Area has fed 'Millionaire' quiz shows

Firefighter Phil Benetatos becomes the eighth person from the Tampa area to appear on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" this season. His adventure airs today at 4 and 4:30 p.m. on WTSP, Channel 10.

We've had a plethora of players since August, beginning with Brad Abby, a 25-year-old laid-off bank employee who took home $1,000 on the prime-time version of the game show with Regis Philbin.

Other local folks with trivia skills have played the daytime version hosted by Meredith Vieira. This wave of Florida gamers came from auditions that were held in June at St. Pete Times Forum. Hundreds tried out and dozens made the grade, including Tampa Tribune reporter Ray Reyes, who wrote an account of his $5,000 win.

The biggest winners so far are Kim Burress, a 48-year-old Dover analyst for an investment firm, and Will Capp, a 41-year-old University of South Florida grad student. Both won $25,000.

We don't know how Benetatos does today because the outcome is not revealed until the episodes air.

The 32-year-old paramedic and firefighter at Tampa Station 14 in Palma Ceia says, "I guess I am one of those weird people who has a lot of useless knowledge."

It was useless until he auditioned for the show.

Benetatos, who grew up in the Tampa area, is a 1995 graduate of Gaither High School. He has been a Tampa firefighter for eight years. Benetatos says he has taken a lot of kidding from fellow firefighters. "They are relentless," he said. "They can't wait to make more fun of me when the episodes air."

Phil and wife Brooke have a 2-year-old daughter, Kate. She accompanied him to the taping in New York this fall. The couple recently learned that Brooke is pregnant with their second child.

After Benetatos told Kate that he was going to be on the show, the aspiring princess asked about getting her own castle and pumpkin carriage.

The family also has a leaky roof that needs repair. Benetatos says he went in to the game hoping to win enough to replace it.

Other players from the Tampa area this season were Jenni McKay, a graphic designer from Wesley Chapel who won $5,000; Kristin Leum, a USF graduate student from Tampa who walked away with $15,000; and Liz Bollinger, an entrepreneur from Valrico who won $5,000.

VIDBITS: WTSP, Channel 10, has hired Peter Roghaar, from West Palm Beach, to be director of news and information for the 10 Connects newscasts. He has been news director at NBC affiliate WPTV for nine years. He replaces former news director Darren Richards, who recently joined the Tucker Hall public relations firm in Tampa.

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