NAQT, the group I belong to and supplier of questions to academic competitions, among them Matt O's Quizbusters is trying to compile a list of anyone who played both quiz bowl in either high school or college and appeared on a national game show.

The show can be international, but should not be your local version of It's Academic. Please either respond here (in case other people want to know the answer) or E-mail mmb5@earthlink.net


--Mike

I'm close, but I *think* Pittsburgh's Hometown High Q is a version of It's Academic.

Yes, I realize that. I meant I'm close to meeting those criteria, having been on High Q and Millionaire.

Amanda Goadwas a member of the Governor's School team who won the (Questions Unlimited) National Academic Championship (national high school) championship. She also won the J! Teen Tournament.

While looking up Amanda Goad's information, I stumbled upon this, a question about QuizBusters:

Question about QuizBusters

Does being a phone-in player on Inquizition count? I guess I didn't actually "appear"...

If that doesn't work (or even if it does), Matt Kane, who played for one of our main rivals, appeared in the 1992 J! Teen Tournament. I don't remember how he did (I believe he at least made the semis), but I do remember that he always bet on DD's such that his score would end with $13.

And Matt O...I don't know if you remember Matt Bruce, who was on another HS rival team; he was in your taping group for J! but did not get to go on the show at that time because of his NAQT connection to KJ. (I have not heard what has happened since then...)

Captained our HS's "It's Academic" team (or the way we played, "Anemic" would have been more appropriate), then on to J! and Millionaire.

For the people who have answered "yes", I need you're specific high school or college and your results on your game show appearances as well, if you can remember them.


--Mike

Okay, if I count, that's Giant Eagle Hometown High Q on KDKA in Pittsburgh, where I captained the Oil City Senior High School team to the 2000-01 season championship, and Millionaire, where I walked with $16,000 on the show aired 4/15/04.

Again, if it counts for anything:

Played for Jenks HS (Okla) 1990-92 (took second in state both school years, went to Questions Unlimited national tourney 1991), was a phone-in contestant on a 7/29/1999 rerun of Inquizition and won $250.

As for the other people I mentioned, Matt Kane played for Tulsa Memorial (again, I don't remember his J! results, but maybe someone else will), and Matt Bruce played for Tulsa Washington (and, I believe, for Harvard).

Take this one with a grain of salt, preferably one the size of Wyoming...

Ben Recchie--University of Chicago College Bowl player, won $10,000 in the Hardball Hot Seat thingy. Like I said, grain of salt, size of Wyoming. As a useless side note, one of Recchie's UofC College Bowl teammates is my sister's best friend and a good friend of mine. Mike B. might know her as well, but we'll talk about that via e-mail. Suddenly we're playing a new game--Six Degrees of Mike Burger!

As I'm sure everybody knows by now, the Hardball finals never aired. Take my word about Recchie winning. ;-)

In lieu of a "Raise the Dead" marathon this year, I think I'll just raise a dormant thread. ;)

In case this search is ongoing, we have a new addition: Rachel McCool, who appeared on the J! College Championship on Tuesday, played for Woodland Hills H.S. on Giant Eagle Hometown High Q in the '01-02 and '02-03 school years (the latter of which concluded with Rachel's memory failing on a question asking for Omar Khayyam's best-known work, costing her team the championship). Good to see she didn't let that keep her away from game shows. :)

I *think* I fit into this category... even if I'm a Canadian, lol.

I played SchoolReach (formerly "Reach for the top") from 1994-97 in high school, and was a $28,250 winner on Wheel of Fortune in May 1997. Ironically, I missed my last possible chance at a Reach tourney due to my Wheel taping... I think I made the right choice :)

In the end, everything has come full circle... I worked at a high school two years ago and started up Reach there... and now I'm back this year and back coaching again.

Cheers,

Ryan :)

I think I am a part of this group....I was on the Scholar's Bowl team at Glencoe High School in Glencoe, Alabama from 1989-91. I laid a goose egg on the syndicated "Weakest Link" in 2002 and won $1,200 on "Pyramid" last year.

Shane Elsberry