WWTBAM Bored

Does anyone know when Millionaire auditions will be starting in NYC or what number to call to find out the dates? Advertisement during the show for auditions for the new season started last week, but no information has been posted on the website.
I would appreciate your help!

No info yet. You might as well hang around here, though. This is likely to be the second place that the information will show up on the web.

Thank you, I will stay on the bored. I know last year's auditions started early because of the Olympics, but thought 2007's auditions also begin by mid-May. Do you know how far in advance of the first auditions the dates will be posted?

KEBmom wrote:Thank you, I will stay on the bored. I know last year's auditions started early because of the Olympics, but thought 2007's auditions also begin by mid-May. Do you know how far in advance of the first auditions the dates will be posted?

Usually, there is about one month's notice.

They did update the official rules last Thursday, which had us believing that the audition announcement was about to happen. That wasn't the case, though.

It is strange that they're running the audition promos on the show without updating the web page.

Thanks for all of the info. Any guesses on why auditions would begin later this year?

Mom! You're back! You should audition for Famous Names Week!

KEBmom wrote:Any guesses on why auditions would begin later this year?

Last year, they started taping in July, then had a break in August while Meredith went to cover the Olympics, but in the early seasons they didn't start taping until September. They might be deciding to do that again this year, but we'll have no way of knowing until they make an announcement. I don't know what Meredith's work schedule is like at the Today show--whether it makes more sense for her to tape Millionaire in the summer or fall.

Now, with Regis doing a couple weeks of the show for primetime this summer, they've got to work that into the schedule, too. I presume they'll use the same studio for both versions of the show, as they did last time Super Millionaire was aired.

KEBmom wrote:Does anyone know when Millionaire auditions will be starting in NYC or what number to call to find out the dates? Advertisement during the show for auditions for the new season started last week, but no information has been posted on the website.
I would appreciate your help!

The WWTBAM hotline number is: 212-456-4610.

Thanks for all of the explanations and telephone number. I called the number but got recording saying Season 7 had concluded and to watch the website for updates. Do any of you know details about PTBAM tryouts?

KEBmom wrote:Thanks for all of the explanations and telephone number. I called the number but got recording saying Season 7 had concluded and to watch the website for updates. Do any of you know details about PTBAM tryouts?

Look for a topic at the top of the 'Bored' named Audition Advice.

Thoughtful Bored Buddies prepared it for just this type of question.

christie1111 wrote:

KEBmom wrote:Thanks for all of the explanations and telephone number. I called the number but got recording saying Season 7 had concluded and to watch the website for updates. Do any of you know details about PTBAM tryouts?

Look for a topic at the top of the 'Bored' named Audition Advice.

Thoughtful Bored Buddies prepared it for just this type of question.

That's advice about the syndicated show auditions. For prime time, many of us are hoping that TPTB will bring back the phone game, as they did when Super Millionaire last aired in 2004, but none of us will know what TPTB decide to do until TPTB make an announcement, which they'll do in their own, sweet time.

Hopefully the announcements regarding auditions for both syndicated and PT will be made soon. I will be in NYC in two weeks and had hoped to audition then. If PT will air in August, I would think auditions would be soon.

New York City auditions start on May 18th. People who audition may be considered for either the Syndicated or the Network program, at Producer's sole discretion.

Millionaire Fan wrote:New York City auditions start on May 18th. People who audition may be considered for either the Syndicated or the Network program, at Producer's sole discretion.

Do you have a source for this that you can share? --Bob

Bob78164 wrote:

Millionaire Fan wrote:New York City auditions start on May 18th. People who audition may be considered for either the Syndicated or the Network program, at Producer's sole discretion.

Do you have a source for this that you can share? --Bob

I got the info from the Millionaire website.

Millionaire Fan wrote:New York City auditions start on May 18th. People who audition may be considered for either the Syndicated or the Network program, at Producer's sole discretion.

Source:

http://www.millionairetv.com/info-contestant.html




RIP Phone Game.

Are contestants who appeared on the syndicated version eligible to audition for the primetime version of Millionaire?

Millionaire Fan wrote:Are contestants who appeared on the syndicated version eligible to audition for the primetime version of Millionaire?

No. Farther down the page, it says, "You must be 18 years of age or older, a resident of the 50 United States or District of Columbia, never played in the "hot seat" on either the network or syndicated Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and meet all eligibility requirements."

Good news for many is that more traveling auditions seem to be on the horizon.

Does anybody know when they'll post audition info on special theme weeks?

MarleysGh0st wrote:

Millionaire Fan wrote:New York City auditions start on May 18th. People who audition may be considered for either the Syndicated or the Network program, at Producer's sole discretion.

Source:

http://www.millionairetv.com/info-contestant.html




RIP Phone Game.

So the programming wizards at ABC think that large numbers of viewers are going to tune in, night after night, for 2 weeks to watch contestants who were cast through auditions? Good luck with that, ABC. I do suspect that TPTB will cast "better" contestants for the prime-time event, because, among other reasons they will want some big winners for promotional purposes. But they have willfully thrown away any chance of this reunion edition capturing the "appointment television" buzz that BAM first had when it burst on the scene in 1999.

MarleysGh0st wrote:

Millionaire Fan wrote:New York City auditions start on May 18th. People who audition may be considered for either the Syndicated or the Network program, at Producer's sole discretion.

Source:

http://www.millionairetv.com/info-contestant.html




RIP Phone Game.

I guess May 8, 2009 will be remembered as the new Black Friday . . .

It does occur to me that this announcement doesn't completely preclude a phone game; TPTB could maintain an APP and PPP simultaneously, as they did during the waning days of the old PTBAM. But even if that proves to be the case, with only 11 episodes in this special run, there would be very few contestant slots to be filled via the meritocratic qualification method that involves interaction with Fred.

Also of interest: the audition page on the BAM website says, "To get in the hot seat and have your shot at winning $1,000,000 you must pass a Millionaire Audition. We are auditioning for both Season 8 of the syndicated show with Meredith Vieira and the 10th Anniversary Network episodes hosted by Regis Philbin." I wonder if this implies that the money tree on the August PTBAM will only culminate at $1 million, and not at the higher levels seen in Super Millionaire. I guess this language could be read to mean, "To get in the hot seat and have your shot at winning at least $1,000,000 . . . . "

Hopefully they'll have June dates up soon, since that's when I'll be in NYC. Time to brush up on my interviewing - that's what seems to be tripping me up.

hbomb1947 wrote:

MarleysGh0st wrote:

Millionaire Fan wrote:New York City auditions start on May 18th. People who audition may be considered for either the Syndicated or the Network program, at Producer's sole discretion.

Source:

http://www.millionairetv.com/info-contestant.html




RIP Phone Game.

So the programming wizards at ABC think that large numbers of viewers are going to tune in, night after night, for 2 weeks to watch contestants who were cast through auditions? Good luck with that, ABC. I do suspect that TPTB will cast "better" contestants for the prime-time event, because, among other reasons they will want some big winners for promotional purposes. But they have willfully thrown away any chance of this reunion edition capturing the "appointment television" buzz that BAM first had when it burst on the scene in 1999.

If I may indulge in a moment of (gasp!) ontopicosity....

The vast majority of people neither know nor care where they get their contestants. "A game show where they cast their contestants through auditions?? None for me, thanks, flip it over to Hard Copy, will ya?"

Also, there are a great number of people here who have appeared on the syndicated show. For you to intimate that they made it on by being somehow inferior or mediocre and that they'll want "better" for primetime is insulting.

They could get the contestants by a scratch game at Mecca or a game of rochambeau, but they still won't recapture what they had when they first hit the scene.

Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower.
We will grieve not,
But rather find strength in what remains behind.

Sisyphean Fan wrote:

hbomb1947 wrote:

MarleysGh0st wrote: Source:

http://www.millionairetv.com/info-contestant.html




RIP Phone Game.

So the programming wizards at ABC think that large numbers of viewers are going to tune in, night after night, for 2 weeks to watch contestants who were cast through auditions? Good luck with that, ABC. I do suspect that TPTB will cast "better" contestants for the prime-time event, because, among other reasons they will want some big winners for promotional purposes. But they have willfully thrown away any chance of this reunion edition capturing the "appointment television" buzz that BAM first had when it burst on the scene in 1999.

If I may indulge in a moment of (gasp!) ontopicosity....

The vast majority of people neither know nor care where they get their contestants. "A game show where they cast their contestants through auditions?? None for me, thanks, flip it over to Hard Copy, will ya?"

I don't know about the "vast majority"; but during the glory days of PTBAM, at least a substantial percentage of viewers both knew and cared how the contestants made it onto the show. It was impossible not to know, with Regis's frequent announcements of the phone lines being open. Of course, lots of those viewers harbored hopes that they too had a shot, with no AP's to pass judgment on them. That made viewers more invested in the show, as viewing wasn't just a passive experience. Even if they never made it to the ROF, TOPG gave the audience a chance to participate, night after night. TOPG made the show unique, increased the ability of viewers to empathize with the contestants, and contributed heavily to the elevation of BAM to a cultural phenomenon. Stripped of this trademark component, it's just another game show. It's not that people will change the channel because of the auditions; rather, absent the buzz factor, fewer people will be motivated to tune in in the first place. I'm sure that nostalgia, Regis, and summer reruns on other channels will still cause the show to generate reasonably high ratings, especially at the outset; but I think that it will now be more difficult than it could have been for ABC to get viewers to sustain their interest over the entire 2-week run.

Sisyphean Fan wrote:Also, there are a great number of people here who have appeared on the syndicated show. For you to intimate that they made it on by being somehow inferior or mediocre and that they'll want "better" for primetime is insulting..

No one denies that there have been many great contestants on syndibam, including numerous denizens of this bored. But it is also difficult to dispute that large numbers of syndibam contestants were cast for daytime TV, chosen for "hooks," etc. (with the "famous names week" being one of the most egregious examples), with no regard to their game-playing ability. And it is also widely believed that, for budgetary reasons, the AP's have consciously avoided casting too many people who may have come across in the auditions as having the potential to take too much of Disney's money. Sure you had some llamas, etc. on PTBAM, but I would suggest that the daytime version has had a lot more of the type of contestant who has no clue which U.S. Presidential election in the last 20 years resulted in a recount. There's nothing inherent about holding auditions that requires these biases in the APs' selection process; but that is the way they have chosen to run things for syndibam. OTOH, I think it is reasonable to surmise that ABC will want to have some big winners, for ratings reasons, during the relatively brief August PTBAM run; and that is going to force them to select more for game-playing ability than they have when casting for syndibam. (Plus, given the typically much more substantial budgets in prime-time, financial constraints on having successful contestants will also be relaxed). Then again, ABC may not even act rationally in this respect; TPTB may go overboard on choosing contestants who have a hook for "needing the money." (this was suggested in some of the articles that were written back in January when the rumors first surfaced of the PTBAM revival).