The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: mcsittel on August 19, 2009, 09:24:00 PM
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Fellow GS fans,
I'm working on a summary of my experience being on the 10th anniversary edition of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". My episode airs this Sunday, August 23rd. Rather than post it here, I'll add installments on my web page as I get them done. Part 1 is online at:
http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt1.htm (http://\"http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt1.htm\")
Matt
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[quote name=\'mcsittel\' post=\'223795\' date=\'Aug 22 2009, 06:16 PM\']Part 4 is online at:
http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt4.htm (http://\"http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt4.htm\")
Matt[/quote]
Thanks, Matt. Great story, so far!
Chris
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From what I've read so far, maybe you should have flown. :)
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Part 5 is online at:
http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt5.htm (http://\"http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt5.htm\")
Part 6 concerns tonight's episode; I'll wait until it has aired, and I've had a chance to review it, before posting that part.
For those of you bored with the story so far, part 5 describes the experience at the studio on taping day, so those preferring GS-only content will probably enjoy it.
Matt
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'223836\' date=\'Aug 23 2009, 04:18 AM\']From what I've read so far, maybe you should have flown. :)[/quote]
Or at least paid to upgrade to a sleeping car.
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You, sir, are one lucky dog.
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So, Pam, your lady friend, is the same one from the Jeopardy UTOC, right? I thought that was her.
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I would've thought that Steve Nash was at least on the 2nd line of notable NBA names, but that seems to be the last of your problems :)
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Matt:
What a great read thus far! Thank you for all the wonderful detail. I did the video audtion; I passed the exam and the interview like 6 years ago, and got the postcard "you're in the pool!" in the mail, but they never called, as I was in the Army, and was moving around a bit, changed my number, hard to keep up, etc. So trying again.... I love reading about all your behind the scenes stuff. Thanks!
Please tell us how you felt (although I am sure this will be in the blog) when Meredith told you that the nine of you who sat through Ken's run would be the first contestants on the 8th season of the daytime Milionaire. PLEASE make sure to tell us when your episode will air. You are so lucky that you are guaranteed to get in the Hot Seat, but i am so excited a true fan gets to sit there! GOOD LUCK!
Brent
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Congrats on getting as far as you did tonight, Matt, and best of luck to you in the near future!
--Charlie, DCA MPW #42
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That is a pretty sweet deal when you consider that they originally told you the Phone Qualified contestants would not be eligible. :) A pleasant surprise indeed.
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Excellent read! Thanks for sharing.
Maybe you'll write a best seller some day, and then you can return as a celebrity guest!
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Now are you glad you were on the final show. I mean besides the suprise ending, you got to witness Millionaire history.
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Wow Matt, thanks for the well written, thoroughly engaging account. I actually paused my TIVO'd show to finish reading it. My question is; Is your son Nathan a budding GS host? You know how successful talented people say they knew at an early age what they wanted to do? Well I can forsee future host Nathan giving an interview and talking about how he used to play mock WWTBAM when he was only 6!
What an exciting experience, thank you for sharing.
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I was thinking of doing something similar myself - I won $100k on the episode that aired August 18. Great read!
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Hopefully Part6 will be posted soon. Watching Millionaire history, albeit an infamous one.
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[quote name=\'Nik B\' post=\'224055\' date=\'Aug 25 2009, 09:40 AM\']I was thinking of doing something similar myself - I won $100k on the episode that aired August 18. Great read![/quote]
I was in the audience for your win! You were FANTASTIC. I was cheering you on all the way!
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Is that Nik Donaddio (spelling eludes me)? If so, he was a great contestant! He was so funny and cute -- I loved Regis chiding him about going to Central Park. LOL!
Brent
PS: Matt, when will Part 6 be up? That's the one we all want to read! You spoiled us putting one up each day up until the day of your show. :-)
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[quote name=\'BrentW\' post=\'224094\' date=\'Aug 25 2009, 04:52 PM\']Is that Nik Donaddio (spelling eludes me)?[/quote]
Bonaddio, if memory serves me correctly. He was a great contestant.
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[quote name=\'DoorNumberFour\' post=\'224085\' date=\'Aug 25 2009, 12:44 PM\'][quote name=\'Nik B\' post=\'224055\' date=\'Aug 25 2009, 09:40 AM\']I was thinking of doing something similar myself - I won $100k on the episode that aired August 18. Great read![/quote]
I was in the audience for your win! You were FANTASTIC. I was cheering you on all the way!
[/quote]
You were in the audience?!?!?!? That is so cool!
I have nothing clever, witty or erudite to say beyond ...THAT IS SOOOOO COOL!!!
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[quote name=\'BrentW\' post=\'224094\' date=\'Aug 25 2009, 04:52 PM\']Is that Nik Donaddio (spelling eludes me)? If so, he was a great contestant! He was so funny and cute -- I loved Regis chiding him about going to Central Park. LOL!
Brent
PS: Matt, when will Part 6 be up? That's the one we all want to read! You spoiled us putting one up each day up until the day of your show. :-)[/quote]
Yes, it is me. Thank you very much for your kind comments, Brent and DN4. :)
That was by far the most nerve-wracking experience of my life. The only coping mechanism I could come up with was that back in college, I was an All-American sprinter and I remembered how nervous I was once I got to the NCAA and other big meets, and how I ran very well despite the pressure. Maybe if I have some more free time I will write up a similar thread to this one.
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[quote name=\'Nik B\' post=\'224156\' date=\'Aug 26 2009, 09:34 AM\'][quote name=\'BrentW\' post=\'224094\' date=\'Aug 25 2009, 04:52 PM\']Is that Nik Donaddio (spelling eludes me)? If so, he was a great contestant! He was so funny and cute -- I loved Regis chiding him about going to Central Park. LOL!
Brent
PS: Matt, when will Part 6 be up? That's the one we all want to read! You spoiled us putting one up each day up until the day of your show. :-)[/quote]
Yes, it is me. Thank you very much for your kind comments, Brent and DN4. :)
That was by far the most nerve-wracking experience of my life. The only coping mechanism I could come up with was that back in college, I was an All-American sprinter and I remembered how nervous I was once I got to the NCAA and other big meets, and how I ran very well despite the pressure. Maybe if I have some more free time I will write up a similar thread to this one.
[/quote]
Hey Nik, how did you get on the show? Was it an audition, the phone game or what?
Just wondering is all.
-M
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[quote name=\'MyronMMeyer\' post=\'224170\' date=\'Aug 26 2009, 12:41 PM\'][quote name=\'Nik B\' post=\'224156\' date=\'Aug 26 2009, 09:34 AM\'][quote name=\'BrentW\' post=\'224094\' date=\'Aug 25 2009, 04:52 PM\']Is that Nik Donaddio (spelling eludes me)? If so, he was a great contestant! He was so funny and cute -- I loved Regis chiding him about going to Central Park. LOL!
Brent
PS: Matt, when will Part 6 be up? That's the one we all want to read! You spoiled us putting one up each day up until the day of your show. :-)[/quote]
Yes, it is me. Thank you very much for your kind comments, Brent and DN4. :)
That was by far the most nerve-wracking experience of my life. The only coping mechanism I could come up with was that back in college, I was an All-American sprinter and I remembered how nervous I was once I got to the NCAA and other big meets, and how I ran very well despite the pressure. Maybe if I have some more free time I will write up a similar thread to this one.
[/quote]
Hey Nik, how did you get on the show? Was it an audition, the phone game or what?
Just wondering is all.
-M
[/quote]
I qualified through the phone game. I think the first time I tried it, I got 3 out of 5 (well, more accurately, 4) right. It had been awhile since I tried to qualify back when I was in college, and I wasn't really prepared. The second night I had a piece of paper all prepared and I got all 5 correct, much to my surprise. I only remember the last question, which was something like (paraphrased):
Put these World Capitals in order from Southernmost to Northernmost:
1. Stockholm
2. Oslo
3. Moscow
4. Reykjavik
The difference in difficulty because Questions 1-4 and that question seemed like light years to me. I'm not even quite sure of the order I guessed, to be honest. I think 3-1-2-4.
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That's probably because it is much more difficult. Moscow is around 56 degrees north, and Reykjavik around 64 degrees. But Stockholm and Oslo are both between 59 and 60 (with Oslo further north by about half a degree).
At least they didn't replace either Moscow or Reykjavik with Helsinki, which would have made for three capitals within a degree of each other -- or worse, Tallinn, which would come between Stockholm and Oslo.
I would have gotten it right, but only because geography is probably my strongest point. I can imagine a very large percentage of would-be contestants getting it wrong.
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[quote name=\'Offshored2007\' post=\'224068\' date=\'Aug 25 2009, 10:33 AM\']Hopefully Part6 will be posted soon. Watching Millionaire history, albeit an infamous one.[/quote]
Sorry to keep y'all waiting. I'm in Denver on business this week but will get it typed up just as soon as I can. September 9th is the air date for my syndie show, so there was going to be a lull in posting parts of the story anyway-I guess it started sooner than I had planned. Don't worry-it will all get posted; I'll let you know when part 6 is available.
Matt
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[quote name=\'mcsittel\' post=\'224198\' date=\'Aug 26 2009, 10:04 PM\'][quote name=\'Offshored2007\' post=\'224068\' date=\'Aug 25 2009, 10:33 AM\']Hopefully Part6 will be posted soon. Watching Millionaire history, albeit an infamous one.[/quote]
Sorry to keep y'all waiting. I'm in Denver on business this week but will get it typed up just as soon as I can. September 9th is the air date for my syndie show, so there was going to be a lull in posting parts of the story anyway-I guess it started sooner than I had planned. Don't worry-it will all get posted; I'll let you know when part 6 is available.
Matt
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Save the Meredith stuff for a Part 7!
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Denver?? Didja drove or didja flew?
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'224272\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 11:11 AM\']Denver?? Didja drove or didja flew?[/quote]
You can take the train from Omaha to Denver. Heck, that's the route of the original transcontinental railroad.
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[quote name=\'trainman\' post=\'224293\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 07:12 PM\'][quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' post=\'224272\' date=\'Aug 27 2009, 11:11 AM\']Denver?? Didja drove or didja flew?[/quote]
You can take the train from Omaha to Denver. Heck, that's the route of the original transcontinental railroad.
[/quote]
Amtrak is the correct answer-$120 round trip.
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Thanks to having a couple of hours in Denver last night while waiting for the train back to Omaha, I finished up part 6, which is now posted:
http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt6.htm (http://\"http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt6.htm\")
My apologies for the delay; I spent most of the week in Boulder, CO at a meteorology conference and spent most of my free time hiking the trails around town after meetings. What a beautiful part of the country!
Part 7 will be posted next weekend, with the last three parts posted after my daytime show airs on September 9th.
Matt
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[quote name=\'mcsittel\' post=\'224411\' date=\'Aug 29 2009, 07:03 PM\']Thanks to having a couple of hours in Denver last night while waiting for the train back to Omaha, I finished up part 6, which is now posted:
http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt6.htm (http://\"http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt6.htm\")
My apologies for the delay; I spent most of the week in Boulder, CO at a meteorology conference and spent most of my free time hiking the trails around town after meetings. What a beautiful part of the country!
Part 7 will be posted next weekend, with the last three parts posted after my daytime show airs on September 9th.
Matt[/quote]
It's like a good novel that you just can't put down until you get to the end. I am hooked Matt, it has been a great read.
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Agreed with the others -- it's a great read, and I can't wait to find out how it all ends. Hope you won lots of money!
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http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt7.htm (http://\"http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt7.htm\")
Part 7 is now posted.
I'm planning on adding one last section after all 10 parts are posted which will answer any questions you might have about the whole experience that I didn't answer. Feel free to post or e-mail me anything you'd like to know more about.
My show airs Wednesday, September 9th.
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[quote name=\'knagl\' post=\'224651\' date=\'Sep 1 2009, 01:40 AM\']Agreed with the others -- it's a great read, and I can't wait to find out how it all ends. Hope you won lots of money![/quote]
I just have one complaint about your writing style; IT'S TOO SLOW!!!
I want more please! ;)
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[quote name=\'mcsittel\' post=\'225013\' date=\'Sep 5 2009, 06:17 AM\']My show airs Wednesday, September 9th.[/quote]
It's here!!!!
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[quote name=\'pentellit\' post=\'225435\' date=\'Sep 9 2009, 11:11 AM\'][quote name=\'mcsittel\' post=\'225013\' date=\'Sep 5 2009, 06:17 AM\']My show airs Wednesday, September 9th.[/quote]
It's here!!!!
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Question for my fellow Chicagoans--I set the VCR for both WGN airings, since I don't know which one's the rerun and which one's the first-run. So, which one is which?
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I was hoping to watch Matt's appearance tonight on Millionaire, but it looks like it will be pre-empted for a bogus infomercial with somebody who will be trying to sell me some Healthcare instead...and it ain't Wilford "Diabeetus" Brimley!!!
Hopefully, if things work out, our local station will air it later tonight...Just WHEN, that will be a different story!!!
/What is it with Presidents and their love of pre-empting game shows???
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What happened?!?!?!?!
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[quote name=\'pentellit\' post=\'225510\' date=\'Sep 10 2009, 12:08 AM\']What happened?!?!?!?![/quote]http://gameshow.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=18706 (http://\"http://gameshow.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=18706\")
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Finally I had time tonight to watch the show back and finish up the last 3 parts of the story. All 10 parts are now posted. The first of the three parts uploaded tonight is at http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt8.htm (http://\"http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt8.htm\"). Enjoy!
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[quote name=\'mcsittel\' post=\'226719\' date=\'Sep 22 2009, 09:49 PM\']Finally I had time tonight to watch the show back and finish up the last 3 parts of the story. All 10 parts are now posted. The first of the three parts uploaded tonight is at http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt8.htm (http://\"http://www.mcsittel.com/html/gspt8.htm\"). Enjoy![/quote]
This is fantastic, thanks for sharing. I enjoyed reading the parts about your return road trip home. While on I-80, you weren't more than a couple hours north of my neck of the woods. I cannot imagine driving the length of I-80 that you did, there...at least in PA, it's one of the most boring roads I've ever driven.
I'm not sure I understand the rationale in not implementing the new money tree for you and the other 8 primetime holdover contestants. Perhaps I am a bit lost on the taping schedule for this season; I always thought they finished the majority of their season taping before November sweeps, maybe starting in August. I guess that's not the case. I enjoyed how the winnings were "adjusted" for the first nine contestants on the tournament leaderboard...I thought to myself, "I doubt Matt is going to be seeing that extra $4K."
The Detroit newspaper sounds interesting. I wonder if they publish different editions of that TV weekly...one for the metro, and one statewide?
I had a similar experience with the local media when I was on the show in 2000...I was one of the first, if not the first, from our hyphenated DMA to be on the show. The local newspapers (I was definitely the first contestant from my town) published stories about me and even sent photographers to our house, but the ABC affiliate never called, and I know they knew about my appearance. I can't imagine an easier news story to whip together, it practically writes itself. The beat reporters are always looking for stories like that.
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The Detroit TV Book has one for the metro area, with more articles and ads and a little more detail in the grids. It only covers stations receivable in the greater Detroit area including Toledo and Windsor/Sarnia stations. The "state" edition has all the Michigan and a few Ontario stations listed but not as much detail. The state is a thinner book than the metro generally. Last time I saw the metro it had a glossy cover and was an all-grid format. The state was a combination of listings and grids with a newsprint cover.