[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'210307\' date=\'Mar 13 2009, 06:46 PM\']
. (Then again, I remember an episode of Regis' WWTBaM in which a very young man did extraordinarily well by any standard, and walked off with $250,000 - I remember Regis Philbin looked positively misty-eyed as the kid hugged his parents, who were freed of the burden of paying for his college tuition.)
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You may be referring to Allen Harris, who was 24 at the time, and the win allowed him to pay off his law school loans and upgrade his parents' 25th anniversary trip. So while he was (comparatively) young, he still had a perspective and maturity that a 16- or 17-year-old wouldn't necessarily have.
I'm not necessarily sure I agree that "viewers may be more engaged to see a high school student winning life changing amounts of money." While I agree with Chris' point about age not being a limiting factor in making bad decisions, I think 16- and 17-year-olds would be more likely to take big risks at higher dollar amounts. (You tend to be a little more risk-averse when you've got a family, your own business, retirement approaching, etc.) While we may find it interesting to watch, it'd be pretty brutal for the general public to see a 16-year-old lose $225K or $475K.