Day 318 of 365 days.
So today was Steph and my "Adventure in New York." We got up and left our friends apartment and had lunch then wandered throughout Manhattan seeing the sites. Here I am in front of Rockefellar Center.
At 5:00, we had our test for Who Wants to be a Millionairre. We showed up at the ABC building 30 min early to stand in line with 40 or so other couples. IDs were checked and we were led through a metal detector into a cafeteria where the test was administered. We were given a number to designate us as couples and individuals (Steph was 12A, I was 12B). The test is multiple choice and we had to take it separately. If one of you passes and the other fails you may be considered for the regular show, but if you both pass you’re considered as a couple. You only have 10 minutes to complete the 30 question test. After they score the tests they announce the numbers of people who passed. "10 A and B, 13 A and B, 16 A and B, 12 A and B…" Yep, that was us. Why they read them mostly in order except for us, I have no idea. I stopped listening after us, so I don’t know how many other people passed. But couple 11, seated at the same table with us, did not.
Anyway, they interviewed us and asked us questions about how we met, and why we loved each other, how I proposed and the typical stuff that you might expect them to make small talk banter about on the show. After we answered their questions they informed us that we would be getting a post card in the mail in 2-3 weeks letting us know if we’d be on the show or not either way. So we did about as well, as we could do I guess, since we both passed and they seemed to like us in our interview (but I mean, I guess they’re supposed to seem like that). Still, we both passed and that’s something. I’m proud of us. Woohoo!
In sadder news, when we got back to my friends apartment, I was immediately informed from a fellow wrestler via instant messenger that Chris Benoit, one of my all time favorite wrestlers, had died/been killed along with his wife and son. I don’t even know what to say about that other than that it is obviously tragic, not just because he was one of my favorite performers to watch but he because a whole family (including a 7 year old) is just suddenly gone. It really sucks.
That’s really cool about Who Wants to Be. I hope you get picked. I’m so sorry about your friend, what a horrible thing to happen.
Mav, it always strikes me a bit strange to realize someone else I ‘know’ has stopped in the same place that I have in life. I’m sure I have almost an identical pic from New York from a couple of months ago although mine was all blurry…
Hope for the best for you with Millionaire, and so sorry to hear about the loss.
That’s a cool "I was there" shot. Echoing good-audition/test, sad news. Be safe while you’re gone.
Congrats on your audition! I can’t wait to see if y’all make it on the show. And who knows, if you do well enough, maybe you won’t need a stinking job.
When I heard the news about Chris Benoit and his family, I immediately thought of you (you’re the only pro-wrestler that I know) and wondered if you knew him or if you’d ever crossed paths.
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Seen on your photo stream. (?)
@Kungfukitten: Yeah, I hope we’re on it too. Out of our hands now. He wasn’t actually a friend of mine. Never met him, really. I was just a fan.
@[AJ]: Yeah, I’ve had that feeling before too. Weird, isn’t it?
@lrayholly: Thanks. I thought it was an ok shot too. Nothing great, but while I’m away, I"m trying to keep it simple.
@Travelinjim: thanks. We’ll see how it goes. Though really, I can’t possibly be on it soon enough to where I won’t need to get a job until then. And if it was confusing, no, I’d never met Benoit. I know people who know (well, knew) him, but I’d never met him personally. I was just a big fan.
Cool. Good luck getting on the show. I wonder if it’s more or less likely to actually get to play now that they got rid of the fastest fingers thing and just put pre-selected people on. I think it kind of changes the competitiveness of the game in a bad way, but on the other hand it means they’re probably not going to make you go back to New York just to sit on the periphery of the stage for an episode.
@wooble: yeah, I think that getting rid of the fastest finger portion really makes it more worth it. Its pretty easy to win at least the $1000 these days, and pay for your trip. It would really suck coming all the way out here just to sit down and not making anything. Well, you know… to do it again, that is.
oh, i’m so sorry about your friend and his family…that is awful and there isn’t really much more to say about it.
as for the test…WOO HOO!!!!! YAY FOR YOU!!! (I have to say that I’m slightly jealous…simply b/c Chris and I didn’t pass…but we also didn’t take it too seriously, no studying, no prepping….nothin…and we had a 2 month old along with us which probably didn’t do much for "thinking") I will be keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed for you the next few weeks til your postcard arrives!!!!
@pi c’s: He wasn’t actually a friend. I never met him. I was just a fan. But yes, it was pretty awful.
yeah, Steph and I are competitive enough that we actually did do a bunch of studying for it. Of course, nothing we studied came up. But it did make us "feel" prepared I guess. And yeah, I’m hoping for good news on the post card front too.
Wow and wow. Congratulations on Millionaire, I know you guys can win it if anyone can! And if you do, then I won’t feel so bad about losing to you in Trivial Pursuit!
And i am so sorry to hear about your friend.
@sassyshannon999: to be fair, I’m really good at trivial pursuit. The questions in millionairre aren’t quite on the same level though, plus you’re only allowed to be wrong once. It probably prepares me better for Jeopardy.
And I didn’t actually know Chris Benoit. I was just a fan.
Hi, I’m an admin for a group called Statues of People found Around the world, and we’d love to have this added to the group!
So, whatever happened with this? Are you guys going to win us a million bucks or what?
@sassyshannon999: no… *sigh* We passed the contestant test, but they decided they didn’t want us.