“Brad Pitt was from Missouri. He got a job in a chicken suit for a fast food place, then he made it. A lot of people have a dream like that." —Jeremy Lackman
Millionaire Moment… While Lackman lived in NYC, he frequented TV shows and Broadway productions whenever possible. It was a kick for him to attend free television tapings. He learned about an audition for the ABC game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The show’s questions escalate in difficulty. There were degrees of screening for candidates on the game show, beginning with a 30-question test. “I took the timed multiple choice test. Probably 80 people in the room were tested, and maybe 10-15 actually passed." Lackman advanced to the next level. “Then you meet with an associate producer. they interview you, to see if you are personable, and if they like your look, then they put you on camera." The camera test was one of several rituals, but Lackman felt comfortable with performing before cameras. “If you get through that, then they take all that, and decide who they want to have on the show." But it was far from over—next destiny had a hand to play in things to come. “You are in the contestant pool with who knows how many people. Then a computer draws the contestants during the year."
Meanwhile, Lackman planned to begin doctoral studies. He applied to six schools with strong physical education programs for a PhD, and sought experience teaching college students. Five offered him opportunities, but UGA offered a teaching assistant position. He came to visit when the Office of Institutional Diversity invited students, offering opportunities. Lackman toured the campus, met professors, and says, “I had a great experience. I chose Georgia. It’s a great college town—one of the best in the country." He moved to Athens in 2010 to begin doctoral studies at the University
of Georgia. During that fall semester, Lackman got the call from the show’s producers summoning him to be a contestant, but the timing was all wrong. “They called me to come up and tape…it was my first semester here. I had a midterm examination. I had to tell them no, I couldn’t come." But all was not lost—Lackman’s name was returned to the contestant pool for one last chance at being drawn. Good fortune struck again. “Fall of 2011, the Millionaire show called again, and they said, ‘Here’s what we have.’ I flew to New York and taped a December show." Lackman says there was no way to prepare himself—the quiz show is largely entertainment and pop culture-driven in its questions. A smiling Lackman took the podium beside host Meredith Vieira, smiling, and appearing very at home on a stage. Vieira mentioned Lackman’s graduate studies and seemed impressed. “I was a little nervous but not very,” he recalls. “I looked at it as a fun experience…and trivia is trivia. There is no preparation for it. If I don’t know, I don’t know." He had distinct disadvantages, competing on a program that relied heavily upon entertainment-oriented questions. Lackman, an academic, was
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