2008 Woodie Awards
A million-dollar man?
Ben Penn
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: News
"Before becoming the comic book superhero the Incredible Hulk Bruce Banner was a prominent what? A) Reporter, B) Professor, C) Lawyer, D) Scientist."
Anyone with remedial comic book knowledge would know Banner was a scientist. But when Who Wants to be a Millionaire host Meredith Vieira asks the question today at 4 p.m. on WUSA 9, the only person who needs to know the answer is senior criminology and criminal justice major John O'Connor.
O'Connor, whose appearance on the syndicated game show was taped in September, breezed through the first five questions, reaching the $1,000 level during an episode that aired last Friday. He will continue with the $2,000 question in today's episode.
Whether he correctly answered this question and, more importantly, how close he came to the million-dollar grand prize is a secret he has kept for more than six months. The show's producers told O'Connor that if they find out he told anyone about his winnings before the show airs, he will be stripped of his money.
"I couldn't even tell my own mother. She wants to kill me," said O'Connor, who will not receive his check - however much it is - until after the show airs.
His roommate and coworker, Michael Coon, tried in vain to get O'Connor to talk.
"I've been begging him to tell me, but he hasn't told me yet," said Coon, a business administration student at the Universities at Shady Grove. "Monday we'll find out."
The process that culminates Monday took years to develop, beginning when O'Connor was in high school and was a big fan of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, then a number-one rated ABC primetime success hosted by Regis Philbin.
O'Connor watched his father unsuccessfully attempt to become a contestant on the show, and a few years later, he decided to give it a try himself.
"Being on a game show has always been a dream of his," said Blair Morris, O'Connor's girlfriend, who said he spoke of his Millionaire aspirations the first time they went out.
Anyone with remedial comic book knowledge would know Banner was a scientist. But when Who Wants to be a Millionaire host Meredith Vieira asks the question today at 4 p.m. on WUSA 9, the only person who needs to know the answer is senior criminology and criminal justice major John O'Connor.
O'Connor, whose appearance on the syndicated game show was taped in September, breezed through the first five questions, reaching the $1,000 level during an episode that aired last Friday. He will continue with the $2,000 question in today's episode.
Whether he correctly answered this question and, more importantly, how close he came to the million-dollar grand prize is a secret he has kept for more than six months. The show's producers told O'Connor that if they find out he told anyone about his winnings before the show airs, he will be stripped of his money.
"I couldn't even tell my own mother. She wants to kill me," said O'Connor, who will not receive his check - however much it is - until after the show airs.
His roommate and coworker, Michael Coon, tried in vain to get O'Connor to talk.
"I've been begging him to tell me, but he hasn't told me yet," said Coon, a business administration student at the Universities at Shady Grove. "Monday we'll find out."
The process that culminates Monday took years to develop, beginning when O'Connor was in high school and was a big fan of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, then a number-one rated ABC primetime success hosted by Regis Philbin.
O'Connor watched his father unsuccessfully attempt to become a contestant on the show, and a few years later, he decided to give it a try himself.
"Being on a game show has always been a dream of his," said Blair Morris, O'Connor's girlfriend, who said he spoke of his Millionaire aspirations the first time they went out.
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