By Davy James, The Packet Group
When the question “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” was asked, one area family stood front and center and hoped their final answer was a good one.
The team of Tracy Leahy, 46, of Kingston, her son, Connor, 12, and her father, Jim Lawler, 70, of Princeton, were featured on the syndicated game show in episodes airing Thursday and Friday. They came home $250,000 richer after Friday’s episode.
”It was an amazing experience and to do it with my father and son made it all the more special,” Ms. Leahy said. “It’s been a dream of mine and I had tried to get on the show for a number of years.”
When Ms. Leahy heard the show would be featuring a family-themed week with three-person teams, she thought she had a winning combination.
”My dad is, bar none, the smartest person I know, and my son is also very bright,” she said. “I figured I had the perfect team. We went to the audition and passed the test and went through the interview process.”
A couple weeks later, the family found out they would be entered into the pool of families to compete to make it on the main stage.
”Everybody on the show was so friendly and helpful,” Ms. Leahy said. “It was really neat to be backstage and getting made up and mic’ed up.”
Meeting with host Meredith Vieira made the moment a little less nerve-wracking.
”She met us in the green room and is such a nice, warm and welcoming person,” Ms. Leahy said. “My heart was pounding when we got to the chair, I was wondering if I’d even be able to talk. But once you get up there she grabs your hand and makes you feel very comfortable.”
For Connor, the pressure melted away once he got caught in the moment.
”I was so focused on the questions so I didn’t have time for anything else,” the seventh-grader said. “It still feels unreal to me. All of it was amazing, being on the show, meeting Meredith and being with my mom and grandfather made it even better.”
Connor said his brush with fame has some of his friends excited, while others are a bit green with envy.
”Some of my friends are jealous and a lot of them asked how much I won and if they could have some money,” Connor said.
Ms. Leahy said she had the perfect team. She and Mr. Lawler are restaurant and catering consultants, which has them functioning as a team on a regular basis.
”As a family we work really well together and me and my dad are accustomed to working together to answer our clients’ questions,” Ms. Leahy said. “Connor was the youngest age they allowed to participate and he really handled the big pressure situation well.”
”It’s such a small chance that you even make it on the show,” Connor said. “I’m just looking forward to seeing it, because I loved every minute of it.”
On the Thursday show, the family made it up to the $4,000 question. During Friday’s show the family did not use a single “lifeline” until they reached the $50,000 question. They used their next lifeline in correctly answering their $250,000 question. Unsure of the answer to the $500,000 question, they used their “Phone a Friend” lifeline to talk to North Caldwell psychologist Wayne Young. Still unsure of the answer and unwilling to risk losing $225,000 if they guessed incorrectly or suffering the consequences of using the “Double Dip” lifeline, they decided to walk away with the $250,000 they had already won. As it turned out, Mr. Young suggested the correct answer.
