Guest post by game show champ Brendan Richards – 2 of 2

Posted on 20/05/2025 by Stephen

Brendan’s expert subject was Monty Python. Can you tell?

Hello! And welcome to the final instalment of our two-part guest post series from Hard Quiz champion Brendan Richards. Last week, Brendan gave us an overview of all of his game show appearances… but this week, we’re going deeper into the contestant experience, as we peruse highlights from the diary Brendan kept during his Hard Quiz experience. (With Brendan’s permission, of course.) And be sure to keep an eye out for his detailed description of recording day protocols near the end! Take it away, Brendan!

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FRIDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2024

EARLY MORNING, SYDNEY

Early start on the Metro, leaving around the time I’d normally leave for work.

At the airport, I left my phone on a toilet roll holder (matching the colour of the phone’s case)… Fortunately, the phone was still on the holder when I rechecked; hopefully the only unlucky thing to happen on Friday the 13th.

An uneventful flight (listened to some Monty Python to ease the mind and prepare myself.)

12:00 PM, ARRIVAL IN MELBOURNE

Transferred to Southbank… Hotel was practically across the road from the ABC. Some construction work on the other block, and that bloody jackhammer – turns out there is something more grating than Tom Gleeson’s deliveries!

Time for a walk and photo opportunity around the CBD. 2 hours or so… then time to freshen up, pack and walk to the ABC. A quick call from Hugh (one of my step-cousins) to wish me luck.

3:45 PM, HARD QUIZ PREP, ABC

Nervous but confident and ready (carrying a suit bag with 3 potential changes of clothes – very relieved the studios were just one block across from the hotel).

Introduced to three other contestants – Bec from Maroubra, Nathan from Newcastle, and Mel from Elsternwick.

We were assigned our dressing rooms (with our own personalised dressing room signs); we weren’t allowed to discuss our topics but could talk about anything else. Then we were given a brief rundown of the rules and a video demonstration of what to do and what not to do. (Don’t move from your podium too early when Tom says “Get over here” prior to the Head to Head, etc.).

Wardrobe department helped co-ordinate all our outfits; I had a multi-coloured collared shirt, which went well with the black pants.

Snack box – a “chicken katsu sando”, rice wrap and a slice or biscuit. Never again will I complain about a TV studio canteen’s offerings (!). Plenty of bottles of water (with my name on them – maybe I should’ve kept one as a souvenir).

Bit more time to relax and clear the mind, followed by a light make-up dusting on the face.

Soon enough we were led to Studio 31 (the largest studio), where Hard Quiz was being taped. The set and audience bleachers took up about half the studio space; the set looked larger than what I remember seeing on TV.

Once settled, we had an opportunity to practice answering questions, and our exits if eliminated.

We were told to stay on the raised platform for safety reasons; after my “rehearsal exit”, I’d unintentionally taken a shortcut when, walking back to the podium, I walked onto the studio floor instead of on the platform. (Make sure you follow every instruction, even down to where and how you walk.)

Audience then filed in; Hugh and his girlfriend were in the front row (along with the other contestants’ VIPs). The warm-up guy had a few jokes with the audience (as did Tom Gleeson).

6:00 PM, SHOW TIME!

Introductions of contestants and our expert subjects:

• Bec: U.S. Presidential assassinations

• Nathan: Poker

• Mel: Contraception

• Brendan: Monty Python

Introductions almost went smoothly; I stumbled on trying to say “I’ve never had my face slapped by a fish” (which I think won the audience over).

Then a “stop tape” to prepare for the “Expert Round” followed by “Tom’s Round”.

EXPERT ROUND

I got in on the first question for Bec’s “Assassination” subject (the location of where Abraham Lincoln was shot). I answered “the Ford Theatre” (I wasn’t sure if that wording was correct). Tom motioned for a “stop tape” to verify my answer, but it was judged correct. It was only after the episode that I realised I should have said “Ford’s Theatre”. Still, ten points is ten points. Then to my round.

• One question was “What was used in place of horses in Monty Python and the Holy Grail”? I knew the answer was coconut halves. To my surprise (and the audience’s), Tom had some coconut halves handy, so I walked up to his podium and “rode” all the way back to mine.

• I managed to get the only “5 from 5” for the whole episode

In Nathan’s “Poker” subject, I managed to get in on two questions: the highest possible hand (The Royal Flush)… and where the founder of World Series Poker fled to, from Texas (Las Vegas).

In Mel’s “Contraception” subject, I also went in (!) on the material used for making condoms (“Latex” or rubber), much to Tom’s surprise and the audience’s amusement. I got an unexpected bigger laugh when I interjected, “No, I haven’t had any experience! Don’t ask!”

SCORE CHECK AT END OF EXPERT ROUND:

Bec: 30, Brendan: 65, Nathan: 20, Mel: 0

TOM’S ROUND

“This week, Tom has really been getting into boxes…” I knew I was well ahead of Mel, so I wasn’t too worried if I got a few wrong. I unfortunately was “boxed up” (!) on four of these questions, but I still held a good enough lead over Mel and Bec at the end of this round…

SCORE CHECK AT END OF TOM’S ROUND:

Bec: 15, Brendan: 50, Nathan: 25, Mel: -5

So it was goodbye to Mel; it’s always a tough playing field with four players trying to win the episode. Another “stop tape” (and drink of water) before “The People’s Round”.

Spare a thought for those eliminated who have to do their exit twice for the cameras!

THE PEOPLE’S ROUND

I only managed one correct answer during “The People’s Round”, but I think I’d guaranteed myself a ticket to the “Head to Head” round, after how I did in the “Expert Round”. A few close calls (and that round does seem to drag; Tom knows what he’s doing – I think), but Nathan and I made it to the knockout stage.

SCORE CHECK AT END OF THE PEOPLE’S ROUND:

Bec: 20, Brendan: 55, Nathan: 45, Mel: TOO SOFT

Another “stop tape”, this time for a camera reset, then on to the “Head to Head” round at the centre of stage. The Assistant Floor Manager gave us clear instructions on where to stand. I was close to the edge of the platform, but I was also given safety advice on how to exit if I was eliminated in the final round.

I had to keep my nerves intact as it was a best-out-of-5 knockout. I was tempted to keep up the comebacks (“Yes, Tommy baby?” first time around), but I think once was enough at the first question.

One question related to some gag credits from Flying Circus littered with certain words from an episode of that same name – “Spam”. And yes, I just had to scream, “I DON’T LIKE SPAM!”

One question I missed referred to Life of Brian: What did “Brian” (Graham Chapman) use for a certain part of his body when he appeared naked in front of the crowd? The answer was… a rubber band (Graham Chapman wasn’t Jewish). Maybe I should’ve paid more attention watching those excerpts in my high school religion exam. (Goddamn it – no, Briandamn it!)

Final question for my set, and Nathan was on 3/2 (3 right, 2 wrong), and I was on 3/1. I needed to answer the fifth question correctly to win outright.

TOM: The 16th century painting An Allegory with Venus and Cupid inspired what piece of Monty Python iconography?

BRENDAN: I don’t believe this…! It’s something that’s been seen in almost all 45 episodes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. It has to be the foot.

Once Tom said “CORRECT!”, I realised I had won.

I thought Nathan would’ve had it as well; again, a tough playing field all around.

The brass mug was heavier than it looked, but at that moment I couldn’t care less – I was bloody thrilled!

In “Gumby” fashion, I shouted “THANK! YOU! FOR! PLAY! ING! HARD!” And then, in Eric Idle-fashion, “I like playing hard! Know what I mean? Nudge Nudge! Say no more!” (and a good laugh at that).

Walking back to the contestant podium, I forgot there was a riser for one of the shorter contestants and I tripped over it. I heard gasps from the audience, and the floor manager checked if I was okay… But honestly, I’d never felt better in my life!

After a group photo, some pickups (without making any hint of my win), and final congratulations from Tom, it hit me that I’d have to wait a few good months before I could publicly say I won – six months as it turned out!

(Well, I did let my family know, but they kept it a good secret all the way through.)

The waiting time was worth it in the end.

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Congratulations, Brendan! And once again, thanks very much for sharing your adventures with us. If you’d like to Be Like Brendan and share YOUR game-show related story with the HowToWinGameShows.com community, simply drop me an email at Stephen@HowToWinGameShows.com… and let’s talk!

Oh, and before I go, one last thing… For anyone in Melbourne who’s free this coming Saturday (May 24th), I’ll be taking part in ‘Very Appealing Showbiz Trivia’: a fundraising trivia night for the Victorian Actors Benevolent Trust. It’s a trivia night with a difference, as various roving celebrities (and me!) circulate amongst the teams, giving them a helping hand where possible. It promises to be a fun, irreverent night, and it’ll be raising funds for a good cause at the same time… all the details are HERE:

https://events.humanitix.com/very-appealing-showbiz-trivia

If you’re interested and available, I’d love to see you there! After that, I’ll see you back here next Tuesday…

Until then, then!

Guest post by game show champ Brendan Richards – 1 of 2

Posted on 13/05/2025 by Stephen

Brendan Richards, with The Big Brass Mug he took home for winning Episode 7 in Series 10 of ‘Hard Quiz’.

Hello, and welcome to our latest HowToWinGameShows.com guest post! And this time, it’s from Brendan Richards: a veteran of Wheel Of Fortune, Celebrity Name Game, and most recently, Hard Quiz ! This week, Brendan takes us through his various game show appearances over the years, and next week, he’ll return to dig down into a little more detail, and share his top tips for game show success.

So, a very warm welcome to you, Brendan… and take it away!

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Ever since my days as a toddler I’d been fascinated by game shows – the lights, the sounds, the prizes on offer, and the range of questions.

One of my biggest dreams was to make it onto Sale of the Century; I ended up on the ‘Fame Game’ board on 21 July 1995, which at the time was a big deal for me.

The ‘Sale of the Century’ Fame Game board regularly featured viewers who’d sent in their photos… Looks like Brendan may have been slightly too young to qualify as a contestant at the time!

(That night’s champion, Cameron Burge, later went on to win the lot…)

* * * * * * *

My first in-studio game show experience, though, was on Wheel of Fortune (Transmission date: 27 May 2004). I was a few months fresh out of high school at that time, and maybe too eager to try and win (leading to a bit of brain freeze). I solved two puzzles, but I’ll rue the moment I picked car care products (i.e. car oil) over sports clothes. Never pick a prize on impulse if you don’t know what it is.

* * * * * * *

15 years later, I’d auditioned for Celebrity Name Game with one of my sisters, Sally. My knowledge of pop culture helped me get through that audition. Sally unfortunately had some trouble with the pop culture side of things, so I re-auditioned with my other sister, Jodie (with a few days’ notice), and we were both accepted not long after. (Transmission date: 16 September 2019).

We went up against Shay and Mon (whom we got on very well with during the session), and we had Rove McManus and – to Jodie’s delight – Stacey Thompson (“Ranger Stacey”) as the celebrities. We had a slow start in the first round (words starting with certain letters), but my clues for the second round (words associated with teachers) helped our score a great deal.

When “Mr. Miyagi” (the teacher from The Karate Kid) was presented as an answer, I passed because I couldn’t remember that name. I do remember hearing a crew member saying to the audience I’d made the best choice to pass immediately without hesitating or stumbling on clues, which could have cost vital seconds.

Then to the head-to-head round; I’d cracked a couple of jokes to everyone’s delight, culminating in my enthusiastic answering of “BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!” on the last question to win that round.

Finally in the Bonus round, I gave Jodie a good head start with Rove and Stacey correctly answering 6 of the 10 answers, including this moment:

ME: You see these at construction sites.

ROVE: Arsecrack.

ME: (BRIEFLY LAUGHING) NO! Something that lifts a lot of—

ROVE & STACEY: Crane!

Ultimately, Jodie and I won $10,000! Rove leapt straight into me (slamming right into my face in the process), but the victory was worth the pain from that.

* * * * * * *

Then to Hard Quiz, a show where I was not afraid to laugh at myself. (Or Tom Gleeson, for that matter.)

Around 2021 or 2022, I landed a video audition where I explained why I chose Monty Python as my special subject. During the call, I was reminded to not give too much away about my chosen subject, in case it was used in one of the show’s questions. Then, in June 2024, I was contacted to see if I’d still like to be a contestant, with taping set for Friday 13th (yeech!) September.

And so I found myself in wonderful sunny (?) Melbourne. In the weeks before, I took to watching / listening to / reading as much Monty Python material as my spare time could allow.

For this episode, I went up against Bec (expert subject: American presidential assassinations), Nathan (expert subject: Poker) and Mel (expert subject: Contraception – yes, really!).

During the taping, I decided not just to play hard, but to laugh hard as well, and keep Tom Gleeson at bay. (I think he was genuinely surprised with what I came up with during the show.)

I buzzed in on at least one question on everyone else’s expert subjects; one question about condom material had the audience laughing, but they got an unexpected bigger laugh when I protested: “I haven’t had any experience! Don’t ask!”

After the Expert Round, I had a very sizeable lead, so I wasn’t worried if I got some questions wrong in Tom’s Round. Thankfully, I kept my lead during both that round and The People’s Round.

In the final Head-to-Head round, I knew the competition was tough, but Nathan kept his cool and managed to get three correct. When we came to my last question, these were the scores:

NATHAN	N	Y	N	Y	Y
BRENDAN	Y	Y	N	Y

I had to get this last question correct, if I was to win the show. And the question was…

TOM: The 16th century painting An Allegory with Venus and Cupid inspired what piece of Monty Python iconography?

BRENDAN: I don’t believe this…! It’s something that’s been seen in almost all 45 episodes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. It has to be the foot.

The moment Tom shouted “CORRECT!”, that really was it. I had played HARD… and won!

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And congratulations to you, Brendan! By the way, the transmission date of Brendan’s Hard Quiz episode was 12 March 2025… and if you’re in Australia, you can watch it on ABC iview, right here:

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/hard-quiz/series/10/video/LE2331V007S00

Next week, Brendan will take us through the Hard Quiz contestant experience in more detail, with exclusive excerpts from his diary on record day (including some top behind-the-scenes tips).

That’s next Tuesday, right here at HowToWinGameShows.com. Until then, then!

Guest post by quiz show champ Barry Lee! Part 7 of 7

Posted on 29/04/2025 by Stephen

Hello and welcome to the final instalment in Barry Lee’s guest post series. Last week, Barry was outlining some of his study techniques. If you haven’t read that instalment yet, I’d strongly, STRONGLY recommend that you go back and read it now, because this week’s post follows directly on from it.

Okay, done that? All up to date? Good. And now, Dear Reader, read on…

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I recently saw a good example of how the learning process I have outlined here could be utilised when the same question (“in what decade were Kit-Kat bars introduced?”*) was asked on The (UK) Chase and turned up a few weeks later on Mastermind Australia – it may well have been asked on The Chase Australia when I was not watching. I have seen other similar questions, which ask what decade a popular snack or beverage was introduced in, or in what country it originated. So if I was preparing for a contemporary show, I would get busy with Google and Wikipedia etc. and produce a list of such products with the decade and country details included and whenever I heard a question which asked about a product not on my list, I would add those details.

For some of the more traditional quiz question topics, (e.g. history, mythology, classic art, music and literature), older style reference books aimed at children / teenagers can often be the best way of covering a topic, because the better examples of those books omit the obscure and esoteric, and the dull and dry, and focus on the mainstream details, presented in an appealing manner, which are likely to turn up as questions. I mention older style children’s reference books because my observation is that books published in the last few decades tend to be too lightweight to be of much use for this purpose.

Another easily overlooked, but often very handy, way of filling in gaps in knowledge is through crossword dictionaries – the better examples of which are packed with loads of diverse and pithy information grouped in useful ways. To take an example, a reasonably common form of quiz question is to give the name of an item of clothing and ask what part of the body it is worn on – a good crossword dictionary will provide lists of the names of styles and types of hats, footwear etc. which can be quickly browsed, and will likely do this as concisely and comprehensively as any other reference book or website. The same approach can be taken for other common forms of questions such as the ones which ask about varieties of fruits and vegetables, foods and beverages etc.

Quiz Books, if you can get your hands on them (many of the best examples are out of print, and not yet old enough to have their contents freely available online), can also be handy for broadening the horizons for beginners and for revising and filling in the gaps for more advanced contestants. The only caution I would give, which I think has been mentioned elsewhere on this site, is that some of the British quiz books, particularly the older ones, tend to have questions which are well beyond the level typically encountered now on Australian shows – so you need to keep a clear focus on what you’re using them for.

One particular challenge I found in my days as a young quiz show hopeful was learning about things which were not often covered in traditional reference books, but which were fairly well known to people who had been around long enough to have lived through or otherwise encountered the relevant details. Examples of this would be famous crimes, scandals, fads and fashions etc. which would be overlooked by the mainstream encyclopaedias and history references. Aside from specific books or websites on those themes, a useful option for dealing with this problem is popular history books (there may be equivalent websites?) which are presented in a tabloid newspaper style. Some of these books simply reproduce front pages from major newspapers from a particular era. Others, such as The Chronicle series produced by Penguin about 30 years ago, go through an era month by month, year by year, and present a series of brief articles about interesting events which happened on nominated dates. Titles in that series included – Chronicle of Australia, Chronicle of the 20th Century, Chronicle of The World, Chronicle of America, Chronicle of Britain, Chronicle of the Royal Family, Chronicle of the Second World War, and Chronicle of the Cinema. They are big, thick, hardback books – and very browsable.

In my tales of Ford Superquiz and Sale of the Century, I mentioned a handy little notepad I had put together for quick study/revision. It’s basically lists of useful info drawn from a wide range of reference books – distilled wisdom, so to speak, for quiz show purposes. Here are some examples of the details listed in the notepad:

National capitals, grouped by continent and region,
Rivers on which prominent national capitals are located,
Airports of major capital cities,
Units of currency and predominant languages and religions of countries,
Highest mountains, longest rivers and largest lakes in continents and major countries,
Notable volcanoes,
British monarchs and their consorts,
Notable battles,
US Presidents and Vice Presidents,
Australian PMs and notable state Premiers
State flora and fauna emblems
Alloys and their components,
Vitamins,
Bones of the human body,
Medical names of common diseases and illnesses.
Military ranks,
Olympic Games locations – summer and winter – and notable gold medallists,
Number of team members for major team sports,
Boxing weight categories,
America’s Cup winners,
Planets and their moons,

etc. etc. etc.

These days, it could all be done on an electronic device, but it’s worth bearing in mind that notepads of the paper variety don’t crash, and can’t be accidentally deleted!

The late, great Cary Young on ‘Sale of the Century’.

Finally, a few words on the difference between being very good and truly exceptional in the world of TV quizzes. I reflected on this after reading the January 2023 tribute to Cary Young, which drew on Cary’s interview with Brydon Coverdale. What particularly struck me about that was hearing, for the first time, of the huge, systematic effort which Cary had put into being the absolute master of the “Who Am I?” Fame Game questions on Sale of the Century. It was an illustration of not just sustained hard work, but also of strategy – dominating the Fame Game questions on Sale gave Cary a practical advantage (by increasing the odds of getting extra points) but also would have given him a psychological advantage by adding to the frustration of his opponents. Cary’s approach to the Fame Game questions also put into perspective my memory of being rather pleased with myself over one such question I encountered on Sale. The question began with the clue that the person was born in Bundaberg in 1892. At that point I knew the answer would either be Bert Hinkler or Gladys Moncrieff – I had remembered, from my amateur question writing days, the interesting coincidence that two then-notable Australians had been born in that year in that town. I can’t now recall what the next clue was but I got it straight away on that. By comparison, had I been facing Cary Young on that show, there’s a good chance he would have been able to buzz in correctly on the first clue because, as he revealed to Brydon, he had not only meticulously learned the life dates of many noted people, he had also kept track of which of them had previously been the subject of a question on Sale – and worked on the assumption that repeat questions were less likely. That really is ‘next level’ stuff, and serves as an example – inspiring and maybe a little sobering – to those who aspire to the very highest levels of achievement in this wonderfully addictive TV genre.

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Indeed it does, and what an inspiring note to end this guest post series on! I’d just like to thank Barry once again for sharing all his memories, his insights and his fantastic tips and hints with us. I’ve really enjoyed reading his quiz-related adventures, and bringing them to you.

And just a reminder… if you’d like to follow Barry’s footsteps and share your particular game show experiences with a wider audience, why not get in touch with me? I’m at Stephen@HowToWinGameShows.com.

Thank you, as always, for your support for the site – I’ll see you again soon!

* And for those playing along at home, Kit-Kats were introduced in the 1930s.

Guest post by quiz show champ Barry Lee! Part 6 of 7

Posted on 22/04/2025 by Stephen

Hello, and welcome back! This week, Barry outlines some of his preparatory study techniques, that saw him taking home the top prizes on both Ford Superquiz AND Sale of the Century. Here’s hoping they can work for you too!

Take it away, Barry!

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= Getting the knowledge =

There’s lots of useful advice on this site – all of which rings true with my experience – about the learning part of preparing for quiz shows. What follows are suggestions (some of which, I appreciate, might seem quaintly ‘olde worlde’) which might help beginners to build on and flesh out the advice which others have offered. I will start with a very interesting insight once shared with me by quiz master and question writer extraordinaire George Black, who I mentioned earlier. George told me of his estimate that there were about 25,000 questions circulating on the then contemporary (mid-’70s) Australian quiz shows. His view was that anyone who managed to acquire the body of knowledge represented by those questions could expect to do very well on any general knowledge quiz show – not a guarantee of unfailing success, but a very good foundation for that.

The balance and components of the current corpus of Australian quiz show “general knowledge” would be very different from what it was 50 years ago – much less about history, geographical facts, literature and classical/older music and much more about pop culture, celebrities, consumer products and sport – but from what I have observed, the concept of a quiz show corpus of knowledge is still very relevant as a way of framing and guiding the process of learning. The essence of this process is to get a good feel for the range of questions asked on whatever show you are aiming for, and then to work out the most time-efficient means of acquiring sufficient knowledge to give yourself a good chance of success. Watching the show as much as possible and, one way or another, recording the questions is very useful – in fact, it’s invaluable.

Whether you’re starting with a good range of knowledge relevant to the questions on the show, or obviously have a lot to learn, the basics are the same – it’s about being analytical and systematic in filling in the gaps. Areas of subject matter weakness are best addressed by looking closely at the questions asked in that subject matter area on the show that you’re aiming at. Take note of the questions asked in that area (or areas) over at least a few months and look for patterns – there will always be randoms and outliers, but in most cases, some patterns will emerge over time. Once you have a sense of those patterns you have a good starting point for focusing your learning efforts.

It’s then about finding the most concise source of information which, if you master it, would allow you to answer a healthy proportion of future questions in that subject area on that show. The logic of this is that, for most shows, you don’t need to know the answer to every question – it’s about tilting the odds in your favour, and having enough knowledge to have a better-than-average chance compared to your competitors. The sort of focused learning I am describing here was easier in the pre-internet days. Back then, it was a matter of hunting out, through libraries or bookshops (more often of the second-hand variety), one or two reference books which covered the particular topic in enough detail (but not too much). For most subject areas, I always had in mind a few obscure/challenging questions I had remembered from recent quiz shows, which I would use to test newly encountered reference books. If a book was concise and compact, but still managed to contain the relevant details, and plenty of similar material, it would be on my beg, borrow or buy list – but I would always be looking for books which did the job even better. But even with the pithiest books, it still takes focus and discipline to absorb only the knowledge which you judge likely to be relevant to the show you’re aiming at and not stray off course – which is why it is so important to get the best possible feel for the sorts of questions asked on that show. These days, instead of printed books, it might be a Wikipedia article or similar but the basic process is the same – look for the most concise webpage or site for the relevant subject area. Wikipedia is particularly useful because many articles have that handy list of related articles at the end, which could serve as a useful way of working your way through a topic – but the key is always to avoid going too deeply into a topic and wasting time and memory space on details which are unlikely to be the basis of questions.

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Great advice there from Barry, but as we all know, when researching some of those tangents and rabbit holes of new and interesting facts can be just so tempting… He’s right – real self-discipline is required during this process. While you’re using the above methods to assemble your game show databanks, it truly IS a case of “keeping your eyes on the prize”!

Next week, we’ll round this series out with even more of Barry’s handy hints and quiz show study tips! See you then!

Guest post by quiz show champ Barry Lee! Part 5 of 7

Posted on 15/04/2025 by Stephen

Barry Lee (L) on ‘Sale of the Century’ in 1986, with the show’s host Tony Barber (R).

Hello, and welcome to the antepenultimate instalment of Barry’s seven-part series on his quiz show adventures. You join us this week in the early 80s, after Barry’s triumph on Ford Superquiz, but before his winning run on Sale of the Century…

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= Great Temptation Lives Again =

After what seemed like a very long five years, Great Temptation returned in practically identical form as Sale of the Century in June 1980. The “mad minute” had yet to be invented, so the relatively limited number of questions meant that scores of more than about $80 were very respectable – as had been the case with Great Temptation. One sad change was that George Black had passed away in 1978 and was replaced, for the first few years, by Reg Barry as question writer and Professor Sam Ball as the in-studio adjudicator – roles eventually taken on by the redoubtable Fran Powell. Watching that very first episode, which is currently out there on YouTube, is a reminder of just how much questions have changed in the intervening years – a fair number on British history and even one about the Hanseatic League (the ‘what’ league?) Those older style questions were part of the quiz world I had grown up in, so I didn’t waste time in getting myself to an audition – just in case the reborn show, like its predecessor, fell foul in the ratings to a popular soap opera.

The audition was the usual thing – a fairly large group of hopefuls gathered early evening in a community hall, each with a sheet of paper with space for answers to 40 questions. Only two or three scored over 30, and my mid-30s score was the highest on the night. The months rolled on and I heard nothing, but in the meantime I had been through the same process for Ford Superquiz and that had come good for me with the call in the latter part of 1981. After the success with the Ford show, I felt my chances of getting on Sale were limited. Even though they were on the same network and from the same production house (Grundy’s), there had been a rivalry of sorts between the two shows, and my strong association with the Ford show, along with what I guessed would be a spirit of wanting to give other competitors a sporting chance, probably meant that I was moved to the back of the queue. Whatever the score on all of that, the call finally came in early 1986. It was all very last minute and rushed. I was on holidays interstate, staying with friends when Grundy’s called my workplace after a contestant who had been lined up for the following Sunday’s recording pulled out at very short notice. Happily, the call was taken by a colleague who knew where I was and how to get in touch. It was straight into it on that Sunday!

I was on the first of the five shows recorded that day and managed my best score – $161, after spending $9 on a fob watch. I’ve read the comments from David Poltorak and others here about the dangers of the second night. The close shave for me came later – on my second last night. By the end of those first five shows I had scored enough for all of the prizes other than the cash jackpot. As with Ford Superquiz, Sale became an exercise in delayed gratification, although not as drawn out. My appearances bookended the 1986 Ashes series between Australia and England which ran for three weeks, so it was a four week gap between my first and last recording days.

Things were going well in the first show of my last recording day – my sixth episode – but not so well that I thought I could have scored the $139 needed to get the 700 Sale dollars required for the cash jackpot and other prizes. With that thought, I was tempted by an offer of a piano and $2500 in cash in return for 16 Sale dollars. That took me back from $80 to $64… at which point another contestant, who’d been ambling along 40 or more behind, sprung into life and by the time we started the “mad minute”, was very close on my heels. After the first seven questions in the “mad minute” I was behind $74 to $80, with the challenger on a roll, and I could see my game show life flashing before my eyes with about 30 seconds to go. The exhilarating prospect of an upset win seemed to get the better of the challenger, who then gave three wrong answers. There was time for three correct answers from me, which was enough for an $89 to $65 win – phew! The final show went more comfortably ($100 to $70) and a journey on- and off-camera with the Great Temptation / Sale of the Century format, which had started 15 years earlier, came to a very happy end.

Barry on ‘Sale of the Century’ in 1986, with the show’s host Tony Barber.

My final episode aired on ANZAC Day, which made it doubly memorable. The cash jackpot had gone off a few weeks before I started, but was still a very welcome boost to the finances and there was some other nice stuff including, as Kath & Kim would say, a Specific Cruise with a classy Scandinavian line.

Aside from the very happy outcome, one aspect of the Sale experience which I found particularly interesting is what it showed me about the way that memory works. In the four years between Superquiz and Sale, I had watched Sale as often as I could and was still interested in general knowledge quizzing, but with other things to get on with, and with the odds of hearing from Sale seemingly dwindling as time marched on, when the call finally came I was conscious of being out of practice and having forgotten a lot of what I formerly had at my fingertips. In the few days I had to prepare before the first recording session, I dug out my old note pad from Superquiz days and a few pithy single-volume reference works. There was nowhere near enough time to get through all of them, but as I quickly got back into it, I found that whole slabs of memory started coming back, triggered by reading the most salient bits. I wouldn’t pretend that everything came back to me, but enough to get me through Sale reasonably safely. The key to it seemed to have been a relatively systematic approach, with the information I had earlier memorised grouped fairly logically and coherently – working through series of random questions might be good for practise and filling in gaps, but not the best use of time when time is at a premium. The only other advice I would offer from the Superquiz and Sale experiences is about meals: For the late morning/afternoon recording sessions I started the day with a solid breakfast and then had a very light lunch – just grapes and apple juice, so that as little blood as possible was diverted from the brain to the digestive bits. At the end of the day, a hamburger with the lot and a milkshake at the airport was something to look forward to.

Once it was all over, I fairly quickly decided that Sale of the Century would be my last quiz show. I wanted to get on with other things, so I passed on the chance to return for Sale championships and have not pursued any other shows in the many years since – which is why I have absolutely no qualms in sharing here anything and everything I know (still remember) that might be useful to quiz show hopefuls.

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And I’m so glad you ARE sharing it all, Barry – again, thank you! Join us here again next Tuesday when Barry goes deeper into his studying and revision techniques. Insider training tips from a two-time quiz show champion? You won’t want to miss that!

Oh, and if you’re in Melbourne, my Comedy Festival show For The Term of His Natural Lies now has only SIX PERFORMANCES LEFT! From tonight until April 20, at 8:45 PM. Tickets for these last few remaining performances are available RIGHT HERE:

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/stephen-hall-presents-for-the-term-of-his-natural-lies/

Don’t miss out!

A post from special Guest Blogger Rowena Stewart!

Posted on 11/02/2025 by Stephen

Rowena Stewart

Hello, and welcome to the first HTWGS.com post for 2025.

And I have a treat for you today – it’s a guest post from first-time contributor, Rowena Stewart!

“Who is Rowena Stewart?”, I pretend to hear you ask. Well… Rowena is an avid quiz show watcher who grew up on a diet of classroom posters, newspaper puzzles and reading the origin story of Vegemite on the jar’s label. Much later in life, she discovered the widespread community of others with a similar thirst for knowledge and she’s now doing her bit to raise awareness of – and invite others into – the wondrous world of quizzing.

I’m grateful to Rowena for reaching out to me, and for wanting to spread the word about the many quizzing opportunities out there for you, dear HowToWinGameShows.com visitor.

And now… Take it away, Rowena!

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Have you ever watched a quiz show and thought “Who could possibly know the answer to that?”

I’ve often asked that myself, and the answer is an ever-growing community of very welcoming, supportive, and knowledgeable people I’ve gotten to know over the past few years.

We’re a group of curious people called competitive or league quizzers and we love learning interesting facts, and trivia. But we don’t just stop at getting the immediate answer to questions. We go down rabbit holes and click all the Wikipedia links, branching out from points of interest to create a dense canopy to the forest of knowledge. Then we pay a modest fee to be tested on our recall, purely for pleasure with no lure of a monetary reward.

One such testing method you might have heard about is the World Quizzing Championships (WQC), held annually on the first Saturday of June. This is sometimes considered “The Olympics of Quizzing” as it’s a worldwide event with all continents (bar Antarctica) represented. Many are deterred by its difficulty, but it’s not often we mere mortals get to measure ourselves against the giants of the quiz world. Being an international quiz, there can be no bias towards one part of the world. So when it comes to movies, you might get a question about an American blockbuster alongside questions on Bollywood, Egyptian Cinema and Best Foreign Language Film Directors. The quiz itself is so challenging the top score is around 70%. Yet, in 2024 almost 2000 individuals took part.

Despite its prominence, the WQC isn’t necessarily the best place for a newcomer to begin.

That’s why Quizzing Australia launched the Australian Quiz Championships (AQC) in February of 2024 as an offering that’s more accessible to an Australian audience without compromising on difficulty. Its format is inspired by the World Quizzing Championships but with an innovative approach to topic distribution, giving specialists more to play for.

The questions aren’t the short-form ‘know-it-or-don’t’ type you’d get at pub trivia. They’re more like what you’d hear on Mastermind or Hard Quiz, but printed on a piece of paper beside a box for you to write your answer. Each question will usually include multiple pieces of information to help you reach the answer. For example, rather than “For two points, name the horse and jockey who won the Melbourne Cup in 2015″, the question may be phrased as follows: “In 2015, Michelle Payne became the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. What alliterative name did her horse have? It’s no Model of a Modern Major General, but it is named after a City in Cornwall.”*

With enough exposure and practice, these hints become less puzzling and more of a confirmation you’ve got the correct answer, like cryptic crossword clues.

These kinds of hints and keywords also get used in game shows and it’s how players like Australian Chasers Issa Schultz, Brydon Coverdale, David Poltorak and Mara Lejins can answer correctly after having heard only half the question. For example, if you hear the word “arachnid”, 99% of the time the answer is going to be “a spider” (and maybe only 1%, “a scorpion”).

So if you’re serious about winning on a game show, why not come and prepare in a low-pressure environment and train that recall muscle? Then, when you get to the TV studio with butterflies in your stomach, those keywords will be like Pavlov ringing a bell for his dogs.

While the AQC occurs once per year, Quizzing Australia also runs a number of other events throughout the year:

Squizzed / Hot 100 – these are written quizzes of 100 questions each, completed individually. These are arranged at physical venues monthly in most capital cities. Check Facebook for details.
Quiz Nations – online format played in teams with an individual answer component and a team answer component. It’s just like your weekly community sport competitions… but instead of tossing or kicking a ball around, you’re verbally answering quiz questions!
National Quiz Day – This is a full-day annual event where the national pairs and teams championships are contested, interspersed with novelty subject quizzes. Location will vary by year – check Quizzing Australia’s events page for updates.
State championships – written pen-and-paper quizzes with an individual round and pairs / teams round. ACT, QLD, VIC are in March. NSW, SA and WA are in November.

And if you want something a bit more casual that can be done in your own time, here’s a selection of some other resources available:

Learned League – This is an invite-only competition run through a website. Past questions for each season are publicly available here. It was mentioned in Brydon “The Shark” Coverdale’s Quizmasters (which you have a copy of, right?) Good. Now open it up to Chapter 9 ‘Trivial Pursuits’ for an excellent summary on gameplay.

Jeopardy! questions archive Just the questions – no ads or chitchat.
Wikiquiz.org – question sets submitted by people from all over the world.
Thrice by Geeks Who Drink – https://thrice.geekswhodrink.com/.
The Weekly Fifty – Weekly Quiz.
Newspaper quizzes – hardquiz, stuff.co.nz.
Brisquiz – Friday Quick Quizzes
IQ trivia – Interesting Question of the day
The Antipodean Quizzers Discord community for general chatter and connecting with like-minded people.

I hope to see you at one of these events sometime soon! And for readers outside of Australia, check out your local quiz leagues for any events they may be running in your area. Questions sets for the Australian Quiz Championships will be made available after the event. Sets from other Quizzing Australia events can be found on their website here. For any enquiries, the best way to contact them is via emailing info@quizzingaustralia.org.

* For those playing along at home, the answer is ‘Prince of Penzance’.

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Once again, I’d like to thank Rowena so much for this week’s post, and to remind you that if YOU’d like to do what Rowena’s done, and contribute a guest post for HowToWinGameShows.com, just email me at Stephen@HowToWinGameShows.com, and let’s start a discussion! My (virtual) door is always open.

Until next time, take care!

Stephen

My EXCLUSIVE interview with game show winner (and TikTok sensation) Miles Glaspole – Part IV

Posted on 05/11/2024 by Stephen

Welcome to the final instalment of my interview with Mastermind Australia‘s 2023 Grand Champion – AND the winner of Mastermind Australia‘s Champions Week in 2024 – Miles Glaspole. Now let’s bring this thing home by getting stuck right into the nitty-gritty of elite quiz show preparation…

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SH: When it comes to studying your special subjects, is there a particular method of studying or revision you like to use? Could you take us through it?

MG: I tried to put myself in the question writer mindset – what are the questions about this topic that would be interesting to non-fans? What facts feel like something that would be fun to ask another me? The flipside is knowing what *not* to study from that point of view – for example, AFL Grand Final crowd figures would be impressive to see someone get right, but if they’re off by one and say that 99,982 people went to the 2016 grand final, it’s a) just a number, so it’s not that interesting anyway, and b) they would be 0.00001% incorrect. Not great TV in either sense. So it’s about walking through the available orchard of facts and taking note of what is potentially the ripest fruit.

SH: When you became Mastermind Australia‘s fifth Grand Champion last year, you won the Grand Prize; a magnificent engraved bowl. What did you do with it?

MG: It has pride of place on my Ikea Kallax shelving unit. I also kept a couple of strips of the confetti they set off on the day.

There it is… Don’t drop it, Miles!

SH: And the trophy they awarded you when you won Champions Week at the start of this year?

Miles in the ‘Mastermind Australia’ studio, being interviewed after his win!

MG: Right next to it. Less useful as a container. Potentially better as a weapon.

SH: So as someone who’s been there and done that (twice!), what tips, hints or advice would you have for anyone wanting to be a contestant on Mastermind Australia?

MG: I think the energy that comes through from both watching and being on Mastermind is just how much of a labour of love it is – it’s a show by nerds, for nerds. The Chase and Tipping Point do look for that sharpness on camera, while Hard Quiz does have one eye out for people who could provide decent backchat to Gleeson. Mastermind is the purest celebration of unfettered individuality. So don’t feel like you haven’t got the right charisma or vibe for it. If you like your subject and are passionate about it, you have the right vibe. Let that shine! Let your freak flag fly!

SH: You’ve been on Hard Quiz too, in 2016. What was your special subject there, and how did that experience compare to Mastermind Australia?

MG: I did! The very first episode! I was Tom’s first victim. I got ahead of likely thousands of other ABC viewers to be the Doctor Who expert. That one was less harrowing; a studio audience gives you something to play to, and they really get around you if they can sense Tom is really getting stuck into you. I think that’s the brilliant balance that show strikes.

SH: Do you have any plans to go on any other game shows? The Chase Australia, for example?

MG: I went on The Chase way back in the very first season. God help me, I was only 19 – at the time, I believe, the youngest they’d had. And we were THRASHED by the Supernerd. Since then I’ve written for the show and befriended a few Chasers – Mara (the Smiling Assassin) is a good mate, I’ve Zoom quizzed with Issa (Supernerd) and Cheryl (Tiger Mum) plus quizzed in person with Brydon (the Shark). They’re so impressive at what they do.

SH: What’s next for you?

MG: I’ve put the TikTok10 on hold for now – but I’m working on a couple of ideas for longer-form quiz formats. Maybe they’ll emerge some day! Otherwise, I’m going to stick to my very non-online existence of baking and community theatre. And the quizzing circuit, of course!

SH: That’s excellent to hear. Miles, congratulations on both of your richly deserved Mastermind Australia wins, all the very best for all your future quizzing endeavours, and thank you very much for speaking to me today for www.HowToWinGameShows.com!

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I’d like to thank Miles again for giving so freely of his time, and for his very thoughtful and entertaining answers! I’ll see you back here before too long…

My ‘Mastermind Australia’ journey – Part 9: the aftermath and conclusion

Posted on 04/06/2024 by Stephen

And that’s that. Thank you and goooodnight!

Hello! If you’ve been following this chronicle of my Mastermind Australia experience over the last nine weeks here….

A) Jeez Louise, don’t you have anything better to do?

B) Thank you.

C) You’ll know that it’s all about my preparations for – and experiences during and after – my appearance in THIS particular episode of the popular long-running quiz show: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/watch/2314487875992

and

D) You’ll also know that I ended last week’s instalment right after losing the game by one point, meeting up with my wife Judi and leaving the studio. Now read on…

==============================================================After our episode, when Yael, Kieran and I were back in the contestant greenroom, a producer thanked us for taking part in Mastermind Australia‘s Champions Week, and gave we three Quiz Champions our consolation prizes for all the work we’d done in preparing for, and competing in, our episode.

We were each given a Mastermind fridge magnet.

The ‘Mastermind’ fridge magnet.

Judi and I said our goodbyes, and the producer walked us to the SBS café and buzzed us in, so that we could buy ourselves some lunch.

I received kind text messages from Troy Egglestone (who’d won the first episode recorded that day) and Andy Zito (who was currently competing in the third), and from another one of the show’s producers, who said I was very entertaining.

I’ve obviously had a lot of time to reflect on the whole Mastermind experience since the record day. In hindsight, I’m kinda glad I didn’t get through to the Champions Week final (the fifth and final episode recorded that day). That would’ve meant waiting around in the greenroom for another six hours or so, before taking my chances with another batch of General Knowledge questions, and then the ‘Slow Burn’ round. Having studied the show as closely as I did, I suspect the potential for failure is much greater when there’s no Specialised Subject round in the episode. At least you can control how well you do in the Specialised Subject round. With whatever batch of General Knowledge questions they assign to you, and whatever ‘Slow Burn’ question you end up with… well, you’re pretty much thrown to the wind. And good luck.

The way things played out, I got to show off my specialist knowledge, I hope I was a good guest, and I think I gave the show a good (and feelgood?) episode. I really hope I lost with a bit of good grace and dignity.

After we left the SBS studios, Judi and I drove to Newcastle (where we were going to attend a wedding the next day), unwound with a few drinks in our hotel’s bar, and had dinner at a Thai restaurant.

I ended the Mastermind record day by watching the first episode of the new series of Australian Survivor, where Frankie was the first player voted out. I realised that whatever Mastermind-related feelings of defeat, disappointment or humiliation I might’ve had would have been roughly 1% of what poor Frankie’s must have been; after a long (and no doubt gruelling) application process, she had finally, finally got herself onto Australian Survivor, with sky-high hopes of winning the ultimate prize of $500,000… only to be summarily chucked out at the very first opportunity.

And chucked out not because she didn’t know the answers to a few General Knowledge questions… but because the majority of other people on the show actively wanted to get rid of her, and worked hard conspiring to do so.

Now, THAT would have been rough!

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And that’s it for this particular gameshow-related adventure! I hope you enjoyed my behind-the-scenes account of my Mastermind Australia experience, from go to whoa. I’ve absolutely no idea when my next gameshow-related adventure (as a participant) will be, but when I do have one, you can rest assured that I’ll definitely be chronicling it all for HowToWinGameShows.com!

My ‘Mastermind Australia’ journey – Part 8: THE SHOW!

Posted on 28/05/2024 by Stephen

All present and (usually) correct. From left to right: William Laing, me, (Host) Marc Fennell, Kieran Magee and Yael Blinco.

Hello! When I last left you, I was finally about to enter the studio, for the recording of my particular episode of Mastermind Australia (which you can find right here, on SBS OnDemand: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/watch/2314487875992)

Now read on…

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So Kieran, William, Yael and I troop into the studio, and are introduced to the show’s host Marc Fennell, who curtsied when he met me. Must admit, I wasn’t expecting that.

We settle into our contestant chairs, and before we know it, we’re away! William was first in the Big Black Chair with his specialist subject; Herbert ”Doc” Evatt.

He did well and scored 11 points.

After William’s round, and a quick wait while Marc rerecorded a couple of questions, it was my turn, with my specialist subject: Bottom. It had all been leading up to this; I was about to see if all my research would pay off. I did ever so slightly better than William – 12 points. I was pleased that all of the questions I was asked, I had previously written (in one form or another) in my 19-page document…

My ‘Bottom’ questions – Page 3 of 19

with just one exception…

In the Series 1 episode Contest, how much did Eddie pay for the second-hand copy of Parade magazine?

I never wrote that question! Bugger! I really should have. I ventured “5 quid?” but the answer was, of course, £1.50. There was one other question in this round that I got wrong, and which, in retrospect, I wish I’d challenged at the time…

Continue reading →

My ‘Mastermind Australia’ journey – Part 7

Posted on 21/05/2024 by Stephen

Darius Horsham (a character I used to play on ‘Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell’) sitting in the ‘Mastermind’ Big Black Chair… by the brilliant cartoonist Tanaya Qoifoog (https://twitter.com/qoifoog)

Hello and welcome to Part 7 of my account of my Mastermind Australia experience. Here’s the link to my episode on SBS OnDemand: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/watch/2314487875992

Now, an AWFUL lot happened on the actual day of the record, so what you’re about to read is actually my diary entry from the next day… after I’d had a chance to digest it all, make sense of it and write it down. Now read on…

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02/02 – The day after The Big Day

Well, what a day that was.

Up at 6:30 and thought I’d have the buffet breakfast advertised in the hotel; that’d be convenient, and fuel me up for the day. Advertised in reception and in my hotel room as being on from 7:00 – 9:30 AM in the hotel’s restaurant. I got to the restaurant at 7:00, aiming to do half an hour’s revision over breakfast, but the restaurant was closed. I managed to find a café 5 minutes away, and sat outside in an effort to find somewhere quiet for my revision… but couldn’t get much done, thanks to a middle-aged man at the next table very loudly talking at a young woman about all the TV shows and movies he liked, and which she HAD to watch. Noise pollution.

Back to the hotel room, collected the notes – and extra shirts – that I wanted to take with me, jumped into the car and drove the 10 minutes to SBS.

I parked in the building’s car park, signed in at reception, and noticed a few contestants milling around in the foyer. Had a nice chat with Mastermind Australia Season 1 winner Troy Egglestone, who I’d previously interviewed for the blog and we grabbed a couple of “Before” pictures, noting that ‘Oh yes, we’re all smiles now…’

Troy and me, before the festivities begin.

Two of the show’s producers led us through to the greenroom, where I (re-)introduced myself to the people I’d be competing against today:

1. William Laing (who I’d juuuuust managed to beat by One Point on Australia’s Brainiest Quizmaster, back in 2006):

https://www.facebook.com/Howtowingameshows/videos/315088905776740/

2. Yael Blinko (who’d won big on WWTBAM, and who I’d competed against in a Temptation Quizmasters heat, also in 2006):

https://www.facebook.com/Howtowingameshows/videos/803808249662933/

and

3. Kieran Magee, a Millionaire Hot Seat winner, who I hadn’t met before.

The greenroom was small, and featured a couple of couches, a few chairs and a mirror or two. It also accommodated the wardrobe rack and makeup table, so space was at a bit of a premium. The production had supplied some bottles of water for us and a few packaged snacks. On the wall was a screen with a video feed patched in from the studio.

I chatted to William quite a bit… and of course, we both realised that Mastermind was framing this meet-up between the two of us as a grudge match (later, during the show, Marc did indeed half-heartedly ask each of us how much we intended to CRUSH the other one.)

From the greenroom, the four of us watched the first episode play out.

Competing in that first episode were (L-R) Troy Egglestone, Kate Buckingham, Xavier Lawlor & Sally West.

There seemed to be quite a few delays during the record, as various questions were challenged, and Marc re-did questions he’d stumbled over. I really felt for Xavier; a teacher whose special subject was Survivor All Stars. He spent a lot of time in the big black chair waiting for the production to work through these various delays. My heart went out to him, and I found myself hoping that my rhythm and concentration wouldn’t be subject to that many delays when my turn came…

During my chat in the greenroom with William, I complimented him on his book How To Win A Million, which I’d been re-reading and learning from over the last few days. At one stage, he looked over my shoulder as I was reading through my Bottom questions (yet again), and asked me what I was doing. I told him I’d written 19 pages of questions on my specialist subject, so surely some of them should overlap with the questions the show had in store for me… he said “Oh that’s a good idea, I hadn’t thought of that”.

Eventually, the first game of this five-game Record Day finished. Troy won by a large margin (he really DID know a lot about NRL State of Origin 1985 – 2005!), and it was time for those of us competing in Episode 2 to go into the studio.

Deep breath. Here goes…