Buzzer fake

A buzzer fake is a tactic where one player pretends that he is about to buzz, in the hopes of luring a player on the other team into buzzing early in order to "beat" the faker out, thus inducing a neg.

In theory, a buzzer fake will be far easier for a player with a natural full-body buzz, as he can initiate telltale pre-buzzing movements without actually buzzing. It is also easier with a paddle from The Judge than with a thumb-plunger. A fake buzz may potentially work in two situations:

• where a player who actually has a guess is simply waiting for a more concrete clue and then is legitimately lured into a buzz
• where a player has no idea what the answer might be, but wishes to appear to be buzzing on a question as if he does, thus enhancing his perceived skill rating (which will of course plummet if the fake buzz succeeds). This is known as reflex buzzing.

Risks

There are two primary risks inherent when one attempts a buzzer fake:

• One's teammates could also potentially be induced to reflex buzz, resulting in a neg (see below)
• If one is not careful, a buzzer fake can turn into a very real terrible buzz, also resulting in a neg.

History

Buzzer fakes seldom succeed, making confirmed cases rare.

• Vishnu Jejjala's attempts to buzzer fake University of Kentucky teams included 1999 ACF Nationals, where moderator Al Whited was forced to stop to ascertain whether Jejjala was all right, and Michigan MLK, when his buzzer spasm baited teammate John Nam to buzz in and take a neg - Kentucky’s website referred to this as the “chump jump”.
• A fake-turned-accidental-buzz by Rob Carson resulted in an embarrassing neg at ACF Fall 2007; many years later, Rob redeemed himself by successfully buzzer-faking Ted Gioia at WELD
• Mike Sorice claims to have buzzer faked Trygve Meade, who was faked by both Igor Luzhansky's cell phone and Jeet Raut at the Minnesota site of the 2008 MUT.
• Max Schindler fell victim to an unintentional buzzer fake in the finals of the 2013 NSC when Allan Sadun's attempts to buzz with an unplugged buzzer led to his incorrect reflex buzz; Sadun subsequently power-vulched.