I’m a gameshow queen, I have been on 25 of them and won £23k worth of prizes & it’s all thanks to my secret strategies
FOR most people being bombarded with tricky trivia is nerve-wracking… especially if you’re on TV at the time.
But for Mariane Léveillé it’s easy as pie and has become somewhat of a habit having been on a total of 25 gameshows.
“I absolutely love going on TV gameshows,” says Mariane, 43.
“It’s the most amazing buzz.”
The UX designer from Montreal, Quebec can trace her love of quizzes right back to childhood.
“I grew up in a family that loved trivia,” she says
“Every Sunday we’d eat breakfast together and complete the page of trivia questions in the newspaper.
“We’d try and beat our previous score, and it always felt great when I got an answer right.”
As a teenager Mariane competed in school trivia competitions, and in 1996 her team qualified for the televised tournament.
“It was like the Olympics for trivia nerds,” she remembers.
“Even though we were knocked out in the first round it was a lot of fun.”
Four years later Mariane was watching a TV gameshow and saw that they were looking for contestants.
“The show was all about French language and grammar, which I was studying at the time,” she says.
“Seeing that contestants got an all-expenses paid trip to Ottawa, I thought, why not apply?”
One phone audition later Mariane and a friend, who she’d convinced to apply with her, were on their way to the TV studio.
“It was all really exciting” she remembers.
“Being on set, answering these tricky questions coming at me thick and fast. I just loved it.”
Winning, and taking home four dictionaries as her prize, she felt amazing.
“It was a huge adrenaline rush to hit that buzzer and get the answers right,” she adds.
Mariane was bitten by the bug at just the right time.
She explains: “Everyone was trying to come up with the next big gameshow hit and looking for contestants.
“I was only too happy to put myself forward.
“I didn’t bother with shows that relied on luck. As a nerd, it’s the trivia questions that were the fun. Luckily there were so many of them to choose from.”
Mariane went on to do her first solo gameshow appearance .
“It was all about current events and every night for a week I went into the studio and competed live on TV,” she says.
“It was such an adrenaline rush to face a barrage of questions, and a thrill to get them right.”
By that time Mariane was well and truly hooked when it came to the TV quiz show.
“The next year I did four different shows, and two of them were on consecutive days,” she says.
“Some of the crew worked on both and were really confused to see me, asking, ‘Weren’t you just here yesterday?’”
Whether the gameshow was focused on current events, French language or word play, music or geography, her preparation was the same.
I’d learn the kind of questions that might come up and analyse the format of each show
Mariane Léveillé
“I never studied in advance,” she admits. “But I loved strategizing.”
As soon as she was cast on a show Mariane watched every episode she could.
“I’d learn the kind of questions that might come up and analyse the format of each show,” she explains.
“It’s a bit like preparing for a trip by reading all the travel guides.”
Quickly racking up show after show, Mariane stepped onto all kinds of studio sets.
“I love the really big ones with lots of dramatic lighting. They make the taping experience even more special,” she says.
“One show started with a shot of the contestants in superhero action poses with downtown Montréal at night in the background.
“I’ve never looked that cool again.’
Gameshows also gave Mariane the chance to see the secrets behind the filming.
“One show had a final round where the winner of the day was isolated in a round booth while the other contestants answered the final question,” she says.
“The first time I got in the booth, I noticed a large gap on the floor. Looking closer I spotted that there was a man down there.
“I’d had this mental image of a high-tech set, instead it was just this one guy spinning me around as fast as he could.
“It took everything I had to stop myself laughing.”
Then there was the show when Mariane was stuck behind a one-way mirror.
“I knew that I’d be standing in a soundproof booth,” she says.
“But I hadn’t realised that they didn’t want contestants to see the audience’s reaction.
“So, for most of the show I just stood there staring at my own reflection and trying very, very hard not to make faces or check if I had lipstick on my teeth because all that time the audience could see me.”
Some of Marian’s favourite gameshow moments have been when she’s competing with friends or family, who she encouraged to take part with her.
“It’s great fun to be there with people I love but it does have its downsides,” she says.
“Once I competed against my sister and after answering one question, we both suddenly got the giggles.
“I couldn’t believe that we were on this televised gameshow, in absolute hysterics.
“The host and other contestants just looked at us, totally confused.”
While Mariane admits to having good general knowledge, not every answer comes easily, admitting she once she panicked in a round where she had to describe a celebrity.
She explains: “I was trying to describe a well-respected Canadian radio host, and my mind went totally blank. All I could do was blurt out that he was ‘old and bald.’
“I still cringe when I think about it.”
As for the other contestants, Mariane says most are lovely.
“Like me they’re there for fun, so the vast majority are humble winners and gracious losers,” the quizzing fan says.
“But not always. Once I was competing with my sister and we’d won the first three games.
“During a break in filming, we overheard the other team complaining to the crew that it was unfair. They didn’t want to play against us anymore.
Do you have to pay tax on game show winnings in the UK?
Unlike in many other countries, such as the US, HMRC allows cash prizes from competitions and the National Lottery to be tax-free.
However, in order for the money to be seen as from a ‘competition’, there has to be a skill-based element, such as a quiz question, or the option of free entry.
This is why some competitions ask incredibly simple questions that even a five-year-old could answer, as they are trying to get around the requirement to offer a free entry option.
“What made it worse was that we then all had to eat lunch together. It was super awkward.
“Even when they went on to win the next game, they still looked sour.
“I guess they got unlucky, my sister and I were a strong team as we were later crowned champions of the season.
“We won a trip to Chicago, which was an amazing prize.”
As for her nerves, Mariane says they depend on the show.
“Thankfully any nerves I do have usually go away like magic when the game starts,” she says.
“And in the breaks, if they return, I’ll usually just pretend everything is fine and joke around with contestants or crew members. I fake it till I make it.”
Of the twenty-five shows that Mariane has competed in, she’s won nine, scored highly in seven, and lost nine.
And it’s the buzz that keep her going back for more. Any winnings are just the icing on the cake.
“The largest amount I’ve won on a single show is CAN$10,000 (£5,623) and in total I’ve won CAN $52,000 (£29,241) – including CAN$12,000 (£6,748) for charity.
“The only time money increases the pressure is when I’m competing for a good cause. I just really want to do well for them.
“But money is never my motivation. I always think ‘I’ve walked in with nothing, and if I leave with nothing, it doesn’t matter at all.’”
Mariane hopes that her time at the buzzer hasn’t come to an end.
“Gameshows have changed a lot in recent years, with a move away from trivia towards celebrities and entertainment questions but I’d love to compete again,” she says.
Her advice to other wannabe gameshow contestants?
“Have a good general knowledge, be yourself and if you get on air, don’t take yourself too seriously,” she says.
“At the end of the day, it’s only a game!”