From
multi
vitamins
to bigi
bucks, |
students
get the
goodies
from
game
shows
BY ROSS ALLEN
I:
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M
u
COMI ON
fill"
JAM S I I I 1 i \
D O \V N
lane wearing a sweatshirt
emblazoned with a college
trest nr (ireek letters
jumps up and runs down to the st tge.
her heart pumping with excitement.
I .ash and fabulous prizes await. I he
only question is whether she’ll win the
car she cant park on campus, the
money to pay last semester's tuition or
tile bedroom set that won’t fit in her
dorm room.
1 ms ot students Ijousi/c about striking it fish on
j 1 V game shoes Ami sshv not' l ming to tullcgr
might nor grt vt»u a job, but it ijn at least give vmi j
chance co make mcgabucks from one roll «» the dice
Vttcr Jill. it lane tan have ak\i iu those tabu
loos prizes. whv uiu vou'
len l ipka. 4 u-im.r a* Wot i hester l m iVnn
vs Kama. fried her Kuk two uinuncn ago as an
aspiring game show iomnum Ikmniu^ a d& smite
and a pick me, pick me' look she pnnrd the /We
ti Might studio audience in I os Vngrles Simple
showing up tor the taping with no guarantee t*t a
vjh»! on the shovs catapulted her into the Afore
mentioned fabulous you know the rest)
It ssas very exciting I ipka vavs I WAS shaking
when 1 went up there
Vllhough she didst c make it past ontestjutv
row. she did win a bread maker, the tJinr Valter
gories And a V.JS gift certificate for I itesjvcfs .an
dies as parting gifts
I he only bail part about her appearance on tlie
shovs was th4f she was called late in the gone, I ipka
says Vs a late turner m the Instiling war. she cOfYipct
eti tor only two items Hut bcv. (hanks tor playing
I’d like to buy a vowel, Rant
(time show contestant Veronica l»rrv. a junior
4t I t l A, went to the hank with more than a bread
Hi4kcr aria unuv >nc wan
S2 1,000 on M httl nf tortunt %
spring 04 college ittunumnu
Bui getting (here watn'i <u%v At
I t LA. more ttun 150 wsmJ-widkl
mg hopefuls u»r\J out to vlurc the
uagr with I’jii -uni \ a mu
l how who p4vwvi the per
I hmirury rum \*> pu^/le*
1 m roc minutes Aeni «*m t«>
I the next level, 4 written
J|||^L * -
knuckle, PCJt'fnc dock Vs nrel of t or
fwwctylc punki (iffy savs most stu
derm van t handle the pressure ami arc
eliminated during this round
Before the final wui, tumotjms not
only take 4 variety of written tests hut
also arc judged on s|»ccvh ami voice cjuab
tv, cmhuMJwn and presentation Heine
ba-shful wun t grt you j spin of the Wheel
%!Jiy*H|» omuniitm. luui studeuf-. hum
tout different schools were ». rowned as
finalists I heir royal mission 4 trip to
t >riamio. 1 1j for 4 sseck of sun ami fun
and oh yeah, competition f *»r last year s
“college week, 1 fir i <> college contest
" were put up in a ;hotel at Oisne. NX < vrUi
arui ate at loval restaurants total tab for one
night's dinner $2,000 l ct s hajvr Pat didn't stiff
on the tip
' 1 hose people on television have gone through
a lot to get there. Cirey savv “It s harder than it
looks on IV “
But students vav gening on U heel of f ortune is a
cakewalk compared with making it to the stage on
Jeopard)d Wheel college tourney alum and two time
"I'm full of vim
and vigor, but
I 'm sick of
Rice-a Roni.
I iiw \kii Si ash,
1. (II 1*1 I I SHI k(.11
fiiv hopeful Kiward %ay% the tcvfv fur
•,t/v(-, »ti>rv ; huhi .* » aiuiS< to tlu ff'.'pjuti\t.im
I he written »cm [ for Jmifmrfi'j ’ vu» %o hard. %..ivv
s?oh who COiDpCllti ilft Pbd '
wntor vc4f at the [ «*| !*ittdn»tgh l >t«iv four pctoplc
out of *SO juvwtl I he tjuofH*m wrrr that tough
I he U expettrme arned Math S„V I SO i adi
with j mad delivery lime **1 four month* He alio
brought home w>ntc wonderful parting gthv itulud
mg i cm rum Silver v it jirum lor tlu* "filature"
uiiminui and c4\r\ of that uhiuoitnui game
diow treat, Hive a Kant
f nt lull of vim ami . igm, Siavh vav\ But I m
»kk of Kui a Ron*
Hie vitamin,* aicn i the oddevr parting gift mn
te*fani% received. Sta%h %a\% Other people got
I iiM»keil on 1‘homo You d think that mmrtmc in
college who ^ playing U %rtl of /ortunr would know
How tt» read
Things thnt start with “Jn
Itvpitrrfy1 has a dightlv different tear* h method
for its college tournament, %avi f topurdy's contrv
tant coordinator Su/annc 1 hurhor
By promoting the college tourney in September,
/fop a riff’ join* the hack to-uhool hype So when
you huv vour new jeans. hat k
pack and spiral notebooks. join
the 10.000 to 20,000 student s
who send m postcards m hope* of
getting on the show But don't
hold your breath, bee4use Ale*
only draws about 1.200 names
tor the first tut
Patrick loft, a junior at the
l of Minnesota gut his shame
abet r*/y' drew one of the l I
postcard* his mother sent in for
him Hrvefi wasn't necessarily his
lucky number rm mom just got tirctl of vending
them, I oft says
\hcr his name was Jiawn, 1 oh facet! a grueling
battery of tests. me I ml mg a killer SO question video
cum About ‘X) percent of applicants fail to make it
to the nest level a mock game Hut ftopurdy* it
looking for something different from \X'ht$4 of l or
turtt m Its oral auditions
"If thev re enthusiastic, that's great. Ihurber
vavs hut we re mainly looking to see if they under
stand the structure of the game
loft got it he won SVOOO
It was nerve racking hut a lot of fun. I oft says
l he only drawback, loft says, is that it takes
120 days after the air date to get your money
Because «>t i.he Sag time between taping and airing
the show loft is aituallv waiting alxmt five montfis
for his pn/e I alk about nerve-racking
I akmg a mp to ( aidornta for the modern gold
rush only to walk away with empty j'-ockrts
could turn someone off to correct spelling and remem
bering to phrase responses in tfu* form of a question
But it could prod a starving student to ask NX hat s one
wav to earn a year's supply of Rice a -Rum?
Hon Allen tt 4 VS frjduutr of Wetl \ 'trpnt4 / ’