The segment featuring her coup aired last month on
cable television's "Rock & Roll Jeopardy!"
It was a fluke, Kalfsbeek laughed, explaining that
she knew the answer only because she'd been channel
surfing a few days before and happened upon a TV
special that included a mention of Guns 'n' Roses'
epic-length "November Rain."
By the time the show's host lobbed the brain-buster,
however, Kalfsbeek already was an odds-on winner.
Having worked as a disc jockey for six years and as
the lead singer in a band for 10, she has an
encyclopedic knowledge of music from Aretha
Franklin, Patsy Kline and Doris Day to Faith Hill
and Alanis Morissette.
It helps to know what clients are talking about when
they request a particular song, says Kalfsbeek, who
describes her specialty as "feel-good" music with a
universal appeal.
"I don't want to look like the old lady that's out
of touch," she said.
Her TV adventure began when Kalfsbeek applied on a
whim to compete on the half-hour show, which had an
Internet site where she'd play along.
"I'm the type that yells out the answers. It just
seemed like it would be fun," she said.
To Kalfsbeek's surprise, she received a call a
couple of weeks later inviting her to Sony Studios
in Culver City to audition.
During the three-hour screening, Kalfsbeek took a
25-question music trivia test and played a mock game
with other would-be contestants as judges looked for
selling points such as enthusiasm and voice
projection.
Out of some 700 people who tried for a spot on one
of the 25 shows the studio was planning to tape that
season, Kalfsbeek was among 75 who made the cut.
And so she found herself in front of a studio
audience matching wits with two other players in six
subject categories ranging from Paul Simon songs to
biographies of rock 'n' roll musicians and band
names with unconventional spellings.
A combination of eagerness and nervousness got the
best of her during the first round, causing
Kalfsbeek to press her answer button prematurely.
Part of the pressure came from learning at the last
minute that contestants were allowed to appear only
once on the show.
"This is do or die, sink or swim. This is my only
chance," Kalfsbeek recalled thinking.
She regrouped during the commercial break, however,
and began racking up points in the second.
"I just kind of got on in the groove," said
Kalfsbeek, who won $9,900.
Depending on how much of that goes directly to Uncle
Sam in taxes, Kalfsbeek and her husband, Lindsey,
hope to use the balance to make a down payment on
their first home.
As for whether any more game shows are in her
future, Kalfsbeek says she's toying with the idea of
trying to get on "Hollywood Squares."
One general knowledge program she won't be appearing
on, however, is "Weakest Link," which has an
acid-tongued hostess and contestants who insult each
other to get ahead.
"Even though I love that show, I don't think I have
the guts to go on," Kalfsbeek laughed. "I'd probably
rub someone the wrong way."
