Arts & Entertainment

Pleasantville Man Competes on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'

The episode will air on Jan. 1 at 12:30 p.m. on ABC.

Ever since Pleasantville resident Jerry O’Brien watched his wife, Robyn, win more than $42,000 on the ABC game show “Wheel of Fortune” earlier this year, he knew he had to up the ante.

This summer, he got that chance, when he was selected to be on the ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” after taking a test and several follow-up interviews with the show’s producers. His attempt to become a millionaire was filmed on Aug. 28, and although it aired in September at 1 a.m., its official airdate is slated for Jan. 1 at 12:30 p.m.

Even though it’s not exactly a secret on how he did, O’Brien is letting those who missed the episode the first time around wait in suspense. He did admit, however, that he was very pleased with his final winnings.

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“I felt like I got a good batch of questions,” O’Brien said. “It was an awesome experience. The minimum amount of money you can win just being on the show is $1,000. It was such a great day; I think I would have been okay no matter what. But I did win a little more than that.”

O’Brien said that the show’s new host, Cedric the Entertainer, was “a really cool guy and made the experience great.”

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“Everyone on the show was a lot of fun to work with,” he said.

The fact that both Jerry and Robyn were on game shows this year is no coincidence – and both expect to find themselves on game shows again next year.

“It’s certainly not dumb luck,” O’Brien said. “We are both very competitive and neither of us get nervous. That’s a good combination to have for these (game shows). We definitely plan on being on more.”

Check back with Patch for more from Pleasantville’s local game show contestant after the Jan. 1 airdate. 


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