BThis is Jeopardy!C

That well-known phrase has been thrilling millions of game show viewers every night for decades.

Jeff Kirby, a fifth-grade teacher at Pine Grove Elementary School in Orcutt, was one of those viewers who always watched and wondered: BHow would I do on the show?C He found out last month when he was selected to appear as a contestant.

BIt was kind of a surreal experience. Everybody asked me, >Were you nervous, were you nervous?? I wasn?t really nervous,C said Kirby, who was prodded into testing for the show by a colleague when the show?s Brain Bus visited Santa Maria late last year.

BIt is kind of mind blowing. You?re sitting on the stage and you?ve watched the show all of these years,C he added. BI remember watching (original host) Art Fleming back in the day.C

Kirby can?t disclose the outcome of his appearance because of an agreement with its producers, but anybody interested can watch him on television when the show airs Oct. 12. Kirby didn?t strike it rich on the show like Ken Jennings, the show?s all-time leader in money and number of games won.

Jennings, a contestant in both the 2004 and 2005 seasons, set the record for the most consecutive games, 74, in 2004-05, and most prize money, more than ,2.5 million. He also holds the record for the top five single-game winnings, ranging from ,52,000 to ,75,000.

BTruthfully, I had all of my >Ken Jennings money? spent,C he said, listing a number of people he would help out and things he would do with any winnings. BBut I love teaching. It would have to be a huge amount of money for me to walk away from here.

BIt?s kind of a teachers? joke, but >I got into teaching for the money and the prestige,?C he said with a laugh.

Kirby has taught in the Orcutt Union School District for 15 years, ever since graduating from Cal Poly, with most of that time as a fifth-grade teacher. His enthusiasm for teaching, his students and everything else is evident in his expressions and his voice.

The journey that led Kirby onto the set of Sony Studios in Culver City began in October last year when a colleague at Pine Grove, Barbara Schnorf, prodded him to give it a try when the Brain Bus arrived.

BIf it wasn?t for her, I would have never suffered that humiliation,C he joked.

When he arrived for the test with a couple of friends, Kirby said, there were about 20 to 30 people there. To his surprise, about 1,100 people took the test that day. Only 90, including Kirby, qualified for another test the following day in Buellton.

That test included video of host Alex Trebek asking sample questions. Contestants had about 20 seconds to answer. Only nine passed the 50-question test. Again, despite developing a manic distaste for the show?s time-killing musical tune, Kirby was successful.

Interviews followed and the wide-eyed, effervescent Kirby must have impressed the production staff.

BAfter that, they said they?d be in touch,C he said, thinking that was the last he?d hear.

True to their word, however, the following January representatives of the show called and asked Kirby to the studio. He was told he had been selected to be an alternate on the show. He said because contestants must provide their own transportation to the studio, Southern California residents are sometimes asked to act as alternates in case somebody gets sick, for example.

BI didn?t get on that day because everybody was healthy and showed up,C he laughed.

Even though he didn?t get on the show that day, he was able to watch the taping of five episodes. It was a valuable lesson.

Kirby was called again in July and this time was selected to be a contestant. His show was taped Aug. 12.

BI had the joy of having makeup put on for the first time. I?m red-complected, so I got a lot of makeup to try to tone that down,C he explained.

However, he got the unlucky break of going up against a two-time defending champion.

BI can?t tell what happened. I can say I only played one game,C Kirby said with wide eyes and a grin.

Even though he didn?t win, he didn?t exactly bomb. Kirby, who said he considers himself a pretty boring guy, said he had a great time.

BOverall, it was a really good experience,C he said. BNo regrets, just really good memories. It was an experience that maybe will make me just a little less boring.C

September 5, 2009