Comments | lystellion: The power of the internet.

lystellion

The power of the internet.

Jan 28, 2009 17:44

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On University Challenge (Illustrated)All kinds of things about the show and our three matches for anyone interested ( Read more... )

lincoln college, exeter university, oxford, 26th january, corpus christi college, pembroke college, exeter, sheffield, university challenge, jeremy paxman, oxford university

Comments 25

anonymous January 29 2009, 14:55:21 UTC

Your idea of the viewers-at-home exercise, to make them appreciate how it actually works, is so true, esp. the habit of counting both teams' bonuses to one's credit. I would almost put it down as a slightly (but only slightly) tongue-in-cheek Wikipedia link for the UC entry. On a day where Paxman is less prone to rushing them, the contestants might get through only twenty/very low 20s starters, and not only are these crucial to any point-scoring at all, but it leaves open a large element of chance. People who did schools-level quizzes on the buzzer - probably a surprisingly large proportion of UC viewers - are likely more used to bonuses passing across to the team who failed to buzz if the team with first call on them does not get them right, a set-up which makes the stakes lower and the lowest scores higher. Or failing that, they're familiar with pub quizzes where no team's greater speed stops them writing an answer down ( ... )

lystellion February 16 2009, 21:00:15 UTC

Thanks for the comment! I think that the buzz-at-home exercise is absolutely essential for anyone to do who has strong opinions about people on the show. Especially at the latter stages, where the speed of the contestants is generally a lot higher and speed comes into play all the more.

If the questions were written down, then for the majority of them I would say that at least 2 of the 8 contestants would know the answers. That's where the speed is so important. It's not only easy if you know the answer. It's only easy if you know the answer before everyone else, and you or a team member hasn't interrupted the question too early, and if your confidence isn't so dented that you're too scared to buzz in.

I've corrected the Ph.D thing. I had a feeling it might be wrong. Turns out they're younger on average by three years than I thought too - which makes their performance all the more impressive.

Nice blog. anonymous January 30 2009, 01:35:00 UTC

You guys were a good team , with two excellent victories. And what's more you took your annihilation with supreme good grace. A credit to the show , well done.

Re: Nice blog. lystellion February 16 2009, 21:02:28 UTC

Thanks for that, I appreciate it a lot :)

anonymous February 2 2009, 18:32:27 UTC

I was in the audience when your quarter final was recorded as i was a guest of corpus christi. it was just really unfortunate that you came up against Gail Trimble on a day when she was incredible. And your comment about speed is completely true. When watching it live you could see members of both teams all hitting the buzzer split seconds within each other but each time "Corpus Christi, Trimble" was shouted out. You were a credit to the competition as you provided a thrilling match between you and Sheffield, and also were very gracious in defeat and took it well (knowing the result in both semi-finals and the final, some teams didn't take the idea of losing so well)

lystellion February 2 2009, 21:17:30 UTC

Thanks for your comment. I don't mean to say by the speed thing that we would've won had we been faster. The speed is an explanation for our getting such a low score, not our loss. Our loss was down to being against a better team, Gail Trimble being really, actually as good as she's being made out to be.

I can understand why some teams found it more difficult to lose. Any of the four winning quarter-finalists, and LSE, must've had a glimmer of a hope of perhaps winning the competition. Even I tried to talk up our chances (to myself) before the match, knowing full well what the Corpus team were capable of. But being a bad sport is rubbish, you've got to take it in good spirit. The Corpus team were 'good winners', for their part, they were friendly and talkative to us afterwards. I firmly believe that it's just a TV show at the end of the day, and nothing to get overly worked-up about.

University Challenge anonymous February 11 2009, 12:43:47 UTC

You shouldn't take your defeat to Corpus Christi to heart as you did excellently to get to the quarter-finals :) I believe most people who appear on University Challenge feel a little hard done by (I have met a few) as they think they should have performed better on the day, but luck does play a big part in success.

Having won as part of the Warwick team, I am still in awe of the might of players such has Christodoulou and Trimble and their excellent knowledge and recall. I think that a player like them is the difference between a good UC team and a great one.

I also like to add that none of my fellow team-mates hardly ever participated in quizzes either at school or at university, and our preparation for UC was scant (about two pub quizzes), hence we were learning how to play whilst "on the job". Also we were between the ages 21 - 22, with me being the only postgraduate.

P. S. The backstage pictures are really good

Re: University Challenge lystellion February 12 2009, 14:42:33 UTC

I agree with you on the 'luck' thing, I think that a lot depends on how the questions go. In some episodes, the questions seem almost deliberately written for me. Other episodes they seem almost deliberately written to make me look stupid. This means that there ends up being a 3-fold difference between episodes in the range of questions I would say I know, and I daresay that people who feel they should've done better may have had a nasty bunch of questions for them which suited the other team, as much as anything. Added to that, a lot is contingent on the 'form' both teams happen to be in. If you know what it's like to have a good episode you tend to want to have one every match ( ... )

Re: University Challenge anonymous February 15 2009, 23:44:25 UTC

Thanks for replying to my post. I'm Prakash Patel by the way. I'm quite flattered you can remember that far back about that Turner painting (and correctly too ( ... )

Re: University Challenge lystellion February 24 2009, 23:37:56 UTC

It's amazing how close your match against UEA was, it goes to show what little boundaries can separate a series. It's interesting how you say you came across differently on screen to how you are in life. I think that that needs to be kept in mind when people form judgements about people on the TV. They're not under normal circumstances.

I smiled when I read about the Durham team and their book of facts. I did try a little of that fact-learning myself, and it's hopeless. Unless you know things in context, you probably will end up forgetting them. Prime example: prior to the CC match, I read about palindromes in the green room in my trusty Schott's Original Miscellany. Our knockabout bonuses were coincidentally also on palindromes, and I'd not remembered a thing ( ... )

Thread 5

anonymous February 12 2009, 10:59:39 UTC

That was a thoroughly enjoyable read, thanks for that!

Thanks for commenting! lystellion February 12 2009, 14:00:43 UTC

I'm glad you enjoyed it!!