The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: GSFan on August 30, 2007, 05:54:05 PM
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Since October 2003, I have auditioned for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire approximately 30 times, passing the test between 20 and 30. I actually lost count of the number of times I have auditioned; it may be more than 30. To date, I have not gotten on the show. The audition process has become a game in itself. It's frustratingly fun and I am not giving up!
Anyone else go through multiple auditions prior to being a contestant?
David
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[quote name=\'GSFan\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 02:54 PM\']I actually lost count of the number of times I have auditioned; it may be more than 30. To date, I have not gotten on the show.[/quote]
I know it's been done; people have mentioned on shows that they've auditioned something like 27 times. As such, you might be able to help your chances if you can track down the exact number; it could be something else interesting for you to mention in your interview.
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[quote name=\'Steve McClellan\' post=\'162381\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 06:17 PM\']
[quote name=\'GSFan\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 02:54 PM\']I actually lost count of the number of times I have auditioned; it may be more than 30. To date, I have not gotten on the show.[/quote]
I know it's been done; people have mentioned on shows that they've auditioned something like 27 times. As such, you might be able to help your chances if you can track down the exact number; it could be something else interesting for you to mention in your interview.[/quote]
I'm surprised that a quiz show like Millionaire even allows such frequent auditioning. For Jeopardy, you audition no more than once a year.
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They're just not that into you.
Seriously.
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[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'162400\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 07:20 PM\']
They're just not that into you.
Seriously.
[/quote]
Unfortunately, I have a feeling that Matt's right here....you aren't what they are looking for, and at this point, I wouldn't doubt that every single staff member recognizes you, which is just about the worst thing that could happen. For that reason, no matter what you might do differently between takes, your application goes in the same pile.
I don't think that presenting an exact number of auditions would help your case either, because the coordinators who have been there the longest have the paperwork to prove it. Millionaire is going to be around for awhile - I think a good idea might be to hold off auditioning for 6-12 months and see what happens.
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[quote name=\'mitchgroff\' post=\'162404\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 05:50 PM\']
Unfortunately, I have a feeling that Matt's right here....you aren't what they are looking for, and at this point, I wouldn't doubt that every single staff member recognizes you, which is just about the worst thing that could happen. For that reason, no matter what you might do differently between takes, your application goes in the same pile.
[/quote]
Three words: Leonid, the Magnificent (http://\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_the_Magnificent\").
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'162405\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 08:56 PM\']Three words: Leonid, the Magnificent (http://\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_the_Magnificent\").[/quote]
There's also Buck Star from Last Comic Standing, and who knows how many Idol wannabes.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'162405\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 07:56 PM\']Three words: Leonid, the Magnificent (http://\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_the_Magnificent\").[/quote]
But to my eyes, that looked like a case of the producers thinking, "We can create controversy by putting through this oddball performer, and that manufactured controversy will promote word-of-mouth and bring viewers to the show. Besides, the audience isn't going to vote for him to be the final winner." Not quite the same as casting contestants for a single-player game show.
--
Scott Robinson
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[quote name=\'MSTieScott\' post=\'162407\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 06:11 PM\']
But to my eyes, that looked like a case of the producers thinking, "We can create controversy by putting through this oddball performer, and that manufactured controversy will promote word-of-mouth and bring viewers to the show. Besides, the audience isn't going to vote for him to be the final winner." Not quite the same as casting contestants for a single-player game show.
[/quote]
Agreed. My point was not that Leonid was weird and got put through for a little pub, my point was that after it as made clear that he didn't have a hope in purple hell of winning, he came BACK.
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[quote name=\'mitchgroff\' post=\'162404\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 08:50 PM\']
[quote name=\'tvwxman\' post=\'162400\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 07:20 PM\']
They're just not that into you.
Seriously.
[/quote]
Unfortunately, I have a feeling that Matt's right here....you aren't what they are looking for, and at this point, I wouldn't doubt that every single staff member recognizes you, which is just about the worst thing that could happen. For that reason, no matter what you might do differently between takes, your application goes in the same pile.
I don't think that presenting an exact number of auditions would help your case either, because the coordinators who have been there the longest have the paperwork to prove it. Millionaire is going to be around for awhile - I think a good idea might be to hold off auditioning for 6-12 months and see what happens.
[/quote]
Mitch:
I do agree with you. I usually audition in the summer months only and do not go back after September for the remainder of their taping season. Hence, it is usually 6-9 months between my audition season. I am simply curious to know if anyone else has experienced anything like this.
I am the "Susan Lucci" of Millionaire. Multiple auditions, no getting on the show!
David
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[quote name=\'GSFan\' post=\'162430\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 08:35 PM\']
I am simply curious to know if anyone else has experienced anything like this.
[/quote]
I'm gonna guess that most people have gotten the hint before going back 30 times.
That said, it costs you nothing to do it, so if it makes you happy to press on, bully. But I would not expect results at this point.
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[quote name=\'GSFan\' post=\'162430\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 11:35 PM\']
I usually audition in the summer months only and do not go back after September for the remainder of their taping season. Hence, it is usually 6-9 months between my audition season.
[/quote]
Well, if you've auditioned 30 times, and it's only during the summer months each year, that means that on average you're auditioning five to six times over each period of three to four months — or more than once a month. I'd be very surprised if they weren't tired of seeing you by now and I'm even more surprised that they haven't told you "enough already."
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'162395\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 06:58 PM\']
I'm surprised that a quiz show like Millionaire even allows such frequent auditioning. For Jeopardy, you audition no more than once a year.
[/quote]
Amazingly, per the show's web site (http://\"http://www.millionairetv.com/rules.html\"), no limit is actually stated — only the fact that the show reserves the right to have one.
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[quote name=\'dzinkin\' post=\'162433\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 11:50 PM\']
[quote name=\'GSFan\' post=\'162430\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 11:35 PM\']
I usually audition in the summer months only and do not go back after September for the remainder of their taping season. Hence, it is usually 6-9 months between my audition season.
[/quote]
Well, if you've auditioned 30 times, and it's only during the summer months each year, that means that on average you're auditioning five to six times over each period of three to four months — or more than once a month. I'd be very surprised if they weren't tired of seeing you by now and I'm even more surprised that they haven't told you "enough already."[/quote]
That's the interesting thing. They have not told me "enough already" and everyone who interviews me seems genuinely interested in me. I would simply like to hear something definite one way or the other. If they are "tired of seeing me", nobody has said anything yet.
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[quote name=\'GSFan\' post=\'162376\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 05:54 PM\']
Anyone else go through multiple auditions prior to being a contestant?
[/quote]
Discounting phone-in attempts during the Regis era, I only took the audition test twice for Millionaire. I passed the test but not the interview on the first go-round, but then on the second time I passed the interview and got on the show. So keep on trying. Surely some interviewer will like you!
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[quote name=\'GSFan\' post=\'162434\' date=\'Aug 31 2007, 12:02 AM\']
That's the interesting thing. They have not told me "enough already" and everyone who interviews me seems genuinely interested in me. I would simply like to hear something definite one way or the other. If they are "tired of seeing me", nobody has said anything yet.
[/quote]
That's because this is their job, to be nice to people and extend a good image for the show to its biggest fans.
I'm not usually one to say "give up," and if this was the phone game, we'd all have a few broken phone touchpads by now...like Chris said, if you enjoy it, and it's exciting, by all means.
(Just don't doubt for a second that one of those PAs might be keeping score for fun.)
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[quote name=\'mitchgroff\' post=\'162453\' date=\'Aug 31 2007, 07:29 AM\']
(Just don't doubt for a second that one of those PAs might be keeping score for fun.)
[/quote]
And back in the days when they took Polaroid pictures of you early in the process to attach to your application card (yes, just a card, compared to those multi-page applications they have you fill out today), the story was that if you were dead on one show, you were pretty much dead on any other show from that producer, since even if it was a different contestant coordinator, they would still go into the files and see that you got turned down. All I will say is that I didn't get on either "Card Sharks" in 1979 or "Blockbusters" in 1982, so it may be true--at least on "Blockbusters" I did make it through the mock game, although I would have even if they didn't hold the test until after the mock game.
Now on "Wheel," in 1982 the photos were not taken until the second interview, after the original test and the personality test mock game. Therefore, you had more of a chance of trying again in a year, especially if the contestant coordinator didn't recognize you. Also, I would guess Merv didn't have a blackball policy for no other reason that a contestant who is good on one kind of show would not necessarily be good on another kind (say, like "J!").
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[quote name=\'davemackey\' post=\'162442\' date=\'Aug 31 2007, 01:45 AM\']
[quote name=\'GSFan\' post=\'162376\' date=\'Aug 30 2007, 05:54 PM\']
Anyone else go through multiple auditions prior to being a contestant?
[/quote]
Discounting phone-in attempts during the Regis era, I only took the audition test twice for Millionaire. I passed the test but not the interview on the first go-round, but then on the second time I passed the interview and got on the show. So keep on trying. Surely some interviewer will like you!
[/quote]
I am going to continue auditioning for Millionaire. Actually, I am in the "waiting for the postcard" process as I type. It's not a matter of "if", but "when".
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[quote name=\'GSFan\' post=\'162467\' date=\'Aug 31 2007, 01:18 PM\']
I am going to continue auditioning for Millionaire. Actually, I am in the "waiting for the postcard" process as I type. It's not a matter of "if", but "when".
[/quote]
You're going to continue auditioning, even after others have given you what I consider to be well-thought out advice?
Good luck, I guess.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'162468\' date=\'Aug 31 2007, 11:28 AM\']
You're going to continue auditioning, even after others have given you what I consider to be well-thought out advice?[/quote]
Again, if he wants to waste his time, and he enjoys the process, that's totally his decision and I wish him good luck and Godspeed regardless. I think he's fooling himself with the "not if but when" thing, but I suppose that's what you have to believe if you're going to put yourself through that.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'162468\' date=\'Aug 31 2007, 02:28 PM\']
[quote name=\'GSFan\' post=\'162467\' date=\'Aug 31 2007, 01:18 PM\']
I am going to continue auditioning for Millionaire. Actually, I am in the "waiting for the postcard" process as I type. It's not a matter of "if", but "when".
[/quote]
You're going to continue auditioning, even after others have given you what I consider to be well-thought out advice?
Good luck, I guess.
[/quote]
Modor:
Yes, everyone has given me "well-thought out advice" and I do appreciate all the comments I received. That includes the person whose advice was to "keep on trying".
Please remember that I did not ask for advice. My original question was whether or not anyone else has gone through multiple auditions to get on a show. This is my choice whether or not to audition. Since it only takes a little bit of my time and is very close to home, I'll keep going back.
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[quote name=\'GSFan\' post=\'162483\' date=\'Aug 31 2007, 04:29 PM\']
Yes, everyone has given me "well-thought out advice" and I do appreciate all the comments I received. That includes the person whose advice was to "keep on trying".
Please remember that I did not ask for advice. My original question was whether or not anyone else has gone through multiple auditions to get on a show. This is my choice whether or not to audition. Since it only takes a little bit of my time and is very close to home, I'll keep going back.
[/quote]
I agree. It's obvious that you were looking for reinforcement rather than advice, because you've chosen to dismiss out of hand all of the comments except for the single tidbit that you wanted to hear.
Yes, it's your choice to audition, and no one has told you otherwise. You do appear to be naive if you consider the interviewers' politeness to be "genuine interest," but being naive is your right too. I reallly hope that you're right, but I suspect that you're outnumbered in this thread for a reason.
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I know someone who got on syndicated Millionaire after trying out about five times. I myself have tried out for the shows many times (not 30 though). I am only 45 minutes away, so I don't mind traveling into NYC. The last couple of years I have only tried out once per year. I have no expectation of being picked, but you got to be in it to win it...I may skip next year just to give it a year break. The staff that I saw this year were mostly new people, so they wouldn't necessarily know you are a repeat auditioner from years past. All of the repeat auditioners that post on a message board I read that have tried out this year have all been rejected.
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[quote name=\'goongas\' post=\'162503\' date=\'Aug 31 2007, 09:54 PM\']
I know someone who got on syndicated Millionaire after trying out about five times. [/quote]
As someone who's passed the written test three times but been repeatedly rejected for the contestant pool, I can only say, thanks for the renewed sense of false hope. <G>
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When logging onto AOL today, this article popped up and caught my eye:
"TOP 5 WAYS TO GET ON A GAMESHOW"
By Kelli B. Grant
Reporter, SmartMoney.com
1. Know Your Strengths
Picking the best game show for your skills goes a long way toward getting you onstage, says Steve Beverly, founder of specialty news site TVGameShows.net. If you can't solve word puzzles, for example, your chances of landing on 'Wheel of Fortune' are slim. "But if you gulp when prices go up, then maybe 'The Price is Right' is right for you," he says. "Producers try to keep contestants from embarrassing themselves, and make the show entertaining."
Be sure to consider every angle. Even trivia buffs won't find game shows one-size-fits-all. "It would be absolutely disastrous for someone without immediate recall of facts to go on 'Jeopardy!,' where speed is the premium," Beverly says. "'Millionaire' would probably be a better choice because there you have unlimited time." (In 2000, contestant Katie Knudsen famously took 53 minutes debating whether Tonga or Palau was the most recent country to join the United Nations, a $500,000 question. Unfortunately, she was wrong.)
If your skills don't match up with a specific show, look for one that's more about risk-taking and luck, such as 'Deal or No Deal' or 'National Bingo Night.' "You don't have to know a thing -- except when to quit," says Beverly.
2. Be Your (Super-Excited) Self
On their 2002 'Family Feud' appearance, Saretta Holler's family went wild. "We have tons of energy," says the 31-year-old Irvine, Calif., native. "We were so excited; they didn't need to tell us to jump up and down." The family made it to the 'Fast Money' round, where Holler and her sister, a former Miss California, blitzed through to win $20,000. "Later, I got a call from 'Family Feud,' asking if I knew any other fun and crazy families like mine to have on the show," she says.
Casting agents look for contestants who the audience will either support or vilify, explains producer Scott Sternberg, who has worked on 'That's the Question,' 'Hollywood Squares,' 'The Newlywed Game,' and 'Wheel 2000' (the kid's version of 'Wheel of Fortune'). "We want you to want them to win or to lose," he says.
Standing out is also key. Consider the details that single you out as an interesting contestant, whether it's special talents, quirky family members, an interesting occupation or life circumstances that would be aided by that prize money. "Whatever little edge you have that you think you can use," says Sternberg.
It's likely you'll have only a minute or two with a casting agent during your initial audition so turn on the charm as if you were already sitting onstage. "You've only got one shot," Sternberg says. Smile, be animated and energetic. They'll be asking you about yourself, so have a few of those interesting life details ready to go.
3. Playing the Numbers
Even assuming you're the ideal candidate for any given show, your odds of getting on vary depending on how often the show airs, its popularity and the number of contestants that appear on each show, says Jason Block, who recaps studio game shows for news site Game Show News Net [http://www.gameshownewsnet.com] "Some shows just have a lot more slots to fill than others," he says. "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" needs just one contestant per show for its weekly broadcast, while "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" both call in more than 10 at a time to handle a weeks' worth of shows in a single taping session.
You'll greatly increase your chances for success by applying for several shows that fit your talents. Getting on one show precludes you from appearing on another for a period of time, but most shows will still keep you in the pool. Block should know -- he won $125,000 on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" in 2000, and then netted another $36,701 the following year as a four-day champion on "Jeopardy!"
4. Review, Don't Cram
Before his 2003 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' appearance, Scott Tennant watched other contestants in the pool frantically studying trivia books. Tennant was content to read newspapers and keep his cool. "I tend to think that, of the universe of questions that could come up, what are the odds that it'll be something you recently studied?" says the Cleveland native, now 37. "I don't see the point in killing yourself by cramming." He went on to win $32,000.
Whether you're preparing for a contestant test, or getting ready to go on the show, brushing up on current events rather than memorizing niche trivia is a much more efficient strategy. If you feel compelled to soak up more knowledge, says Tennant, go for the almanac rather than the encyclopedia. The format is easier to digest, and the statistic snippets (like the number of feet in a mile) are common in quiz-format game shows.
5. Practice Makes Perfect
Knowing how the game is played, and the lingo that's used, helps you develop a strategy that can pique producers' interest. "The last thing we would want as producers is someone who doesn't know the game," says industry veteran Sternberg. "Then it's not evenly matched. We love to watch it come down to the very last minute, where anyone can win."
Religiously watching the show is a start, but you'll also need practice time away from the tube. "Treat it as a training regimen," suggests Block. Angling for 'The Price is Right'? "Go shopping," he suggests. Figure out wager strategies for 'Jeopardy!' and banker vs. player's odds for 'Deal or No Deal.' Most shows offer an online version of the game, and often a board game as well. Use both, and encourage family and friends to critique your performance.