University Challenge

[Paul22118]

I love this programme as I avidly watch and hope to be able to answer maybe two or three decent answers. On tonight's show one of the teams was Robert Gordon. One of the contestants was a black student studying to achieve a Doctorate. Clearly no fool.
However, no matter how often the director panned the camera to the left it never showed the individual speaking about anything being asked by Jeremy. There was more contribution to this programme from my armchair than them. How on earth was this person chosen to represent their University? Anyone else notice.

[lankeela]

Is being black relevant to the question?

[Paul22118]

Not in any way. I could not remember their name so had to try to isolate who I was referring to. Never any offence offered by me ever in this respect.

[brainiac]

Exactly - he's never said a word in all their appearances. Nothing to do with his colour, just a useless member of the team who should never have been chosen to represent their uni.

[JimF]

It would not surprise me in the slightest if Robert Gordon have a "positive discrimination" policy, and the team organisers were bullied into including him in the team.

[chelle7272]

You say yourself ' clearly no fool'. So you think he was intelligent and / or knowledgeable enough. Then I could only guess he was nervous or not quick enough on the buzzer?

[JimF]

"not quick enough on the buzzer"

Ah, but that's the name of the game!

[Hopkirk]

Rabbit in the headlights? Perhaps the whole intimidating situation suppressed a brilliant mind.

[chelle7272]

It is indeed! But the question was not about that. I found it rather odd to ask why someone who didn't answer many questions on a tv show got chosen for his team in the first place.
Do the Universities do practice session with buzzers? That might have helped :)

[brainiac]

On four appearances?

[chelle7272]

//It would not surprise me in the slightest if Robert Gordon have a "positive discrimination" policy, and the team organisers were bullied into including him in the team.//

Oh I see...so it is about racism then....silly me..

[Hopkirk]

Certainly when one of my family got on there were loads of tests and practice sessions to qualify.
I attended several recordings. It was pretty obvious that some of the contestants were 'on the spectrum'. Some definitely had difficulty working in a team, even if they were individually brilliant.

[ichkeria]

“Ah, but that's the name of the game!”

No, it isn’t. More points are available for conferring.
Surely Jeremy doesn’t need to explain the rules to you.
Can’t we just geddonwithit?

[JimF]

"No, it isn’t. More points are available for conferring."

Yes it is. You can't get bonus points, conferring or otherwise, if you don't get the starter right before the other team. No explanation of the rules required.

[douglas9401]

Could it be an as yet unspecified protest?

[bednobs]

with certain teams, you always see the captain negotiating with the entire team before answering, on other teams, the captain tends to have a favourite person to chat to before answering. One of the team captains (on a previous show) seemed to completely ignore the person on their left

[Peter Pedant]

SELECTION is up to the college/ uni. Hull 1970 was the president of the union and three cronies ( didnt do well)

Others have an internal knock out. conducted by the students. But if all the top scorers score 40 on English and History, will that give a balanced team ?( no)

In my own selection 1972, the results were Pollard first and I was second, and there was hollering like you get on AB when I post a little ditty. Howling like you never heard. Blood curdling screams. So we did the whole thing again, and Pollard was first and I was second.
( shows minimal inter-examination variability - = good). We did nt do that well ( shows shows the question paper didnt test what was wanted, reqd)

[davebro]

new rule - gotto have a token ethnic

[douglas9401]

Did anyone check if his real name is Tommy and if he hangs around the arcade a lot?

[Peter Pedant]

Tarmy - Tarmy can you hear me?

The zubber has a dead length. Doesnt go off ( er zub) immediately so you can in fact press it half down to give your self that little advantage

[douglas9401]

I don't suppose there's any truth in the rumour that, following the success of Eight Out Of Ten Cats Does Countdown, there's to be a trial of University Challenge Anneka.