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MARLBORO — When he realized he'd need help reciting the words to a nursery rhyme, Michael Geller of Marlboro could have guessed he was in for trouble.

ABC's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" host Meredith Vieira wanted to know what lyrics followed "seven, eight" in the popular children's song, "One, Two, Buckle my Shoe."

Geller, a contestant on the show's Jan. 19 episode, asked for a little help from the audience — which came back with a nearly split vote on the correct answer. Then he took advantage of a Double Dip lifeline, which allows contestants to give two answers.

One of those answers, "Lay them straight," was his ticket to $1,000.

And that was just the first question.

"I was cool, calm and collected until that happened, and I lost it at that point," recalled a laughing Geller.

"But it certainly was a lot of fun," added Geller, who listed chatting up "Today" co-host Vieira among the highlights of his experience.

His brief stint on the game show ended with his decision to walk away with $16,000 — just three correctly answered questions into the game.

Another 12 and the electrical supplies salesman could have been a millionaire. The show offers increasing cash prizes for every correctly answered question up to $1 million.

But Geller hadn't exactly wanted to be a millionaire in the first place.

In June, Geller had joined his 23-year-old son, Ryan, who originally signed up for the "Millionaire" audition, for what the Gellers thought might just be a fun father-son outing in New York.

The 20-something didn't score high enough to pass the general knowledge test required to participate on the show. But the younger Geller convinced his father to take the test, and dad made the cut out of some 500 millionaire wannabes at ABC studios, Michael Geller said.

The family headed to ABC Studios on West 66th Street in New York Sept. 24 for the taping. When Vieira asked the elder Geller what film featured the author of "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" — a question worth $25,000 — Michael Geller threw in the towel.

He had already lost all his lifelines, he reasoned, and if he had guessed incorrectly, he would have fallen back to $1,000 in winnings.

Michael Geller says he made the right decision. He said he might have guessed "Gandhi," but the correct answer was "Lawrence of Arabia," about British soldier and author T.E. Lawrence.

He said he may not have gone home with the million, but he did walk away with $16,000 more than he had before the show.

He celebrated his win with a night out with friends at Darryl Wine Bar and Restaurant in New Brunswick. The rest of his winnings, he said, may go to a bathroom renovation and a possible vacation in Mexico with his wife, Randy.

"And I've got bills like everybody else," added the father of two, Ryan and 20-year-old Alyson.

In the meantime, Geller is looking forward to a rerun of the episode and is planning to take a shot at being a "Jeopardy!" contestant in the coming year.

And the million-dollar question: What might he have done with $1 million?

"I would have thrown one hell of a party," he said with a smile.

madamemeisha wrote:That article didn't make sense. What did they mean, he only answered three questions correctly?

But Geller hadn't exactly wanted to be a millionaire in the first place.

In June, Geller had joined his 23-year-old son, Ryan, who originally signed up for the "Millionaire" audition, for what the Gellers thought might just be a fun father-son outing in New York.

MarleysGh0st wrote:

But Geller hadn't exactly wanted to be a millionaire in the first place.

In June, Geller had joined his 23-year-old son, Ryan, who originally signed up for the "Millionaire" audition, for what the Gellers thought might just be a fun father-son outing in New York.

I've got to admit that some of us start twitching when we hear this "reluctant auditioner" story.

But I guess that means I probably didn't recognize your dad from previous auditions.

Millionaire Fan wrote:

madamemeisha wrote:That article didn't make sense. What did they mean, he only answered three questions correctly?

I know he answered 9 out of 15 questions correctly. I should call up the paper and tell them they have a typo in one of their articles.

Millionaire Fan wrote: That was our first time we ever auditioned for Millionaire. We originally auditioned for Movie Week. My father had passed both the movie and regular tests, but he ended up getting selected for the regular show.

MarleysGh0st wrote:

Millionaire Fan wrote: That was our first time we ever auditioned for Millionaire. We originally auditioned for Movie Week. My father had passed both the movie and regular tests, but he ended up getting selected for the regular show.

Movie Week? Were you at the auditions they had on Saturday, June 14? (Yes, I see your name's on the audition list!) First session?

Maybe I did notice your family there.