Do you ever wonder about the things you regret not doing — the things you never got to do, the things you should have said, the opportunities you didn’t take?
I do all the time — but I also wonder what might have happened if I hadn’t taken the one lucky chance that changed my and my family’s lives forever.
Going on a quiz show on national television.
We’d just waved off the movers on the first day in our new house, when I remembered auditions for the quiz show I’d randomly applied for a few weeks before were scheduled that afternoon.
I’d always loved watching quiz shows, but I’d never thought I’d ever be on one. I know my fair share of “useless” information, but I’m no expert or anorak.
Surrounded by cartons of unassembled furniture and 60 boxes to unpack, I thought I’d give the audition a miss.
“It’s only an hour or two,” my wife said. “You won’t unpack much in that time.”
Things have changed a lot since I went on, at least on quiz shows, reflecting Australia’s rich multicultural reality.
So off I went. After completing a 50-question quiz, I made it through to an interview with the producers.
“We know you can answer the questions,” the producer said. “But we need to know you can bring something more to the show. Most of our contestants are white, middle-aged men. What have you got that’s different?”
I looked around. Of the other dozen-odd people around me, only two — a young woman and me — weren’t white, middle-aged men.
The producer turned to me. “What about you? What can you bring to the show?”
“Well, I’m a compulsive shopper with a competitive streak,” I replied. “And I’ll skew your demographic!”
A week later, I got the call. But still unpacking, with a big deadline due, I asked if they could call back later. No, they replied. It was my only chance, and if I didn’t accept now, they’d remove me from the call list.
So I flew down the following Monday, a swirl of nerves and hope. I didn’t expect anything more than winning a few prizes to sell online, a possibly memorable experience, and a bit of fun. I couldn’t think about winning, much less anything else.
Somehow, without quite knowing how — and after answering nearly 400 general knowledge questions over two hectic days — I ended up winning more money and prizes than I could have ever imagined, going from only a few hundred bucks in the bank to not having to work for nearly five years.
The best part was hearing my shocked mum admit after I told her: “To think I was so worried you’d never become a dermatologist.”
Although my trivia skills aren’t as sharp as they were when I won— I still haven’t won a single school trivia night, much to my table’s chagrin and the teachers’ great pleasure — I love watching quiz shows, feeling the same excitement watching other lucky contestants having their own memorable moments on-screen.
If I hadn’t gone to the audition that day and if I hadn’t flown down that week, I might never have won at all, and I’d still be wondering what might have happened if I had.
But I especially love seeing the diverse range of people having a go. Things have changed a lot since I went on, at least on quiz shows, reflecting Australia’s rich multicultural reality, as opposed to so much else on TV, which still seems persistently white, middle-aged and male.
And I’m really excited about the return of the show that first got me into all things quizzical — Mastermind, which starts on SBS this year, and for which applications close next week.
The best part about appearing on — or even winning — a quiz show is that it isn’t because of where you’re “really” from but what you know.
And whatever that is, and however it turns out, it’ll still be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase your pluck, luck and skills, to hopefully pay the bills. Whatever happens, you’ll still walk away with an amazing experience.
Every year on the anniversary of my still-unbelievable, life-changing win, I’ll crack out my old episodes, just to remind me how lucky I was for that opportunity.
If I hadn’t gone to the audition that day and if I hadn’t flown down that week, I might never have won at all, and I’d still be wondering what might have happened if I had.
Don’t let the question of what might have happened if you had, be the one you can never answer. If you do have good general knowledge and like a challenge, take the chance — the only thing you’ll regret will be that you didn’t.
Sunil Badami became the last Grand Champion on the TV quiz show Temptation (formerly Sale of the Century) winning $638,068 in 2007.
Want to test your general knowledge? Apply to be part of new SBS show Mastermind, the legendary and iconic quiz show that tests your general knowledge. Women and culturally diverse applicants are encouraged to apply. To find out more information on how you can apply click here.
