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Find Out If Local Teacher Passed Quiz On 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 16, 2007

It's a big day for Mr. H at Durant High School.

Friends, relatives, students and co-workers of Ryan Haczynski will find out how the English teacher fared on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire.'

The rules of the show prohibit him from revealing what happened when he was in the hot seat on the nationally syndicated game show.

Only his wife, Erin, knows. She went with him to the taping in New York City on Aug. 1.

Erin, an elementary school teacher, sat in the 'Millionaire' audience as his on-air companion for the show.

They didn't get to see much of New York, but they did manage to dine at Tavern on the Green.

Haczynski told the producers that winning a substantial amount on 'Millionaire' could help them to start their family sooner than expected.

Ryan also said that he would like to travel if he wins big on 'Millionaire.'

'I haven't been able to tell anyone what happened, and some people, especially my father, have been trying to find out how much I won,' he says. 'My father joked that if I won a million dollars he wants to borrow $100,000.'

Haczynski, 32, was among the more than 1,200 people who auditioned in July when talent scouts from 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' set up shop at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

He left the audition expecting that it would be weeks or months before he would be asked to be on the show. 'But they called me that same day,' he says. Four weeks later, he was in Manhattan.

Haczynski, a fan of quiz shows, said he was impressed with host Meredith Vieira. 'She was wonderful,' he says.

He says that he was apprehensive to meet her because of her background as a journalist. 'She is not just a game show host,' he says. 'I grew up watching her, and I respect her work.'

He adds that the 'Today' show co-host put him at ease.

He found that playing the game in person is a lot harder than sitting at home and shouting out the answers.

'I was my own worst enemy,' he says. 'I was nervous in the hot seat, and I started second-guessing myself.'

Haczynski (known as Mr. H to his students) can be seen on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' at 7:30 tonight on WTSP, Channel 10.

'Millionaire,' now in its sixth season, will celebrate its 1,000th episode in November.

PASSWORD REDUX: Regis Philbin will be the host of a new version of the classic game show 'Password.'

CBS plans to revive the classic, but it will be called 'Million Dollar Password,' and it will start off as a prime-time special. The original 'Password' was hosted by Allen Ludden, husband of Betty White.

Ludden died in 1981. 'Password' debuted as a CBS daytime show in 1961 before moving to prime time. Later versions ran in syndication and on NBC through the 1980s with Tom Kennedy and Bert Convy as host.

Philbin was host of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' for ABC from 2000 to 2002.

NOT A CROSS WORD: Tampa resident Merl Reagle, one of the top crossword puzzle creators in the country, is featured in 'Wordplay,' an entertaining film debuting at 11 tonight on 'Independent Lens' on WEDU, Channel 3.

This 2006 documentary is about Will Shortz, the editor of the New York Times daily puzzle but Reagle is a scene stealer as he demonstrates how he creates a crossword puzzle from scratch. His puzzles are carried in the Tribune's community newspapers.

Also featured are celebrities, such as Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart, who like to solve crosswords as well as the people who compete in the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.

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