Hello and welcome to the final instalment in our epic series of guest posts from game show pro George Long. And today he’s wrapping it all up with a discussion of a show that I must confess I’d never heard of before. Have you?

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GL: The year was 2001, and National Geo-Genius was a new show on the National Geographic Channel. They clearly picked me for my expertise in olfactory fossils! It was filmed right around the corner from my home in Southampton, at the TVS Studios – walking distance.

I look back on this one with mixed feelings; it wasn’t my finest moment. That said, it deserves its place among my quiz successes. Just like on Mastermind, I was eliminated on a score countback after tying with the episode winner, Rob… who then went on to win the entire series!

Rob, who won George’s episode of ‘National Geo-Genius’… and, later, the entire series!

I’m convinced I was chosen as a potential series champion, and the producers thought that pitting two heavyweights against each other in the first episode would be a great way to kick things off.

The format started with four contestants in one country, answering multiple-choice questions (many relying on good guesses). We’d move through that country, then race around the world. After each round, the lowest scorer was eliminated (in the show’s vernacular, “cast asunder”) in some remote spot on the globe. This continued until just two remained, racing head-to-head against the clock from the final “pitstop”. The one who travelled furthest won. Ties were broken by who had the most correct answers overall.

The host was Juliet Morris, a well-known British TV presenter.

‘National Geo-Genius’ host Juliet Morris, a well-known British TV presenter.

It was filmed in 2002, during my final stages of emigrating to Australia. When asked where I’d go if I won, I mentioned Australia – but I didn’t say I was moving there imminently!

The green shirt I wore appeared bright yellow on the broadcast for some reason. And my hair turned blondish under the lights—probably from three months in Spain beforehand.

George in his green (or is it yellow?) shirt, on the set of ‘National Geo-Genius’.

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And there, with his green (or is it yellow?) shirt and his Spanish-bleached hair, we bid a fond farewell to George Long. I’d like to sincerely thank George once again for taking us through all his game show adventures – from Sale of the Century (both in front of and behind the camera!) to Going For Gold; from Press Your Luck to Mastermind, and from Jeopardy! to National Geo-Genius, with some detours to Dave Lee Travis and Burns & Porter along the way. I’d also like to thank George for all of the fantastic photos he provided; from all the screenshots from the various shows, to images of ephemera such as autographed photos, newspaper clippings… and even his Mastermind Club Membership card! I’m sure you’ll agree all those photos really helped bring the stories to life. Once again, thank you George… and all of us here at HowToWinGameShows.com* wish you every success in future endeavours, whether they be game show-related or not! 

And just a final reminder – if YOU would like to share YOUR game show adventures with the HowToWinGameShows.com audience just like George has, don’t be shy! Just email me at Stephen@HowToWinGameShows.com, and let’s get a conversation going. 

And that’s it for this epic series of guest posts. Join me back here next time…

* Actually, there’s just me.