If I were a contestant on Jeopardy!, I like to think I’d excel at categories like: Past Presidents, American History, or Great Guitarists. But if I happened to get Pop Culture or Movies of the Past Decade as the Final Jeopardy Question, I’d lose for sure. (Since the birth of my eldest daughter, the only movies I’ve seen in theaters feature G-rated cartoon characters. And, the last time I listened to the radio’s Top 40, Eric Clapton had the biggest hit on the charts.)
It’s funny how certain facts stick in your brain forever, and others won’t stick at all. For example, I know that the country code for placing a phone call to Russia is 007. Even though I have never called Russia and might never need to in my lifetime, that’s a piece of trivia I’ll always remember. But when it comes to recalling relatives’ birthdays or where I last placed my car keys, my brain fails me.
Yes, I want to be a millionaire, but I’m pretty clear on the fact that I won’t be making my millions as a contestant on the show. I’m sure I’d come up against too many questions requiring lifelines. After all, in 15 years only 11 contestants in the U.S have won a million dollars or more.
I’d also like to think I’m smarter than a fifth grader, but now that I’ve started helping my own fifth grader, Emily, with her homework, I have to admit that even some of those questions are tough. I mean, could you answer the following questions in front of a studio audience without the help of Google (or your kids)?
- What is the reciprocal of 5/14?
- What is the part of your body called that flops down over your windpipe when you swallow to keep food from going into your lungs? and
- What is the chemical symbol for iron?
Although we may not be smarter than fifth graders, we can at least take comfort in the fact that we are smarter than multimillionaire Kellie Pickler. Watch what happened when this country music artist and former American Idol and Dancing with the Stars contestant appeared on the show to raise money for her favorite charities:
