How a lot do these Montreal Jeopardy! winners learn about their hometown?

Article content material

Vince Bacani can identify each world chess champion from 1886 to the current — and in the fitting order.

Diandra D’Alessio can let you know that the capital of Burundi is Gitega, to not be confused with — rookie mistake — the East African nation’s financial capital of Bujumbura.

Article content material

Bacani, a threat supervisor, and D’Alessio, a technical author, are excessive Montreal trivia specialists. Brainiacs, most would concur.

Article content material

Each appeared on the hit sport present Jeopardy! final yr, when Bacani gained one sport and D’Alessio took two. Because of this, they certified for the Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard Match, which can web the winner $100,000 and an opportunity to go after extra gold in subsequent tournaments.

They start their quest with quarterfinal appearances this week: Bacani may be caught Wednesday, whereas D’Alessio is on Thursday. In the event that they win, they go on to the semifinals and finals throughout the coming days and weeks.

Apparently, there’s a Montreal employees author on Jeopardy! and within the pursuits of bolstering the contestants’ information of metropolis trivia simply in case the topic comes up, we’ve determined to stage our personal mini-version of the present on the Monkland Ave. pie palace Rockaberry, the place Bacani and D’Alessio incessantly congregate to fulfill their sugar cravings.

In lieu of state-of the-art buzzers, we provide them every with a glass and a spoon, and the primary particular person to clang on a query will get to reply. If that particular person solutions accurately, they’re awarded some extent. If that particular person is inaccurate, the opposite contestant can reply and win the purpose.

Article content material

Each are stumped on which Montreal Canadien has gained essentially the most Stanley Cup rings. Bacani solutions Doug Harvey, whereas D’Alessio responds Maurice Richard. Shut: It was his bro Henri with 11.

“Sports activities trivia will not be my forte,” D’Alessio says.

Bacani clangs first on the Quebec meals product that captured the palates of the remainder of the planet: poutine. D’Alessio beats Bacani to the glass with the identify many Montrealers ascribe to St-Laurent Blvd.: the Fundamental.

Each come up empty with the identify of the quick NFB dance movie Pas de deux and the identify of its famed director, Norman McLaren.

D’Alessio rebounds by figuring out the Montreal politician who uttered the phrases “simply watch me” throughout a time of main disaster: Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

Bacani will get even naming the anti-war tune recorded right here on June 1, 1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Give Peace a Probability.

Every comes up with the fitting responses to questions referring to Leonard Cohen, bagels and the Orange Julep.

However shock, horror: The identical two who’re in a position to answer essentially the most arcane factoids conceivable — like angiosperm, the time period for a flowering plant — are unable to call the panorama architect who designed Mount Royal. No, the reply will not be Camillien Houde, as D’Alessio guesses. Even after telling them he additionally did Central Park, neither of them give you the rightful creator: Frederick Legislation Olmsted.

Article content material

Ultimately, Bacani wins 5-4, however each are apologetic about not figuring out extra about their hometown. They agree extra research could also be so as right here.

D’Alessio acknowledges that some successful contestants have learn up on every thing from youngsters’ books to quantum physics in making ready for the present.

“I researched by watching quite a lot of the reveals and doing bar trivia as properly,” she says. “I’ve all the time been a trivia buff. Since I used to be very younger, I had all the time been a voracious reader. If you’re younger, you’re a sponge and simply take up all this data. It was a ardour that by no means actually went away.”

Abundantly conscious that hundreds of thousands are watching the present and judging the contestants, Bacani admits this brings on added stress.

“It’s fairly nerve-racking. I do suggest individuals who have stage fright do some performing or improv or public chatting with recover from it,” he says, including that somewhat buzzer follow doesn’t harm.

He additionally took recommendation from Jeopardy! famous person Amy Schneider, whom he caught in a Zoom convention. Schneider informed him to review the present’s on-line archive that includes each sport ever performed.

Article content material

Regardless of the extremely aggressive nature of the present, D’Alessio is struck by the robust camaraderie contestants have with each other.

“It’s actually healthful, I’ve to say. We’re all in it for a similar purpose, hoping to win, however there was a bond with contestants I performed with,” she says. “It’s like summer season camp.”

Any swollen egos after their preliminary appearances?

“Folks have been very fast to remind me of questions I missed,” Bacani cracks. “That retains me humble.”

“Folks haven’t actually acknowledged me,” D’Alessio says.

So, what’s the one matter that induces nightmares for them?

“One phrase: sports activities,” D’Alessio is fast to reply.

“Poetry,” Bacani solutions. “A lot of the poems I do know I can’t say in public.”

Technique is essential for each. Whereas they tended to guard their leads of their successful video games final yr, they’re taking larger dangers this time round.

Their video games on this match have already been performed, however they’ve been sworn to secrecy as to the outcomes. So there’s a likelihood the 2 may face off towards each other within the last rounds.

“We’re all right here to win,” Bacani says. “However you don’t need one thing unhealthy for anybody else. We apologize on a regular basis.

“We’re Canadian, in spite of everything.”

bbrownstein@postmedia.com

Article content material

Article content material