Costa Mesa boy buzzes in on ‘Jeopardy!’

Deirdre Newman

“The Simpsons” is packed with high-value entertainment, but it has

also been known to stimulate viewers’ brain cells.

Just ask 12-year-old Wil Curiel, who credits his Simpsons

knowledge with helping him land a coveted spot on “Jeopardy!” Kids

Week.

Wil and his family flew to Washington, D.C., for the April 4

taping. But they have been sworn to secrecy about the results until

his show airs the week of May 3.

The experience was an exciting yet nerve-wracking one for both Wil

and his parents.

“For some of the questions, when he pushed the buzzer, I thought,

‘What are you doing?’” said his father, Frank. “I didn’t think he

knew that and he did it and it blew me away.”

Wil was inspired to try out for “Jeopardy!” since he and his

parents watch the show every night. He filled out an application

online and was invited to take a written test in Los Angeles in

August. After the test, Wil was one of nine children chosen to move

on to doing a mock version of the show, he said. The “Jeopardy!”

staff told him they would let him know in about a month, but it

wasn’t until March that he found out he made it onto Kids Week.

He was informed of his good fortune by a television reporter who

came to his house to deliver the exciting news.

Then it was more waiting.

Instead of trying to cram his brain with tons of random trivia, he

followed his dad’s advice and practiced pushing a buzzer.

“He practiced pushing the button all the way down and not

click-click-clicking,” Frank said. “[During the taping], one girl was

devastated by it. I know that was the only thing you could practice.”

Wil has a great memory, his dad said. And his exposure to “The

Simpsons” also proved valuable, both father and son agreed.

“He learned a lot from ‘Rugrats’ and ‘The Simpsons’ because they

parody a lot of stuff,” Frank said. “A lot of parents say, ‘You let

him watch that?’ And I said, ‘Yeah!’”

Wil has also been exposed to many different experiences by his

grandmother, who takes Wil and his 20-year-old brother, Drew, on

trips every summer, his dad said. Last summer, she took them to

Roswell, N.M. -- a trip that had to be cut short because of the

“Jeopardy!” tryouts.

Of the 15 contestants who made it to Kids Week, Wil had the

farthest distance to travel. Along with the pressure on stage, there

were about 3,000 people in the audience, he said. The kids were

divided into five groups of three contestants. Wil competed with two

girls on his show.

“They were pretty smart,” Wil said of his competitors.

The winners of each of the shows get to keep the money they win,

with a minimum guarantee of $10,000. Each participant is guaranteed

at least $1,000. Wil’s school, Kaiser Elementary School, will also

receive Classroom Jeopardy, an electronic version of the show.

Contestant Coordinator Maggie Speak said Wil was chosen because

his appealing characteristics stood out during the tryouts.

“He always played the game with his own personality and had fun

playing it and that made a big difference, and he’s cute as a

button,” Speak said.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.