Who wants to be a millionaire? About 1,500 in Des Plaines

The opportunity to pay off a mortgage, get rid of student loans, keep a promise to a relative or just try out for a TV show was enough to bring about 1,500 trivia buffs to Des Plaines Monday.

The crowd filled the Rivers Casino for the chance to try out for the television game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” Des Plaines is one of six cities nationwide the show’s producers are visiting this summer to find contestants for the 11th season of show, which premieres Sept. 3.

Among those in line to try out was Matt June, a 30-year-old graduate student at Northwestern University. Auditioning, he said, was the result of a promise he made “a long time ago” to his grandmother, a huge fan of the show who died earlier this year.

“She constantly hounded me about it in a good way,” June said. “I do really like trivia.”

When June’s wife saw an ad for Monday’s tryouts, he took it as a sign to “come out and see what would happen.”

Producers conducted two tryout sessions, allowing would-be contestants to take a 10-minute, 30-question multiple choice test. If a person passed, they went through another round of screening and an on-camera interview, said supervising producer Geoff Rosen. Rosen couldn’t reveal the scoring method, but said if a person passes the test, they should do well on the show.

The tryouts also included a special session for “Movie Week,” with movie-themed questions.

Mary Ann Wolfe, a psychotherapist from Valparaiso, Ind., thought auditioning would be a fun opportunity. She watches the show, as well as another multiple-choice game show, “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?”

While she knows music and psychology well, she said “If they ask about geography, I’m dead.”

She thought she did well on the test but didn’t pass.

“I’m so glad I did it,” she added.

“Who Wants to be a Millionaire” airs weekdays at 4 p.m. on WGN-TV.