The show, which is syndicated nationally five days a week, features six contestants who answer general trivia questions. All contestants play for a common pool of money, and the players depend on one another to build the pot.

At the end of each preliminary round, the group votes off its “weakest link,” until only two contestants remain. The two final contestants go head-to-head for the total amount of prize money collected during the game.

Jost said he fared poorly on some easy questions because the strategy of the game distracted him.

When asked for the name of one of Billy Joel’s famous wives, Jost answered “Christine Taylor.” The correct answer was Christie Brinkley.

“I know that,” Jost said. “I don’t know why I said what I said. I felt that there was a real rush to speak. I just wasn’t focusing on what the guy was asking me.”

Jost said he had never seen a full episode of the show prior to his appearance on it.

He said he tried out after a representative of the show called the Lampoon, a semi-secret Sorrento Square social organization which used to occasionally publish a so-called humor magazine, looking for a contestant for the show’s college competition.

After an interview in late September and a short quiz, he made the cut.

“I thought the quiz was pretty easy,” Jost said.

He said he planned to watch episodes of the show to prepare, but decided against it.

“I don’t think you really need to prepare,” he said.