Truck and Barter: Brains out for Bucks

October 05, 2004

Brains out for Bucks

By Kevin

According to the Washington Post, brainy game shows are now dominated by former academic quiz bowlers. One question: what took them so long? Answer: They've always been there, but the big money is bringing them out in droves:

Tom Waters, a Savannah, Ga., golf shop owner widely considered the grand master of the game, changed his view of TV game shows, which he held in disdain despite his own $12,500 win on "Jeopardy!" nearly 20 years ago.

"There was a split in the community. Some of us thought 'Millionaire' was beneath ourselves. Some would swallow pride and prostrate ourselves."

At first, Waters took what he considered the higher ground.

"Then they came back with $10 million and I thought, 'I'm less a purist than I thought,' " said Waters.

He passed the tryouts but his fingers were too slow in the first round to get into the so-called hot seat and compete for the big money.

"The biggest hurdle is blind luck," he said. "The hardest part is getting drawn. I'm amazed at the number from the quiz bowl community that got on. One night's episode, there were two people I knew on it."

Thanks to Walter Williams, who always insisted that everything has a price.

Posted at October 5, 2004 11:36 AM

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