The answer: Gleeful, relieved and disappointed.

The question: How did Hawai'i residents, making a bid to join Alex Trebek on "Jeopardy!," America's No. 1 TV quiz show, feel about trying out yesterday?

Lee Cone of Kihei, Maui; Tom Holowach of Kailua; and Matt Sojot of 'Ewa Beach were among eight out of a field of 55 who will join a pool of prospective candidates.

"I watch the show regularly; I'm a retired editor and researcher, which means I learn a lot," Cone said. "There were only about 10 questions I didn't know."

Holowach, an actor and theater manager at Paliku Theatre at Windward Community College, decided to try a game show again, having won on several TV shows in the late 1970s before settling in Hawai'i. "It's a tough show, but with me, trivia sticks," he said.

Sojot, a firefighter at Station 15 at Schofield Barracks, said he spends "a lot of reading (during down time) at the fire station, but I'm relieved it's over. I had a rough night (Sunday), with several false alarms, a possible rescue and one medical call in the middle of the night, so I didn't sleep much."

But Michael Collat of Kailua, a father of four girls, and Jennifer Crummer, a dog trainer, were among auditioners at the Tropics Surf showroom of the Hilton Hawaiian Village who did not survive the preliminary test.

"I'm disappointed, but the test was well-rounded," Collat said of the 50-answer quiz. "I didn't do well on the rock questions and the ones on South America."

Crummer hoped for more familiar categories like biology and animals, so she struggled through areas like history and royalty. "But I had a lot of fun," she said, breathing a sigh of relief.

When the show's familiar host, Alex Trebek, appeared, he was greeted by cheers, then a standing ovation. "Be all that you can be," Trebek told them.

About 500 contestants will audition in the syndicated game show's first Island tryouts since January 2003. Three back-to-back sessions yesterday, three more today and a single run-through tomorrow, all with pre-qualified candidates, could yield 50 to 60 contestants to fuel the pool of prospects. Those surviving the cut will be notified in three to four weeks about a taping date in Culver City, Calif.

"Between 20,000 and 25,000 are tested all over the country," said Glenn Kagen, senior contestant coordinator for the show. "Not everybody will pass the test, but this (sample test) is harder than the show."

Those who get through the 50 questions stay on to do a mock competition, where categories and dollar values flash on a screen.

Trebek is making a series of rare appearances at "Jeopardy!" auditions.

Wearing a pink short-sleeved dress shirt and black trousers, he looked like any other visitor. His once-famous mustache is gone, but when he speaks, his voice is undeniably familiar.

"I just love watching people making money, by earning it the old-fashioned way," he said. "It's the same reason we watch sports or the Olympics; you realize there are some skills involved in winning."

At the tryouts, Trebek responded to a blitz of questions from the audience. After trying out Hawaiian words, arguing with a resident that 'Ewa is pronounced with a w, not a v sound, he agreed even he's still learning.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.