Carleton College Archivist Eric Hillemann helped his friend Kevin Olmstead win the largest cash prize in television history by serving as Olmstead’s "phone a friend" lifeline on the popular TV game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
Olmstead won $2.18 million during last night’s broadcast of the ABC show, the most money ever awarded to a television game show contestant. When he reached the $250,000 question, he called Hillemann for assistance in choosing the correct answer. "I had agreed to be his lifeline on any literature questions," said Hillemann, who was pleased to help out and relieved he knew the answer to the question. When Olmstead asked "Who collaborated with Walker Evans on his book ‘Let Us Now Praise Famous Men,’" Hillemann knew the answer was James Agee, but waited until Olmstead read all of the possible answers before saying anything. Olmstead went on to answer the last two questions correctly to win the multi-million dollar jackpot.
"I’m hoping my tip is somewhere between buying me dinner and paying off the mortgage on my house," Hillemann said of his friend’s yet-to-be known generosity.
Hillemann and Olmstead are acquainted through their activities with the college academic quiz team circuit. Hillemann coaches Carleton’s academic quiz team and Olmstead coaches the team at the University of Michigan. The two men also belong to an ad hoc question-writing company that provides questions to quiz team tournaments.
Given the fact that he knows so many people in academic quiz team circles, it’s no surprise that Hillemann knows more than 20 people who have appeared on "Millionaire." He has been asked to be a "phone a friend" lifeline for two other contestants besides Olmstead.
Hillemann won $20,700 last fall on the game show "Jeopardy," and until recently thought he was ineligible to try out for "Millionaire." "It turns out I could have been trying to get on the show for the last six months," he said, since "Jeopardy" is in syndication and participation on that show does not preclude participation on network shows, as Hillemann originally thought.