Today after work I went to try out for Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I’d just had my 43rd birthday yesterday and for some reason just decided I wanted to try something different. After a couple of wrong turns, I managed to finally find my way to the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, which is a very nice hotel. I stood in line for about an hour, and halfway through my wait, a guy came up to ask me if we were supposed to have our applications with us. I told him that, according to the website, we were. The woman in front of me, a cute redhead, turned around and said she didn’t have her application either, so she hoped they’d still let her audition. That started a great conversation between us. Her name is Beth, and she’s studying to be a marine biologist. As we were talking, we were led into a waiting room. When it came time for the two of us to be seated, the guy said there was one seat left in that row. She turned to the person behind us and told her she could have that seat, because she wanted to be seated next to her “Millionaire buddy”. We talked some more while we waited for the last of the people to be brought into the room. Then, finally, it was time to begin.
The first part of the process was a thirty question, multiple-choice test which we had ten minutes to complete. They were questions that would be on a typical Millionaire show. After the tests were completed, we had to wait while they were scored. Then the numbers of those who passed were called out for the interview portion. I made the cut. My new friend Beth did not. Thus began the next phase.
Those of us who passed sat at the back of the room while we waited for one of the three interviewers to call us. I waited…and waited…Finally, after what felt like hours, but was probably fifteen minutes at most, I was called. I sat down and the interviewer asked me questions about myself and what I liked to do, what I would do with a million dollars – those types of questions. Then she asked if I could stay for a video interview. I said I absolutely could.
And then more waiting. Only a portion of those interviewed were asked to stay for the video interview. Finally, it was my turn. I was escorted to a room which had the video camera setup. The guy asked me some more questions, but, halfway through the interview, the memory card on the video recorder filled up. So, I had to wait some more while he tracked down another recorder. He finally came back, we finished the interview, and he told me if I was selected for the contestant pool, I would receive a postcard within two weeks. I headed out of there feeling pretty good about my chances and, worst case scenario, I got to do something different and fun.
And now, more waiting for that postcard…