{"id":9600,"date":"2017-09-29T07:01:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-29T15:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2017\/09\/29\/news-3373\/"},"modified":"2017-09-29T07:01:00","modified_gmt":"2017-09-29T15:01:00","slug":"news-3373","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2017\/09\/29\/news-3373\/","title":{"rendered":"Schneider Electric Employee Wins Big on Game Show!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Credit to Author: Employee Voices| Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2017 13:00:11 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n

At Schneider Electric, our employees have many passions outside of their typical day jobs.\u00a0 Our employee Alex was recently was a contestant on a popular game show!\u00a0 We invited him to share his experience in our blog.<\/em><\/p>\n

Written by Guest Blogger, Alex Gershman<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cCome on down!\u201d<\/p>\n

Family lore holds that the phrase \u2013 the iconic opening line from the TV Game Show \u201cThe Price Is Right\u201d \u2013 is the first complete sentence I spoke as a child. And If you\u2019d asked me as a six-year old child (or as a 40-something adult) \u201cwhat do you want to be when you grow up?\u201d there\u2019d be no hesitation about the answer – game show host.<\/p>\n

My DVR is full of episodes of game shows that air daily on Game Show Network and Buzzr. My home library contains numerous books on game show history. My basement shelves hold several \u201chome game\u201d versions of classic TV game shows. I could go on and on, but the point is pretty clear.<\/p>\n

I love game shows.<\/p>\n

\"\" In the spring of 2003, I fulfilled a lifelong \u201cbucket list\u201d item when I was a contestant on the game show Jeopardy. I won one game, though lost in my first title defense, earning a grand total of $27,000 in prize money. We used that money to make some renovations in our home (including the \u201cJeopardy bathroom,\u201d which we adorned with a picture of me with host Alex Trebek). And for the past 15 years, the last line of my resume has boasted \u201cJeopardy champion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2016, when the ABC network rebooted several classic game shows as part of their \u201cSunday Summer Fun and Games\u201d prime-time lineup. Included in that lineup was a revival my all-time favorite show \u2013 the $100,000 Pyramid \u2013\u00a0 now hosted by NFL Hall of Famer (and current host of Good Morning America) Michael Strahan.<\/p>\n

Pyramid is a game of word association, where two contestants each work with a celebrity partner to try and guess a series of words\/phrases united by a common theme within a 30 second time limit. Its genius is that while it\u2019s incredibly simple in concept, it can be challenging to play well, requiring the ability to think and speak very quickly \u2013 especially in the environment of a television studio.<\/p>\n

After each team has had the chance to play three 30-second \u201cMain Game\u201d rounds, the contestant\/celebrity pair scoring the most points gets to play a Bonus Round (called the \u201cWinner\u2019s Circle\u201d). In the current version of the show, in a contestant\u2019s first trip to the Winner\u2019s Circle, they play for a potential jackpot of $50,000. After the first Winner\u2019s Circle, the contestants are then paired with the other celebrity for three more 30-second \u201cMain Game\u201d rounds. If the same contestant wins again, the Winner\u2019s Circle jackpot is an additional $100,000 \u2013 hence the title of the show (if the other contestant wins, he or she plays for a $50,000 jackpot).<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

After watching the first season, I felt compelled to apply to be a contestant for season two. At 2am on a Saturday in September, I completed the online application and submitted a two-minute video describing myself, my love of game shows, and what I\u2019d do if I won the grand prize (build an addition onto our house for my parents, who had just recently moved into our guest bedroom). For months, I didn\u2019t hear anything \u2013 and in fact, had almost forgotten I\u2019d submitted the application \u2013 until I got a call in mid-February asking if I\u2019d like to try out for the show.<\/p>\n

In the ensuing weeks, I used every opportunity to practice \u2013 whether it was a car ride with my wife, or dinnertime with the family (my six- and nine-year old boys have gotten really good at the game). I even went online and bought a used copy of a 1980s \u201chome game\u201d version and a 1990s \u201cinteractive DVD\u201d version of the show online to assist with my training.<\/p>\n

After three rounds of Skype video interviews with casting directors and contestant coordinators (one of which actually took place in a conference room at Schneider’s Boston One Campus), I was told in late March that I\u2019d been selected to be on the show, with a taping date in late April. I told a few family members and close friends and colleagues that I\u2019d be participating in the show, but in this age of social media, we were asked by the producers to keep things very quiet.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Contestant Alex Gershman.
(ABC\/ Lou Rocco)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On April 25th<\/sup>, my wife, my brother and I flew to New York, and the following morning, I headed over to ABC studios. They film three-to-four 30-minute shows each day of taping, so there were eight contestants (many of whom had previous game show experience) together in the \u201cgreen room,\u201d where we spent a couple of house filling out paperwork, watching old episodes and getting in some last-minute practice. In fact, the person with whom I was doing most of my practice turned out to be my opponent on the show!<\/p>\n

Once we got on stage, things moved pretty quickly. We briefly met our celebrity partners (comedians Ali Wentworth from \u201cNightcap\u201d and \u201cIn Living Color\u201d and Kathy Najimy from \u201cVeep\u201d and \u201cSister Act\u201d \u2013 who\u2019d actually been a contestant on the show in the 80s) and then before we knew it, we heard the announcer say, \u201cFrom the ABC Studios in New York, it\u2019s the $100,000 Pyramid. And here\u2019s your host, Michael Strahan!\u201d<\/p>\n

In the first round, my opponent got out to an early lead, but she stumbled late, and Ali and I were able to make a comeback and win the round, earning a trip to the Winner\u2019s Circle and a shot at $50,000. Once seated the Winner\u2019s Circle, Michael Strahan asked me, \u201cas a game show fan, how does it feel to be here?\u201d To which I responded, \u201cIt feels pretty surreal \u2013 but it also feels like this is where I belong. Maybe I\u2019ll just stay for a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the Winner\u2019s Circle, the goal is to get your partner to guess six categories by giving them a list of clues that fit the category. For example, if the category is \u201cThings you Drink\u201d you might say, \u201cMilk. Water. Beer. Soda.\u201d You\u2019re only allowed to give a list \u2013 only nouns and adjectives \u2013 no prepositions (which is far harder than it seems). Ali and I got the first three categories pretty quickly, but we got stuck on the fourth one. My clues of \u201cLouis Pasteur\u201d and \u201cMarie Curie\u201d didn\u2019t work. It was only after I came up with \u201cBill Nye\u201d that she correctly guessed \u201cFamous Scientists.\u201d We got the fifth almost immediately (\u201cThings in the White House\u201d), and with 11 seconds left on the clock, my clues of \u201ca rifle\u201d, \u201ca gun\u201d and \u201cdice\u201d were enough to get Ali to guess \u201cThings you Shoot\u201d to win me $50,000!<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" <\/p>\n

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In the second \u201cMain Game\u201d round, things were evenly matched through the first couple of categories. But in her last category, my opponent had some difficulty with a Leonardo DaVinci themed set of clues, and I was able to get Kathy to guess all of our \u201cTom Hanks Movies with One-Word Titles\u201d, earning me a second trip to the Winner\u2019s Circle, and a shot at an additional $100,000.<\/p>\n

During the break, the contestant coordinators and producers kept telling me to try and relax. Kathy held my hands, and we spent what seemed like hours staring at one another, trying to make as deep of a (silent) connection as possible. And it must have worked, because we breezed through the first five categories in near-record time. The sixth and final category gave me a little trouble, but after giving the clues \u201cStraight\u201d and \u201cParallel\u201d, Kathy correctly guessed \u201cTypes of Lines\u201d. My eyes bugged out of my head, I shouted \u201cWe did it! We did it!\u201d and I jumped out of my chair, giving Kathy a huge hug, knowing that I\u2019d just won an additional $100,000 in only 33 seconds.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" <\/p>\n

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The rest of the day was a complete blur. They brought my wife out of the audience and up on stage to take some pictures. My wife, brother and I got lots of hugs and high-fives from audience members and studio employees as we left the studio. Later in the evening, we headed out to dinner, and just kept shaking our heads and laughing to one another that I\u2019d just become only the second person to win the $150,000 grand prize. But because of confidentiality rules, we couldn\u2019t tell anyone \u2013 including my parents (who, if you\u2019ll remember, were living in our guest bedroom and will be the recipients of the prize money).<\/p>\n

\"\"In the lead-up to the July 23rd<\/sup> air date, we were (finally) able to tell our family and friends (and many of my Schneider colleagues) about the show. I shared a few promotional pictures on Facebook and via email \u2013 but of course, couldn\u2019t share any \u201cspoilers\u201d with anyone. In fact, because we\u2019d all kept such a \u201cpoker face\u201d about the outcome, my parents thought that I\u2019d actually done quite poorly. As such, perhaps the most enjoyable moment(s) for me were videotaping my parents as they were watching the show in our family room, and seeing their sheer surprise and joy as I won both jackpots.<\/p>\n

\"\"Following the show, the response was overwhelming \u2013 calls, texts, emails, Facebook posts, Tweets<\/a> \u2013 with everyone congratulating me on my performance (I didn\u2019t get a lot of sleep that night). And there were some fun and unexpected outcomes: a couple of GIFs capturing moments from the show circulating on Twitter, and a \u201cshout out\u201d the next morning on Howard Stern\u2019s radio show on SiriusXM (he\u2019s friends with Ali Wentworth).<\/p>\n

Now that it\u2019s over, lots of people have asked me for advice about getting on a game show. And I tell everyone the same thing \u2013 just take that initial step \u2013 go online, fill out the application, film the audition video \u2013 because if you don\u2019t, you have no chance to \u201cCome on Down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photos credited to\u00a0ABC Studios.\u00a0http:\/\/www.disneyabcpress.com\/abc\/shows\/100000-pyramid\/episodes\/207-1\/photos\/<\/a><\/h5>\n

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About the Author
<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Alex Gershman began with Schneider Electric in 2012, leading Customer Analytics as part of a newly-created Customer Experience team. He most recently led Sales Operations and Data\/Analytics for our Strategic Accounts team in the US. And as of early August, now serves as Director of Strategy for our US Services and Solutions team, where he is responsible for providing strategic support to accelerate growth of the Services & Solutions business in the US. Alex holds an MBA in International Business from Georgetown University and Undergraduate Degrees in International Relations and Hispanic\/Latin American Studies from The Johns Hopkins University. He is passionate about Australian Rules Football, serving on the Board of Directors and as a Coach for the local Washington DC-area youth footy club. He is married to a wife that loves game shows (almost) as much as he does, and has two boys (ages 9 and 6) who constantly keep him on his toes.<\/p>\n

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The post Schneider Electric Employee Wins Big on Game Show!<\/a> appeared first on Schneider Electric Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/feed\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Credit to Author: Employee Voices| Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2017 13:00:11 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n

At Schneider Electric, our employees have many passions outside of their typical day jobs.\u00a0 Our employee Alex was recently was a contestant on a popular game show!\u00a0 We invited him… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n

The post Schneider Electric Employee Wins Big on Game Show!<\/a> appeared first on Schneider Electric Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[12389,12388],"tags":[13004,15258,15259,12824],"class_list":["post-9600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scadaics","category-schneider","tag-employee-voices","tag-for-fun","tag-life-schneider","tag-life-schneider-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9600\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}