i love it. beating stupid game shows with psychology.

My million $ riddle was entirely appropriate, the game show equivalent of my doctoral dissertation, requiring the application of every cognitive neuroscience trick I had rehearsed for the show: “Which of the following 4 ships was not present at the Boston Tea Party? A. Eleanor, B. Dartmouth, C. Beaver, D. William.”

I blinked. Suddenly, I became aware of the wobble of the chair, the murmurs of the audience, the pale dust of Meredith’s makeup. Terror clenched hold of my cerebellum.

Intuition? What are you thinking?! You’re risking a house! You can’t possibly know the answer to this arcane question! There’s no such thing as intuition!

“… but I believe I’ll walk with the money I’ve got. That’s my final answer.”

Bleary white lights flared on across the studio. The audience applauded perfunctorily, without enthusiasm. The producer readied the next contestant to march up the aisle. The correct answer flashed on the screen.

“William.”

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