This five-letter word for duo loves puzzles
By her own admission, Carolyn O'Donnell of Rolling Meadows is something of a wordsmith.
Having worked at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library as a library assistant for more than 30 years, including her current role at the fiction, movies and music desk, she loves the written word.
Is it any surprise, then, that she loves to do crossword puzzles?
Pair that interest with that of her husband's, of trying to get on television game shows, and it explains how the couple landed a spot on the new, "Merv Griffin's Crosswords," which airs at 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. daily on WMAQ-TV, Channel 5.
The show debuted in September and now airs in 95 percent of the television markets across the country. It allows up to five contestants to play at one time, and was created by Merv Griffin Entertainment, which launched "Wheel of Fortune," and "Jeopardy!"
"I've done crosswords for as long as I can remember," Carolyn O'Donnell says. "My mother still gives me a crossword book for Christmas each year."
She concedes that she completes the puzzle in the newspaper daily, and that on Sundays, she times herself, all of which leaves her husband at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to boning up for a crossword puzzle show.
"I'm the second best one in the house," Dennis O'Donnell quips. "If I get up really early, I can make copies of the one in the newspaper, so we both have a copy."
Their expertise at the puzzles, along with their audition interviews -- done in October at NBC Tower in Chicago -- won them spots to compete on the show.
As it turns out, they appeared on separate editions. Carolyn O'Donnell's original episode aired Christmas Day and will be repeated at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 24, while her husband's airs for the first time at 2 p.m. Jan. 14.
Game show officials flew them out to Los Angeles in late October for the filming, and put them up in a hotel.
The first thing both noticed was the huge set, with its purple geometric color scheme and gigantic crossword puzzle board.
"Once the game got under way, I got very comfortable with it and had a lot of fun," Carolyn O'Donnell says. "The set was much bigger than I expected, and when I pressed my buzzer, it worked, unlike when we were playing along at home."
Her husband, meantime, still kicks himself for the clue he missed: a three-letter word for "a tough, wry stone." The answer was: "sly," as in Sly and the Family Stone.
Dennis O'Donnell points to the "Puzzle Master" behind the show, Timothy E. Parker, senior crossword puzzle editor of USA Today Crosswords, with creating the creative and challenging puzzles.
"His clues are very witty and subtle," Dennis O'Donnell says.
Nonetheless, he says being on the show was much more enjoyable than his last game show appearance. Six years ago, he landed a spot on "The Weakest Link" but was unceremoniously voted off.