In the Hot Seat on Millionaire

It is rare that a primetime television game show can boast a truly dedicated following, but that's what Who Wants To Be a Millionaire did in the early fall of 1999. It is even rarer that contestants are so memorable that eight years later it is easy to remember that the first millionaire was John Carpenter-who famously used his first lifeline on the million dollar question, only to tell his father that he didn't actually need any help, he just wanted to tell him that he was about to win. While it might be a shock to discover that the show is still on the air (albeit syndicated), today at 12:30 a Barnard sophomore, Mia Nagawiecki (Marianne on the show), joins the ranks of contestants on the most influential game show of our time.

While Mia's episode airs today, the process for being on the show started last summer. After a long process of interviews and tests, Mia discovered in October that she would be a contestant on Millionaire's college week (though due to time constraints she ended up coming back later to be part of a regular episode). In a recent interview, Mia said, "I had never thought about being on the show at all. My friends and I went to the audition on a total whim just because we were bored and there was literally nothing else to do." Little did she know then that the cure for a boring summer afternoon would land her on national television.

"My favorite part was probably when I was there for college week episodes and meeting all the other college students who were contestants," Mia said. "It was fun getting to know them and watching them play and cheering each other on. Oh, it was also awesome to meet Meredith Vieira on multiple occasions."

For a show in which the outcome is based primarily on trivia knowledge, it would be natural to assume that Mia spent hours preparing. But as she said, "I didn't do much to prepare. I didn't have much time to do anything other than my regular homework. It was really nerve-wracking though because I felt like I needed to absorb every tiny bit of information I came across because it might be a question on the show. I would hear people mention something and not know what it was and then go home and look it up on Wikipedia. It was pretty intense having that heightened sense of awareness all the time. I really don't think my classes helped me all that much at all. The things they ask about are completely random things that you either know or you don't."

Considering that the contestants are constantly surprised by the questions Vieira asks, Mia seemed to be surprised by something else entirely. "It was interesting that they never say who will be in the hot seat next ... Whenever the person in the seat loses or gives up, they say quickly the next person is.... YOU, and then you just run out on stage right away. It's pretty stressful, but doing it that way kept our excitement up. The whole experience, both times I went, was a constant adrenaline high. I was exhausted afterwards and my body was literally sore the next day from being tense for 12 hours straight."

Is she excited to watch the show? "It's been so long since my taping, I honestly keep forgetting about it airing. I guess I'm excited to watch it. I think I'm more nervous to see myself on TV than anything."