Students to get greedy for game show

By By Alex Weininger
Collegian Staff Writer

Fox network’s game show Greed: The Series is coming to State College Friday to present Penn State students with an opportunity to win up to $2 million.

Auditions for a college edition of Greed will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Champs Sports Bar & Grill, 1611 N. Atherton Street.

Scott Lucchesi, restaurant owner, accepted the offer to host the event when he received a phone call from Hayley Blain-Weinstein, head contestant coordinator for the game show, requesting the use of the facility last Wednesday.

"She said she was looking for a high-profile type of place," Lucchesi said.

The show’s producers will air College Greed, a special college edition of Greed: The Series representing Big Ten schools. Auditions require students to show both a student ID and a state-issued ID, according to a Fox press release. Students then complete an application and take a quiz to determine their qualifications. Students who pass the quiz then have a one-on-one audition with the show’s contestant staff.

Once the show’s executive producer gives final approval, the students are flown to Los Angeles to tape the show April 14. Blain-Weinstein said the contestant staff will choose at least one student from Penn State to be a part of one of the Big Ten teams.

"We’re looking for the best representation we can find and to bring the team to $2 million," she said.

To ensure a chance to audition, Blain-Weinstein recommends students arrive early Friday. Many students plan to do just that in order to take advantage of the opportunity.

"I think it’s great for college students," Megan Buckley (sophomore-kinesiology) said. "It’s an opportunity to get money and go somewhere."

Greed airs from 9 to 10 p.m. Fridays on Fox and debuted Nov. 4, 1999. Coined as "the most dangerous game show in America" by host Chuck Woolrey, the show’s premise revolves around a team reaching the $2 million goal and climbing the "Tower of Greed," according to a Fox press release.

The jackpot question becomes an individual decision, allowing those who do not want to take the risk to walk away with their share of the million dollars. Those who stay and go for the jackpot split the money if they win.

Representatives from the show are going on the road to several other universities for the Big Ten competition, including Purdue University, Ohio State University, the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin and Indiana University, Blain-Weinstein said.

Other similar shows include ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and NBC’s Twenty One. However, College Greed is the first of several "million-dollar shows" designed to specifically recruit college students for a special edition.

"Game shows are for people 18 and over. They’re (Fox) looking to get a younger group," said Shannon Peterson, publicity manager for Greed.