by Jennifer Carlson '01

Regis, move over.

Inspired by the success of Regis Philbinís television game show, Colby held its own version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in March. Three lucky contestants each had the chance to win $1,000ócheered on by a boisterous crowd of student supporters at Page Commons.

To get a shot at the bucks, all students were offered the chance to respond to a question distributed by e-mail a few days before the scheduled contest, sponsored by Johnson-Chaplin Commons. The first 24 to respond correctly were selected for the event. From those 24 students, 21 were eliminated in the first round. The three finalists, James Abodeely '01, Elizabeth Parker '00 and J.L. Rudman '00, each had a turn to answer a series of multiple-choice questions.

As in the television version of the game show, a correct response earned a certain amount of money. A harder question followed in each round. Contestants also were given three "lifelines" for help-an audience poll, help from a friend and a "50/50" elimination of two incorrect responses.

The questions ranged from "What is the name of Homer Simpson's youngest child on The Simpsons?"(Maggie) to "What is the capital city of the island nation of Venuatu?" (Port Vila). Although no finalist won the grand prize of $1,000, Parker came closest, taking home $500 after deciding not to answer the $1,000 question and risk losing money if she responded incorrectly. Parker, who later said she was going to use the money to throw a party, was ready to celebrate even though she hadn't come away a "thousandaire."

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