Double Jeopardy
Too Jewish writers have
all the answers on one of television:c
most success d game shows.
A
nswer:"Steven Dorfman and
Billy Wisse." Question:
"Who are two Jewish writers
for the game show
"Jeopardy!"?
Giving an answer and then posing a
question — the "Jeopardy!" format —
are everyday exercises for Steven
Dorfman and Billy Wisse as they
spend their time coming up with fresh
topics for the show beginning its 14th
season in syndication.
Dorfman, 41, who grew up in
Michigan, has been with the program
from the beginning of this run and
has won four Emmys for his efforts.
Wisse, 34, who visits the area to see
P ho to by Steve Grist
"We recorded historical data about
each show such as when it was on and
how the game was played," Schwartz
explained. "We also added a lot of
trivia information on the different
people involved in the programs.
"The most successful game shows
have been the easiest ones for people
to sit at home and play along with the
contestants on the stage.
"'GE College Bowl,' an early game
show, was very difficult; contestants
really had to know material. 'The
Price Is Right' is very easy for people
to play at home. Now, everything
seems to be more pop culture orient-
ed."
As the authors put their books
together, they made their writing deci-
sions on the basis of prospective read-
ers.
"We thought there would be differ-
ent kinds of people who would read
the book — game show fans,
researchers who want scholarly infor-
mation, television industry people
who could use it as a reference and the
average viewers who remember these
shows and want to know more about
them," Schwartz said.
Personalities were very impor-
tant to their content, and they
provided information on the
hosts and staff members of the
shows.
"Among the game show hosts,
the ones who have done many
shows have all had the ability to
ad lib," Schwartz said. "They're
always in control of the situa-
tion.
"When there are celebrity
panelists, there seems to be a cer-
tain chemistry among them.
When the chemistry worked
right, the show lasted a long
time. The panelists on the old
"What's My Line?" — now
broadcast on the Game Show
Network — really seemed to enjoy
what they were doing and had a cer-
tain competitive spirit."
Contestant personalities vary
according to the personalities of the
shows, according to Schwartz, who
advises hopeful contestants to be
themselves and as outgoing as possible
when they apply.
Schwartz believes that the measure
of a good game show is its ability to
keep returning.
"'To Tell the Truth' came back three
times," he said. "Sometimes shows
have to find new hosts as new genera-
tions find them interesting."
\
7 1
Steven Dorfman, left, and Billy Wisse,
right, on the set of 'jeopardy" with host
Alex Trebek.
friends, was a fact checker for several
years before being promoted to writer
last season.
Both are looking forward to the air-
ing of show No. 3,000 on Sept. 19,
when there will be remembrances of
past programming.
"This year, we're putting a lot more
fun in 'Jeopardy!' by paying more
attention to pop culture and word
plays," said Dorfman, whose parents,
Neil and Debbie Dorfman, live in
West Bloomfield.
"The degree of difficulty of the
material won't change, but the realm
of knowledge is being broadened to
widen our contestant pool and make
the categories more accessible to the
people at home. Now, people may
have to know about rap music."
Prizes also are changing. In the
past, contestants who won five games
qualified for the Tournament of
Champions. With this season, each of
these contestants also gets a new car,
and the limit a player can win has
gone up to $200,000.
Dorfman described his day.
"I get to work between 6 and 6:30
a.m., read the papers and try to knock
out a couple of categories before
lunch," he
explained. "After
lunch, I try to do
another category
and then meet with
the other writers as
we go over games
during a roundtable
discussion. I leave
between 3:30 and 5
p.m.
"On tape days, I sit
in the office and
watch the show as
it's taped. I take the
photos of the cham-
pions."
Dorfman and the
other five writers get
their ideas by doing plenty of reading
— from periodicals to books pub-
lished in other countries.
"We choose a category and write
material in that category," Dorfman
explained. "You see five answers on
the show, but we also write a sixth just
in case we need a spare and a seventh
to give the head writer something to
choose from.
"We turn in our categories daily,
and our head writer edits, takes out
the ones he doesn't like and returns
them. Then, we pass them along to
the research staff for verification."
Long before getting paid for writ-
ing answers and questions, in that
order, Dorfman was a game show fan.
"I moved to California after gradu-
ating from Wayne State [University]
in mass communications because I
wanted to work on a game show,"
Dorfman revealed. "Trivia was my
thing, and I watched every game show
on TV and had all the boxed games.
"I got this job after hearing at a
party that the show was coming back.
I contacted the production company,
and they had applicants write sample
material. At the time, I was working as
a cashier and tried out my material on
the waiters and waitresses. I saw what
worked and what didn't."
Over the years, Dorfman has trav-
eled with the show. He even went to
Istanbul to help set up a Turkish ver-
sion.
"It's the No. 1 show in the country,
and it's won many awards," Dorfman
said. "I set them up to be pretty
good."
Wisse brings a very different back-
ground to his position as a "Jeopardy"
writer. With a degree in English litera-
ture from McGill University in
Canada, he worked part time ghost-
writing, copy-editing and proofread-
ing before answering a blind ad for
researcher/proofreader.
"I passed the contestant test, which
was the first stage to knowing whether
someone has a basic familiarity with
the 'Jeopardy!' body of knowledge," he
said. "Then I wrote some sample
questions, and they hired me."
When Wisse moved to California,
he wanted to sell screenplays and win
an Academy Award. Now, he is con-
tent working full time and writing
poetry at his own pace.
"'Jeopardy' has been a great, solid
day job," said Wisse, who watched all
kinds of TV shows while he was grow-
ing up. "I never thought I would be
able to find one as pleasant as this one
is. That was a kind of revelation."
Wisse tries to avoid specializing in
certain kinds of questions and particu-
larly looks for unfamiliar subjects
because he thinks that keeps him
interested and learning.
"I want to provide a challenge to
the contestants and information for
the home audience," he said.
Suzanne Chessler
"jeopardy" airs 7:30 p.m. week-
nights on WDIV-TV The
3,000th show, including remem-
brances of past programming, will
be presented on Sept. 19.
9/12
1997
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