I was a gameshow contestant

I started watching Who Wants to Be a Millionaire back when it was the hottest show on TV. At the end of the show, they would often have a phone number that you could call, on certain dates, and at certain times. It was an automated call, on which you would get a series of multiple choice questions, that had to be answered within a time limit. You would push the keys on the phone to answer the question. If you got a question wrong, the call would end. If you got all three questions correct, then you would register for a drawing from all the correct answer. So, it took more than smarts to get on the show, it took luck,....or maybe simple persistence!

I called in many times over the course of several months, and often qualified. Once you qualified, you would punch in a phone number where you would be available at a certain time of day, on a specific date. If you were selected from those that qualified, then they would call you.

This happened dozens of times. I would qualify, and at first I would be quite excited. "I did it! I qualified!" But then, the day and time would pass with no phone call. I would try again, and again,...but each time, there was no phone call.

But, finally, one day, I got a call. I was shocked! They actually called me! I was going to be on the show, and it was only a matter of a few days away. Yikes! I went from being thrilled to being petrified in no time at all.

At the time I was on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, they would pay your cost of travel to New York, along with a travel companion, provided you a hotel room and transportation to and from the show, plus a small stipend for meals. My husband came with me, so it was a little bit of a vacation for us. A trip from home and the kids, and a chance to do something utterly out of the ordinary.

But, there was very little lead time to prepare. We were leaving in just a few days. I knew which categories were my strongest, and which were more of a challenge for me, but it surely did not mean I could suddenly absorb just the right bits of trivia to fill in the blanks for any potential questions I might be asked. I bought a Trivial Pursuits game and started studying questions on the cards. I bought an Atlas and map and started studying geography. Not one minute of it really did a thing to help, but I guess it gave me the feeling that I was doing something worthwhile.

The other big worry...what will I wear?? We were given advice about what to wear. Solid colors. No stripes, polka dots, etc. Some of these patterns do terrible things on the television screen. Black generally does not work either. We were told to bring at least two outfits.

We took a shuttle bus to the airport, leaving ourselves more than two hours for a one hour trip. But, traffic was terrible. By the time we got to the airport, it was less than a half hour till our plane was supposed to leave! And, our airline was the last one on the circuit around the airport.

As we started up the ramp to the terminal, the traffic stopped and creeped along. We moved to the front seat, anxious to jump off and run. We began to tell our story to the driver, and now he was a part of the team. He was going to do what he could to make sure we got there in time. He let us off the bus before we got to the drop off spot, letting us hoof it instead.

We had a sprint to security. Fortunately it was a relatively short line, and then it was a run to the gate. We made it, but barely. A little too much drama for both of us! But, we got there in time....off to New York!

Andy Warhol said everyone would get their ten minutes of fame in our media rich culture. For some, it comes on a game show. But there is usually much more that goes on than you see on the program, or can imagine.
We arrived in New York the day before the show. That evening we had our first meeting with one of the show's producers. We had to bring two potential outfits with us to the meeting, so they could make sure they were acceptable. We had to turn in our list of life lines, people we might call if we made it to the hot seat and needed help. We got a tee shirt for bragging rights when we returned home, and we got the recommendation to get a good night's sleep.

Right....

The next morning it was off to the studio. When we arrived, they took us in a rear entrance, and we first had to go to security. All of our belongings, other than our clothing for the show, had to be locked up. Cell phones, books, cameras, computers, purses, everything. I assume this is to avoid the risk of cheating. The scandal of the 1950's game show, The $64,000 Question, means they take no chances.
We then got a tour of the set, and met the producer who was assigned to work with us that day. These producers were sort of like coaches. Telling you a bit about what to expect, answer any questions you might have, and coach you to be "game show ready". For instance, we were asked, "If you were to win a million dollars, what would you do?" The answer, "Save it" was not acceptable. No, television wants, perhaps needs, to celebrate the American consumer, and honor those advertisers. The right answer goes along the line of, taking a trip, buying a new car, buying a new house. We were urged to have an answer along those lines. Hmmmm.... Gives you some perspective on all that perkiness witnessed on game show TV, huh?

Before the show, we had a chance to go and sit on the stage, where we would be during the program, and specifically for the "fastest finger" competition. You are assigned a seat ahead of time. Then we had a few practice questions.

It is perfectly normal to feel excited and a bit anxious about being on the show, but once you start having to answer questions, or to perform, that is when the adrenaline really kicks in. No coffee for me, thanks. I'm mainlining adrenaline here. I have learned that my brain does better when I am calm, so I was trying to practice breathing exercising to relax. And this was just the practice!!

I was surprised to find out that the clock started from the moment the question appeared. So, you had to read the question, the potential answers, and then punch in your response, arranging the answers A through D in the right order....as fast as humanly possible.

But then their was the added challenge of the buttons that didn't always register when you pressed them....or registered twice for a push. So, instead of B-A-D-C, it might have been B-D-C, or B-B-A-D-C. Yikes! This was much harder than it was at home.

After lunch in the studio cafeteria, changing our clothes, and having make-up done, the moment was approaching. The show would begin.

We went back to the set, where an audience was now waiting. They had been warmed up by a comic, and now Regis Philbin came out, and walked around and shook hands and said hello to each of us. If you did not get in the hot seat, this would be the extent of the contact with the host. During commercial breaks, he would disappear off the set.

Regis took his seat, and there was a contestant from the previous show who had to finish up his time in the hot seat. The lights were on, and the contestants were nervously swinging back and forth in their seats. Palms were sweaty and mouths were dry. It was the real thing now.

As we watched the contestant in the hot seat, it was easy to imagine yourself in that seat trying to answer questions. It was also easy to think, "Thank goodness I'm not there now. I don't have a clue!"

After a few questions, it was our turn to compete....or in my case, feel as if I was doing battle with the entry pad. Did it get that B?? Every time I was one of the slower people answering the questions, or just did not get the question right. The hot seat was not going to happen for me.

But sitting in the relative safety of the sidelines, I would imagine if I was trying to answer the questions, and each time, I was thankful for the embarrassment I was spared. These were hard questions! Most of the contestants were struggling. We went through a seemingly higher number of contestants that day. Five people from my group went to the hot seat. Not one of them made big money. I think one went home empty handed.