Resident takes turn in ‘Millionaire’ hot
seat
By Kathleen Folkerth
FAIRLAWN — Being in the hot seat on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” is as tough as it seems, said Ashley Myers.
The Fairlawn resident, 24, appeared on two episodes of the syndicated game show in June.
“It’s really nerve-wracking,” Myers said of being a contestant. “It was really intimidating. Everyone is staring at you. ‘Millionaire’ is the only show where you can’t miss a question.”
Myers’ path to the show started last fall, when her boyfriend’s twin sisters heard about tryouts taking place in Cleveland.
“They made us go with them, but they couldn’t try out because they were only 16,” she said.
Myers ended up taking the written test, which she passed, and then she was interviewed. Some time later she received a postcard saying she was in the contestant pool.
Myers, a dietetics major at The University of Akron (UA), was in the food lab for a class when she got a phone call telling her she would be on the show.
“I went into the parking lot and called them right back after class,” she said.
In November, Myers and a friend headed to New York for the taping. The show requires contestants to fund their own travel and lodging, so the two drove and stayed with a friend in Brooklyn. On the taping day, Myers had to be at the studio at 6 a.m., where she and her fellow contestants were prepped for the show. At noon, the taping began.
The contestants had been encouraged to talk with guest host Tim Vincent about a prepared topic, but Myers said that was awkward.
“It doesn’t go like that because you’re so nervous,” she said.
Myers, a 2000 Copley High School graduate, used all three of her lifelines in the competition and ended up claiming a prize of $8,000. She will receive the money — minus the required taxes — later this month, she said.
To watch the show, which airs on Cleveland TV station WOIO at 7 p.m. weeknights, Myers got together with a couple of friends. The episodes she was on aired June 25 and 26.
“The whole time I was taking phone calls,” she said.
She admits the attention she has received since her appearance on the show has been a little unsettling.
“I have had at least four or five customers recognize me,” said Myers, who works at AT&T Wireless. “It’s really embarrassing. I don’t like all the attention.”
Myers is set to graduate from UA at the end of the summer. She’s being practical with her winnings, she said.
“It will make a nice dent in my student loans,” she said.
Fairlawn resident Ashley Myers is shown at left as she ponders a question posed by Tim Vincent, guest host of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” on a show that aired in late June.
Photo courtesy of Valleycrest Productions Ltd.
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