![Author Brydon Coverdale is a trivia buff and quiz show veteran. Picture supplied Author Brydon Coverdale is a trivia buff and quiz show veteran. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MxhEgQKUJhZgHxwVaKiqcq/5336277a-13c1-4262-b221-0de075c54f7f.jpg/r0_196_1181_952_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Quiz Masters: Inside the world of trivia, obsession and million dollar prizes by Brydon Coverdale. Allen & Unwin. $32.99.
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If you're a fan of The Chase Australia, you probably know Brydon Coverdale as The Shark. He's one of the people contestants are up against to win cash by answering trivia questions.
Formerly a sports journalist, he came to the Chase job after many years as a quiz show contestant. Coverdale competed on Sale of the Century as a teenager, listed and phoned in to Tony Delroy's long-running late-night ABC radio quiz, and won $32,000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and $300,000 on Million Dollar Minute, to name a few of his appearances.
As a long-time trivia buff myself - but not an expert like Coverdale - I found this book a delight. It is part memoir, part how-to for would-be quiz contestants and part history and discussion of the international phenomena of trivia and trivia quizzes - radio and TV shows past and present, pub trivia nights, international and online contests and board games like Trivial Pursuit.
![Coverdale comes across as likeable, funny and unconceited. Picture supplied Coverdale comes across as likeable, funny and unconceited. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/MxhEgQKUJhZgHxwVaKiqcq/ed887f5b-2a55-48a6-9cf1-277d9550ca3a.jpg/r0_0_1809_2769_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
As well as discussing his own life, knowledge, strategies and preparation methods, Coverdale talks to some other notable quiz people including Delroy and quiz champs such as Martin Flood (falsely suspected of cheating on Millionaire) and Barry Jones, who went on to a distinguished political career.
The brief brushes with quizdom of former prime ministers Gough Whitlam and John Howard also rate a mention.
He gives a brief account of some quiz and game shows, not just ones he was on, that succeeded or failed and expresses his distaste (which I share) for the nastier shows like the short-lived Shafted that surfaced in the light of reality TV.
For all his considerable knowledge and achievements, Coverdale comes across as likeable, funny and unconceited: he is willing to admit to his losses and frustrations as well as talking about his successes and he makes thoughtful observations on the appeal of trivia and quizzes. He scatters questions that came up in his travels throughout (with answers).
Sometimes there are arguable points, like what constitutes an "easy" question. "Easy" means different things to different people. Ask me who the captain of the Canberra Raiders is and I don't have a clue (Elliott Whitehead, apparently); ask me which film was the first to win 11 Oscars and I can respond immediately with "Ben-Hur, 1959". I will concede it's likely more people know the former answer (at least in the ACT).
I don't know if the mistake was the show's or the author's, but the correct title of Peter Carey's book is True History of the Kelly Gang - it does not begin with "The". That might seem like nitpicking, but little things like this matter to us trivia buffs.
But that's the worst I can say about Coverdale's book, except for one thing: I wish it had been longer.
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