Dominic Goes To Hollywood – Part II – The Archbishop and the Wait

Upon further review, there are too many details about Dominic's Jeopardy game to lump together with this review of the L.A. trip. Therefore, an "executive" decision was made to extend this to a three-part series with Part III - The Game to post next Thursday.

After acquiring the services of grandparents Frankie and Louise to watch the three younger kids, Dominic and mother Gina prepared for the trip of a lifetime – a four-day trek to Hollywood, CA and CBS Studios, where the youngster would test his wits on Jeopardy against 14 other mentally accomplished pre-teens under the watchful eye of a studio audience, Alex Trebek and eventually, about seven million TV viewers.

Upon arrival, mother and son were escorted to their luxurious hotel, which turned out to be on the outskirts of CBS Studios. While many first-time visitors to La-La Land would have been interested in obtaining a “Map of the Stars” homes, Dominic had a clear idea of where his first destination in California would be. Church.

This choice might be surprising to some, but to know the young man from Bristow, VA is to know that it makes perfect sense. Dominic is a devout Catholic, a member of Holy Trinity Parish in Gainesville, VA, where he is active in church activities and has served for four years as an altar boy. He aspires to become a priest and was introduced as such to the Jeopardy audience.

As luck would have it, the nearest church to the hotel also happened to be the centerpiece of the Catholic community in Los Angeles – the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles was in transition last February with the retirement of Cardinal Roger Mahony at age 75. In his place, Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Jose Gomez of   San Antonio, TX as his successor. In what can only be described as an amazing turn of fate, the Mass which the Oliveras attended at the Cathedral also happened to be the first Mass conducted by the newly appointed Archbishop Gomez. They were able to briefly meet with His Excellency after Mass.

There were other sights and sounds over the next couple of days to keep the trip entertaining. But the day of taping was approaching and it was time for Dominic to get into focus.

For the uninitiated, the routine at Jeopardy, like many other game shows, is to tape several episodes at a time. As 15 players evenly split into five games, the plan was to tape all five episodes on one day. After arriving to the studio at 8 AM, the players were brought together and sequestered, kept away from family and friends.

Now together as a group of 15, the producer called the names of three contestants to be sent to makeup. Dominic was not one of them. But he, like the others, was allowed to watch the game from a separate seating section in the studio.

After the first game, another three names were called, then another three. As morning turned into afternoon, Dominic remained among the waiting, an experience he described simply as “nerve-wracking.”Said Olivera, “I kept wondering, when am I going to be next?” The producers plan was to avoid giving the contestants’ time to think and work through the myriad of nerves and anxieties. With only minutes to mentally prepare for being onstage, each contestant had a level playing field.

After the fourth triad of players was called, Dominic knew that he would compete in the fifth and final game of the day. He also knew who his opponents would be – Tony Harkin, an 11-year old from New Milford, CT and Maddie Harrington, a 12-year old from Palm Beach Gardens, CA. After several days of activities with the group, Dominic was familiar with his opposition. “I was talking with Tony in the Green Room, and he was one of the smartest kids there.”

With the conclusion of the fourth game, Dominic, Tony and Maddie made their way to the makeup area, a process which Dominic said was “thankfully short.”

The players were led to the set, which is much smaller than it appears on TV. In fact, most of the applause which occurs throughout the show is not caused by several hundred viewers. Truth be told, there are only about 100 "very loud" spectators in the studio, many who are tourists that wait in line for tickets to see the live tapings.

Escorted to their podiums, the lineup for the final game was set. Tony to the left, Maddie in the middle and Dominic on the far right. As the familiar Jeopardy theme began to play, the voice of Johnny Gilbert went to work… “THIS…..IS…..JEOPARDY… Now entering the studio are our three contestants….”

It was Showtime!

NEXT THURSDAY – August 11 – The Game