By Jem Anshaw
She may not have come away with the champion’s trophy, but Muswellbrook’s Simone Bailey thoroughly enjoyed her Mastermind Australia experience.
“I can’t put a price on how I felt doing this,” she said on Saturday after the final episode for season seven had aired on SBS.
“You do this one for you, you do it for your own ego and for your self-confidence, and that’s so valuable.”
Throughout the grand final of the game show that challenges contestants’ knowledge of a special subject as well as general knowledge to the test, Simone looked like she was in with a chance to take home the prize but a dominant general knowledge round for Robbie Miles left her in second place.
Her special subject for the grand final was the films of Matthew McConaughey, having nominated Dazed and Confused as one of her options but the produces needed to broaden it by adding a few more titles.
“The day of the grand final we got into the green room and people were breaking out their notes, I think everyone just seemed to realise if we don’t know this subject by now, we’re not going to,” Simone told The Hunter River Times.
“We’re not playing for sheep stations so let’s just relax and enjoy ourselves. And we did, we all connected really well.”
Simone won her heat with the special subject of Stephen King’s anthology Different Seasons, and in the semi-final she studied up on Mata Hari.
“I actually got more relaxed as I progressed when I got to the grand final, the first time you’re sitting in the chair is absolutely terrifying,” she recalled.
“I think the difference with Mastermind is it’s a bit of a more even playing field.
“Everyone has the same amount of time and the chance to answer questions, whereas with other game shows like Sale of the Century, you’ve just got to anticipate and whack the buzzer and get in first.”
This is not Simone’s first time on game shows. She has been on Sale of the Century, Millionaire Hot Seat and this is her second series on Mastermind after producers contacted her to see if she would be interested in another shot at the title.
When catching up for coffee on Saturday morning, we were approached by a woman who wanted to congratulate Simone on her achievement, and there has been a series of well wishes on social media leading up to the screenings, which got us talking about how it feels to have a level of celebrity in town.
“I was contacted by the Shire Council for permission to use the photos on their Facebook page, I said to the publicity officer words along the lines of to hell with this false modesty, I’m going to enjoy it, why not? I might not get a chance to do something like this again, and I’ll own up, I’m enjoying it,” she concluded with justified pride.
