difficult questions, ever wagering strategies. Some of this is interesting, but it is also awkward and really goes on too long. 

I'm not sure why they do this. Some snippets of the interviews have been posted on the show's website, but not many. (As of this writing, the most recent post-game interview clip I could find on the site was from four months previous).  

In all, I was on the Sony lot for four and a half hours to see 45 minutes of show. It was free, yes, and it was cool to get an early look at the Masters. But if you plan to go to any taping of "Jeopardy," just be sure to set aside enough time. 

Book review: "Welcome to Pawnee" by Jim O'Heir

It was on the set of "Parks and Recreation" that Rob Lowe taught Jim O'Heir how to kiss.

I know what you're thinking. but it wasn't like that. O'Heir had asked Lowe for tips on how to kiss on camera. The handsome Lowe, who played Chris Traeger on "Parks and Rec," had much experience  kissing on various shows and movies. O'Heir, who played Jerry, well, didn't have such experience. So Lowe offered some pointers:

"Initially, you keep your mouth closed when you go in for the kiss," Lowe said. "When your lips meet, it's all up to your scene partner. If she parts her lips, then you can follow suit. If she slips in a little tongue, then you can go ahead and say hello with yours. Basically, it's whatever your scene partner is comfortable with." 

This is one of the many stories Jim O'Heir tells in "Welcome to Pawnee," his 2024 book about his experiences as a comic actor. Most of the book is about his time on "Parks and Rec."

There was the time that Chris Pratt, playing Andy, was supposed to appear "naked" in a scene with star Amy Poehler.

"In television this always refers to putting on a dance belt or special shorts and shooting from the waist up," O'Heir explained. "You can imagine everyone's surprise — including Amy Poehler's genuine shock, which you see in the final edit — when she opens the door to se that Chris Pratt is indeed very, very naked."

"Welcome to Pawnee" is filled with many such funny and offbeat stories. It is also an affectionate memoir of O'Heir's time on "Parks and Rec." I admit that I roll my eyes when actors describe the cast of their show or movie as "family," but when O'Heir uses that term he makes a pretty convincing case that it was true in this case.

He recounts being comforted by Poehler after his mother's death; the show's producers even offered to pay for food at her memorial service. He recalls how he and actress Retta, who played Donna, bonded in the early days of the show when they weren't sure if their roles would be a permanent part of the series. He remembers how Chris Pratt expressed concern on the set that some of the "Jerry jokes" on the show were too mean-spirited.

One thing you won't find in this book is dirt. O'Heir has almost nothing but positive things to say about his castmates as well as the producers and writers on the show. I was wondering if O'Heir might spill the tea on the dumping of actor Paul Schneider (who played Mark Brendanawicz) in the second season, but beyond acknowledging that it happened, he honestly doesn't seem to have any inside info.

Yes, he does reveal some embarassing moments, but only about himself. For instance, there was the time, as a young comic actor, that he met one of his idols, Mary Tyler Moore, and could barely mumble out a word. 

Or there was the time the "Parks and Rec" wardrobe department accidentally gave him clothes intended for Nick Offerman (who played Ron Swanson) and O'Heir wore them for a full scene. If you don't know, O'Heir is considerably bigger than Offerman.

"I changed into them but noticed that the shirt was small," he said. "I mean comically small. A rational person would've taken it off and brought it to the attention of the wardrobe department. But not me. I wasn't going to be a troublemaker."

All in all, the book is a fun, light read for any fan of the "Parks and Rec," filled with a ton of memorable bits and pieces about the show and O'Heir's background. The book nicely includes subsections with the voices of Poehler, Pratt, Adam Scott (Ben), and others connected to the show.

Some nuggets:  

O'Heir actually first auditioned for the role of Ron Swanson. Today he acknowledges that he was the wrong man for the job. "That character could only have been played by one guy, and his name is Nick Offerman."

O'Heir was only 49 when he played 64-year-old Jerry.

O'Heir and Retta both loved the freebies available at the "gifiting suites" offered at awards shows. "I'm getting mine!" she said.

During the early years of "Parks and Rec" there were repeated comparisons, from both inside the show and outside, with "The Office." I get how this started, since Mike Schur is a creator of both shows. But to me, the two programs are vastly different and that was apparent from the first episode of "Parks and Rec." So the continued comparisons after that point I found bizarre. 

O'Heir also shares some stories from other shows, like when he filmed an episode of "Boston Legal," and he had to arrive on the first day of shooting wearing a dress and heels.

He also gives us a peak behind the curtain of how a show this is made. A script is written, followed by table reads, and then re-written. Perhaps re-written again. Perhaps another table read. Then there's hair and makeup for the actors, and stand-ins come in to "block" a scene for lighting, sound and camera angles. Then there can be many takes of a single scene. 

"A mix of monotony and repetition, day after day, that is sweetened by snack breaks and hang sessions.," explains O'Heir. "And sometimes by epic dance sessions in the hair-and makeup trailers."

So you want to drive in Taiwan?

If you've been considering whether it's wise to drive in Taiwan while visiting the country, you might  Google the topic. What you find could be alarming. 

"Taiwanese simply are not good drivers," says user Vaporgaze2000 on Reddit. Another commenter said of driving in Taiwan: "Don’t trust any other vehicle to behave rationally." Yet another says, "It's best to assume that they (Taiwanese drivers) are all either actively trying to kill you or cause accidents for insurance money."

Oh my. 

These types of comments weighed heavily on me as I prepared for my trip to Taiwan, on which I would be driving for five days. Would this be a disaster? Could I survive the "awful" Taiwanese drivers?

Traffic in Keelung, Taiwan

Having just completely my visit, I can offer a first-person perspective. I can assure you that it is terribly unfair to brand all Taiwanese drivers as bad. The vast majority of drivers on the island drive at least as well as most American drivers. 

But that doesn't mean it's easy to drive in Taiwan. While the drivers may not be bad, driving in Taiwan is, well, different. A combination of factors will make driving in there a test for American drivers.

For context, let me note that I live in Southern California, so I'm well experienced in driving in heavy traffic. But every country has its own driving quirks, and Taiwan is no exception. 

I drove for five days in Taiwan, starting in Tainan, in the southwest, crossing over to the less-populated east coast, driving north to Jinshan, and finally returning the car at Taipei's airport. I avoided driving in dense cities as much as possible.

Driving the lonely roads of Taiwan's East Coast, where thunderous ocean waves crash on rocks on one side of the road while rugged mountain rise dramatically on the other side, was a feast of natural beauty and an unstressful time behind the wheel.

It was also on the east side where we traveled through Taiwan's awe-inspiring system of tunnels. One is eight miles long. The roads themselves were also good -- I don't recall a single pothole. 

I did do some driving in cities, the most challenging environment for visiting drivers. And I did spend time on busy highways and freeways. Though they were heavily used, none were clogged bumper-to-bumper like those in Los Angeles.

Here are the key things to be ready for when driving in Taiwan:

Scooters. This is probably the biggest wildcard for U.S. drivers. In the cities, especially Taipei, there are swarms and swarms of scooters (and motorbikes) that share the road with cars. Sometimes they get their own lane, though most of the time they cling to the right edge of the road. 

As a car driver, you have to always be conscious that a scooter could be lurking on your right, perhaps in your blind spot, at any time. Set your side mirrors right before heading out! It's always wise to use your turn signals to indicate your intentions, but especially so if you're turning right, where you could conflict with a scooter's route. In some cases, you may be able to move to the left and give scooters a whole lane, but sometimes you have to narrrowly squeeze past them.

That said, scooter drivers are very good at avoiding you. After all, they're the ones that are going to suffer in any kind of collision.

Note that at intersections there is often a marked box right before the stoplight. This is reserved for scooters and bicycles, putting them ahead of cars waiting at the light. 

Tailgaters: The vast majority of Taiwanese maintain a reasonable following distance. But there is a 5% element of drivers who aggressively tailgate.

It's not like I've never experienced tailgaters. There are tailgaters in Los Angeles too, but those tend to be lazy tailgaters, who simply don't understand proper following distance. But Taiwanese tailgaters want to get by, and they want to get by now, so they will ride your bumper tightly looking for any way around. The worst, in my experience, were two motorcyclists who on separate occasions rode behind me so closely that they seemed to be sitting in my backseat.

The best response to tailgaters, in Taiwan or anywhere, is to not feel pressured and to not rush. If anything, slow slightly and gradually. With the two motorcylists, I very slightly slowed until they found a way around me. If it's a multi-lane road, leave it to tailgaters to get around you (they'll pass on the left, right, or even on the shoulder). If it's a smaller road, you can look for a turnout of some kind (be sure to signal!), so they can pass. I did that twice over five days.

"Surprise" Red lights: One feature of Taiwan roads that caused me some problems were flashing yellow lights that you'll see on many streets. These lights mark cross-streets. Doesn't seem like a bad idea to warn you of possible cross traffic, right?

The problem is, first, that there are so many of these flashing yellows that you start to tune them out. They just become part of the background. Then, every once in a while one of these flashing yellows will become a solid yellow and suddenly red. While you would obviously notice when a green light becomes yellow, It takes your brain a second or two to realize that a flashing yellow is now a solid yellow. Maybe you have time to slam on the brakes, maybe you don't. 

I actually ended up running three red lights because of this. I'm not proud of it! Fortunately, nothing terrible happened. I can imagine how an onlooker might have seen this and said, "Wow, all white people are terrible drivers."

"Normal" surprises: You have to be ready for anything on Taiwanese streets. Periodically, you'll find cars parked halfway, or even fully, in the right lane. Because dedicated left-turn lanes are not common, sometimes it's the left lane that's blocked by a car waiting to turn. These happen all the time, and you'll see drivers just find any way around they can. Be prepared for sudden lane changes. (On the bright side, I found Taiwanese drivers almost always signaled.)

This may seem dangerous, but most drivers seem aware of their surroundings, and will move over or slow down to adjust for others. Not all drivers, though: One did carelessly nearly shift lanes right into me. I had to brake quickly.

Using Google maps. The difficulties of being a new driver in Taiwan is compounded by the fact that you  probably don't know where you're going. We used Google Maps all around the country and 97% of the time it was great.

But a couple things did cause trouble. First, Google Maps would refer to freeway exits by their numbers, but the turnoffs aren't marked that way. 

Second and maybe it's just me, but I had particular trouble when a lane or two would split from the main highway, but stay in parallel. It was often hard for me in to tell in Google Maps which lane I was supposed to be in.

Advice:

It helps to have a driving "partner" in the car with you. Don't think of it as backseat driving. I was glad to have others in the car who could look at the Google Maps screen and help me. "You need to move over one lane to the right," or "It's not this exit but the next one."

Keeping all the things above in mind, non-Taiwanese can drive without incident in Taiwan. I survived with no dentss, scrapes, or otherwise. You do have to be alert and prepared for surprises. Avoid urban areas as much as you can. Err on the side of caution. It's better to be honked at for being too cautious (it happened to me!), than to rush forward and get in an accident. 

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