Columbus native Anderson has ‘awesome’ time on ‘Jeopardy!’
Answer: This Columbus-born theater manager recently flew out West to appear on a popular quiz show hosted by Ken Jennings.
Question: Who is Brandon Anderson? Anderson, general manager and director of communications for local theater company Shadowbox Live, took his first trip to California recently to compete on “Jeopardy!” His debut appearance was Tuesday evening.
Becoming a contestant was a long journey that began more than a year ago when Anderson, while watching the show one evening, decided to take the online audition test.
“It was kind of fun – a 50-question test where you wrote in your answers. I sent it off and about a week later, got a note saying, ‘Congratulations! You passed to the second round of the audition process’,” Anderson said.
The 44-year-old, who’s also a performer with Shadowbox Live, found the second test a bit more daunting, as it had twice as many questions and was timed. “It was a little bit harder,” he said. “But then, I got another note saying, “Congratulations! You passed to the next round!’”
Next came a Zoom audition and mock interview during which Anderson’s ebullient personality shined so brightly that he received a phone call a month later from a producer asking when he could come to California.
“I screamed out loud,” Anderson recalled. “In all, it was about a 13-to-16month process. Just getting on the show
is the hardest part.”
On the “Jeopardy!” set in Culver City, host Ken Jennings’ humor and laid-back demeanor helped put the contestants at ease, Anderson said.
“He comes in and greets everybody and it’s so great because Ken Jennings is just as awesome in person as he is on TV,” he said. “He was so excited for everybody because he’s been in our shoes. He told us to just have fun. He makes you feel as comfortable as possible and he’s so funny, cracking jokes during commercials.
“Being in front of that podium, it is as big and as awesome as you can imagine,” Anderson continued. “Being on the stage where you saw these great players do their thing, you’re like, ‘I’m standing on this stage where (38-time champion) Matt Amodio was, where (40-time winner) Amy Schneider was!”
Anderson, who has been with Shadowbox Live for almost 22 of the company’s 35 years, has performed in numerous productions including “The Rocky Horror Show,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Rent” and “No Return: The Deadly Dance of Bonnie and Clyde.” He said his background as an actor lent itself well to appearing in front of a television camera.
“Being a performer was a really big help. It’s kind of jostling to do things you normally do under a lot of lights with sound equipment attached to you,” he said. “So, you switch on your performer mode and say, ‘I’m going to (portray) a ‘Jeopardy!’ contestant’ and that put away a lot of my nervousness . ... Going through rehearsals, makeup, wardrobe — it was familiar in all respects.”
Will Anderson make it to the next round? Stay tuned to find out. “Jeopardy!” airs at 7 p.m. on 10TV WBNS (CBS).