Disclaimer: Not only do I not own anything related to CSI, I also own nothing about Jeopardy!

A/N: OK, it's all about Jeopardy! from here on out. Thanks for coming and hope you enjoy. Special thanks to spottedhorse for the correction in text ;-)

Chapter 6

Grissom felt confident after the Jeopardy! test, and let his mind wander.

Catherine describing teaching housewives to exotic dance.

Hodges puking in his own lab.

Ecklie protesting with a cameraman and "Wife Swap" producer.

It all made five hours of listening to Jesse's singing and getting vomited upon worth it. Almost.

"OK, could I have your attention please," said a Jeopardy! producer to the test participants breaking Grissom out of his daydream. "We would like to thank everyone for coming and hope you had fun with the test. Unfortunately, you are only able to qualify for the second portion of this event if you answer 35 of 50 correct, in which we will ask you to stay for a short, taped interview."

The producer looked at his notes and said, "According to our tally, five of you will stay for the interview, so if we call your name, please come to the front where we will take you to a waiting room. Maureen O'Leary, Carlos Gonzalez, Janet Shelton, Amy Gauz and Gil Grissom."

A grin came over Grissom. Screw you, Jim, he thought.

Inside the interview room of the Brain Bus, Producer Philip Beck perused the top five test-taking candidates, and checked out the two men. Beck began his career on the Jeopardy! crew some eight years ago pre-screening and testing possible candidates. As a producer, Beck had many other responsibilities, but he liked to get out once in a while and the earlier-than-expected maternity leave of a co-worker gave Beck the perfect opportunity to leave Burbank.

And here he was in Vegas and before the test, he thought it was a bust, thanks to the horrific crime scene the bus happened upon. When Beck stood outside the Brain Bus, he spoke with Capt. Jim Brass prior to the testing. Brass asked Beck if anyone could take the test. Beck said today would be a good day to tryout, since the line was non-existent.

"Well, I got a candidate for you," Brass said. "This guy would be a tough guy to beat."

"Really," Beck said. He couldn't count the number of times he heard this song and dance, but then again, he never had this conversation at a crime scene. "So you know a brainac, huh?"

"Oh, I don't think you understand. This guy's a machine. Annoys the hell out of people a lot of times. He wouldn't just pass your test, he'd correct your grammar."

It was no secret that since the Ken Jennings phenomenon (who made a record 72 consecutive wins), the show was always looking for contestants who might last for several shows. But they were also looking for interesting candidates, especially if they stay long. Beck hated pulling out interesting tidbits for the "get to know you" segment of the show. But if this guy Brass is talking about is in law enforcement, there might be stories to make Alex Trebek blush. And, damn, that fueled Beck even more. Nothing was better than making Trebek flustered.

"This guy, he in law enforcement or just a geek friend?" Beck asked.

Brass took a sip of his awful coffee, "Both."

"Well, I don't want to know much about him, or we'll have to count him out. But encourage him to take the test."

"Thanks, I'll do that," Brass said with a smile.

As Beck looked through the two men's test, he saw Carlos made a good showing, with 40 correct answers. Then he looked at Gil Grissom's test. On question 36 ("This bird embarks on the longest migration trip then any other bird"), Grissom not only answered the question correctly ("Sterna paradisaea -- Arctic Tern"), he put a note next to the answer that read, "The question should read, '... This bird embarks on a LONGER migration trip THAN any other bird.'"

"Well holy shit," Beck said. And then he saw the test total -- 48 of 50 correct, with mistakes on contemporary music and Hollywood gossip questions.

For the first time in a long time, Beck looked forward to an interview.

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TBC

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A/N: BTW, in case you were wondering, third time was not a charm for the Tic Tac girl. She failed the test, again.