Schaumburg man no 'Millionaire,' but $20,500 ain't bad

Seth Robison earned a lot of spending money on Monday, just by keeping his mouth shut.

Half the battle was won last October, after taping an appearance on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” which earned the Schaumburg man $20,500 in prize money.

But the winnings remained in limbo until 4:30 p.m. Monday, after the show was broadcast on WGN-TV.

The 33-year-old graphic arts coordinator and Buffalo Grove High School graduate went to Las Vegas last August to be tested for “Millionaire.” He passed, and was called in early October and told to be ready for taping in just 13 days.

“I've been a fan of the show and game shows in general,” Robison said. “I've been playing trivia games my whole life, but no experience can match standing there with the lights on you and the questions in front of you.”

Along with getting picked, Robison discovered the format of “Millionaire” had been changed for its ninth season.

The biggest change is that the difficulty level and monetary value of each question is now random, rather than the gradual increase up the scale with each correct answer.

Also gone is the “Phone a Friend” lifeline.

Robison came to grips with these changes, and felt no more than a normal, low-level anxiety in the hours before taping.

“I was a little nervous, but I was really focused,” Robison said. “I'd been waiting for this chance for a long time.”

His very first question won him $25,000 by knowing that “Halloween” was the horror movie in which a killer wears a Captain Kirk mask spray-painted white.

He used the new “Jump the Question” lifeline for his second question, not recognizing Lands' End as the company name with an apostrophe in the wrong place.

His next two questions won him $1,000 and $15,000, but he then used his second “Jump the Question” lifeline on a $7,000 question on the name of a Rolling Stones fan group called “Shidoobees.”

He admits that music was bound to be his worst subject, and believes he did the right thing by skipping the question. But the pressure is so intense on the show that he even doubted his certainty on a previous question that Mount Rushmore was the national landmark which the Presidents' View Resort faces.

“There was a good part of me that thought they had tricked me in some way,” Robison said.

His hopes of winning the million faded on the sixth question: “Which famous writer worked as a San Francisco streetcar conductor?”

Robison, who had $41,000 at this point, used his “Ask the Audience” lifeline. The audience incorrectly guessed Toni Morrison instead of the right answer, Maya Angelou, but Robison wisely didn't trust them. He decided to walk away, which meant under the new rules he would keep half his winnings.

“Twenty thousand five hundred dollars is a lot of money and I think I'm going to take it and walk away,” Robison told host Meredith Vieira.

Keeping the outcome a secret for 2½ months has been painful, but Robison held up his end of the bargain. He said signing nondisclosure agreements is a regular part of his professional life as well.

In addition to his job overseeing drink can artwork at Rexam Beverage Cans, Robison freelances as a video game journalist — largely focusing on the games' relationships to social and political trends.

Before competing on “Millionaire” Robison said he wanted to use his winnings on a trip to Japan — and to renovate his kitchen. His winnings were enough for one, but not both.

“I think the kitchen can wait,” Robison said Monday after his show was broadcast. “It still works.”

Robison's parents, Judie and David Robison of Buffalo Grove, accompanied him to the taping in New York, though only his mother actually got to appear in the audience.

I'm glad that I ended with a good result,” he said. “Overall, it was an excellent experience.”