Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
Millionaire Tryout
Monday
July 9, 2007
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
-Sign on the marquee at the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel in Tampa
This is a detailed chronicle on my tryout for the syndicated television show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire this past Friday in Tampa, FL. The story about the rest of the trip should be up here tomorrow.
Several weeks ago, my friend Matt Sieracki appeared on Millionaire; he e-mailed me with a heads-up a week before his appearance, on which he won $8,000. In looking for the airtime for the first-run shows in Nashville (Sinclair runs the show in two timeslots on two different stations here), I discovered that the show was going to be holding tryouts in a few cities... including Tampa. I was overdue for a visit to the Tampa area, and the tryout provided a great excuse to go down there.
Matt gave me a tip to show up early and to dress well. I wore a suit, complete with my Italian leather black shoes and a smiley face tie (couldn't be 100% serious with the look), and I arrived at 6:30 a.m. By the time I paid $5 to park at the Howard Johnson plaza and walked to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, there were more than 300 people in line. Keep in mind that the tryouts were scheduled to begin at 9.
If you've never been in Tampa in July, let me fill you in: it's ungodly humid and it heats up in a hurry. I knew that there was risk in dressing up so much, but I figured that it would give me a competitive edge should I make it to the interview round.
There was some irony to the situation, as the Channel 10 (WTSP) morning show had a live reporter covering the event. I worked at Channel 10 for two years earlier this decade, and it was the job there that lead to me
moving to Tampa in April 2001. Wow, time flies.
My friend Adam Kelley was supposed to have made it over from Orlando the night before, as I know he would have nailed the movie trivia test that was part of the Millionaire tryout. Unfortunately, his ride backed out on him at the very last minute, so he missed out and I had no one there with me in line.
|  | My cell phone captured a shaky image from the tryout session.
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Much to my pleasure, the line began to move at about 7:15 a.m., and before long I was inside the TBPAC lobby area, embracing the sweet sweet air conditioning. As we filed in, the Channel 10 morning reporter happened to interview one of the two engaged couples who were directly behind me in line (to use for a story on the noon news.)
I'm glad they didn't come to me. As conspicuous as I was, shaved head and suit-clad (in a room where no one else was even wearing a tie), I wasn't sure if I wanted to let it be known to the people around me that I used to work at Channel 10, lest there be some misconception of bias in my favor. I'd add that being 6'2" made me stand out, but my brother Matt told me recently that I oversell my height, saying that I make 6'2" sound like 6'9". Whatever the case, I got plenty of looks.
With time to kill, I talked some with Kathy from Orlando, an older man named Frank, and Deanna from Tampa. It was the typical stranger banter, shooting the bull to kill the time and find out things about people. For some this is pointless, but I find it fascinating to hear from others, even people I just met. You can usually learn something from everyone you meet if you just take the time to pay attention and listen.
I'm no dummy, and I did my homework on the internet to know what to expect as far as the drill went. They handed out the application that everyone fills out, which asks some questions to help the interviewers have some talking points to ask people about. Some of the questions changed from last year. Examples:
-What do you do to make people laugh? (I mentioned my ability to observe situations and make quick, witty retorts.)
-Finish this sentence: I am best-____ or most-likely-to-____? (I mentioned that I am most likely to be able to beat the entire room at Connect Four.)
Conspicuous by its absence was the "What habit do you have that annoys others?" that I read was on last year's questionnaire. They gave us a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire pencil to fill out the Q&A, as well as a magnet that doubled as a souvenir and as an identification piece. Mine was marked 2-51, meaning I was in group two at spot #51.
At about 8:30 a.m. they let the first group into the auditorium area. Some of the poor saps who had been stuck outside in the heat and humidity were finally allowed into the lobby, snaking through a long line. A note to anyone going to future tryouts: don't arrive any later than 6:30 a.m.
About an hour later, they called our group into the performance hall. The lucky survivors of the first group's test were seated toward the front, near the stage, where three producers/assistants were holding one-on-one interviews. A woman shouted instructions to us, telling us to take our seats, etc. We were warned that any attempts to steal the tests would lead to a lifetime ban from being allowed to attend any future WWTBAM tryouts, though there was no request made to keep the information from the tests secret.
First it was movie trivia time, part of the search for Movie Week contestants. Thirty questions in ten minutes, Scantron style. That kicked my ass pretty hard; some obscure stuff I knew, like what Steve Carell's character shouted during his body wax in 40 Year Old Virgin. The answer is Kelly Clarkson, which I only knew because I had seen it as a question on 1 vs. 100. Some of the questions I didn't know at all (e.g. what occupation did Julia Roberts' character have in the movie Stepmom) Adam knew without too much trouble when I asked him later.
Then came the general question part, again 30 questions in 10 minutes, which was tougher than I had expected. Some were ridiculously easy, but others were tricky. I guessed right on some, such as what Pepsi was originally created to remedy (upset stomach), what country Krakatoa is located in (Indonesia), and what modern-day country includes the area formerly known as Bohemia (Czech Republic.)
I missed the question about what the company Airstride makes (I guessed snowmobiles; it was RVs.) There was a question about a type of food that I had never heard of before, and I guessed crawfish (I can't verify that one, since the name of the food escapes me, but I'm pretty sure I missed it.) And then there was the question that will haunt me for years: what country music singer did Nicole Kidman marry?
The answer is Keith Urban. I know this. I remember the humor of him going into rehab soon after their marriage. And, first time through, I entered D for Keith Urban. But in double-checking, the name Kenny Chesney caught my eye, and I thought, "Hmmmmm, is it Chesney?" I deliberated, and the clock in my mind told me that I had 30 seconds tops remaining. In a literal last-second switch, I erased D and entered A for Chesney.
Soon after I passed over my test and Scantron sheet, I asked Kathy (the woman from the long wait in line) about the Kidman question, and she confirmed my fear: it was Keith Urban. I punched my leg in anger. "It's just a game show," she said, trying to keep me calm. But she was nearly as angry when I informed her that the gambling game where you can buy insurance from the dealer is blackjack, not craps. "There were only three I didn't know!" she proclaimed.
There were a few minutes needed to grade the Scantrons, and the moderator woman fielded inane questions from the audience. They threw out some t-shirts to us, though I didn't get one. Oh well. Then came the moment of truth: the announcement of who made it.
A few people passed both the movie and the regular test. Then they ran through the movie winners; I was not among that group. All that was left was the regular test results.
They didn't say how people scored, but my friend Matt had informed me that I would need to ace the test. At that point I didn't know about Krakatoa and Pepsi and the Bohemian questions all being right, but still I was hopeful. They ran through the list: no, no, no, no... The last four were like four shots to the gut, as the two engaged couples to my left all had numbers beginning with 5, and they called 55... 54... 53... 52. No 51. I had failed to pass to the next round, as had the rest of the individuals I talked with during my long wait.
I'm fairly confident that the couples made it because they were looking for engaged couples to play for the "We Pay For Your Wedding" week, and I hope they make it on the show. We'll see.
As I left, feeling dejected, the skies opened up and rain began to fall, first just scattered drops, then a downpour. I thought it only rained in the afternoon in Tampa during the summer. Not this time.
But, like it said on the marquee at my hotel: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I wouldn't have made it on the show without trying. And, who knows, maybe there will be another opportunity for me on down the line. If so, next time I'll remember Keith Urban.
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