Puzzle People On Game Shows

[mystery7]

Special thanks to Dave Mackey for inspiring this post, spun off from the Cross-Wits discussion.

We got onto the subject of crossword puzzles. Dave mentioned Trip Payne, a well-known puzzle constructor who, as it happens, was a $32,000 winner on Millionaire. Here are a few more winning puzzlers:

Peter Gordon, crossword and game constructor: $1000 on Twenty One
Stanely Newman, NY Newsday puzzle editor: over $100,000 on The Challengers
Peter Sarrett, crossword designer: $250,000 on Millionaire

Know any more?

[davemackey]

Stanley Newman also was on "Twenty-One" as Peter Gordon's lifeline (or whatever they called those people who could help answer questions).

And on the production side, leave us not forget Ellen Ripstein, perennial participant (and onetime winner) at the annual tournament referenced below, who has been a researcher for "Millionaire".

Trip Payne (whose resume includes being the first ever $32,000 winner on "Millionaire" in the USA) is not only a crossword constructor, he is also the current defending champion of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, the 2005 edition of which will see my debut as a crossword competitor. Come to Stamford and root for me. BTW, Robair went to this event in '98 and '99 and actually finished sixth overall in '98, which could be a record for rookies at the tournament. (And the winner in '98? Trip Payne.)

[Peter Sarrett]

Crossword constructor Matt Jones was a (non-winning) contestant on The Weakest Link.

Computer game designer Al Lowe was a winner on Name That Tune.

Game designer Mike Fitzgerald won $8,000 for charity on a special all-NY-DJs edition of The Weakest Link.

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'davemackey\' date=\'Jul 7 2004, 11:18 PM\']Stanley Newman also was on "Twenty-One" as Peter Gordon's lifeline (or whatever they called those people who could help answer questions).

And on the production side, leave us not forget Ellen Ripstein, perennial participant (and onetime winner) at the annual tournament referenced below, who has been a researcher for "Millionaire".[/quote]
Got to meet Trip and Ellen while rooting on Eddie Timanus and India Cooper at the "J!" MDM tourney in New York in 2002--they were sitting behind me in the friends and family section.  Nice people.

[dickoon]

David Bodycombe, who may occasionally post here, writes a cryptic crossword for The Big Issue every week, and he won one hundred and sixty pounds of Jeremy Beadle's money.

(US equivalent: winning a three-way horse-race on WBSM with $800.)

[ennie]

[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Jul 12 2004, 06:10 PM\'][quote name=\'davemackey\' date=\'Jul 7 2004, 11:18 PM\']Stanley Newman also was on "Twenty-One" as Peter Gordon's lifeline (or whatever they called those people who could help answer questions).

And on the production side, leave us not forget Ellen Ripstein, perennial participant (and onetime winner) at the annual tournament referenced below, who has been a researcher for "Millionaire".[/quote]
Got to meet Trip and Ellen while rooting on Eddie Timanus and India Cooper at the "J!" MDM tourney in New York in 2002--they were sitting behind me in the friends and family section.  Nice people.

[snapback]49658[/snapback]

[/quote]

This is very belated (I was searching my name), but to make a correction:

That wasn't Trip you met.  It was Stanley Newman, who got some tickets from Leslie Frates.

--Ellen R.