Student gets greedy on quiz show

Early one Friday morning this spring, while the rest of campus slept, first-year Law student Erica Schauber was at Cavanaugh's beginning the odyssey that would ultimately land her on one of television's hottest new game shows: Greed.

The Fox game show rides the tails of the smash hit Who Wants to be a Millionaire, but ups the stakes to include group competition. The greed sets in when contestants are pitted against their own team members in head-to-head showdowns.

From a young age, Schauber has possessed a passion for quiz shows, even joining a quiz team during high school. It was, therefore, only a natural progression for her to audition last March 24 to be a contestant on Greed's college tournament special.

"My best friend from Law school saw the sign and told me about the tryouts," she said. But, in true mental preparation for the game, she noted that "we didn't tell anyone else... we were greedy."

Schauber estimated that 25 Penn students attended the try-outs during the morning session. However, only one student would ultimately be selected to represent each school.

Each potential contestant was given a multiple choice test with questions ranging from TV shows to state capitols to weapons used in fencing, according to Schauber. Of those that passed the preliminary test, an interview was conducted and pictures taken.

"We were looking for someone who would have fun," Greed Contestant Coordinator Michele Meyd said of the selection process.

"We're not stoic and serious like Jeopardy and not off-the-wall like The Price is Right," Meyd explained. "We want people that are risky, want to go all the way."

And Schauber fit the profile. In true Hollywood fashion, Schauber was flown out to Los Angeles, all expenses paid, to the CBS studios where the show is taped.

But even this once-in-a-lifetime-experience came with its compromises.

"The next week were my finals for Law school," Schauber said. "I made a sacrifice, but it was worth it."

When she arrived in LA, Schauber met up with her fellow teammates for the show from Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Brown and Columbia. Together, they would form Team Ivy League.

Also competing that weekend would be teams representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten and Pac-Ten.

Though the contestants were told during orientation that they should not feel rushed in answering any question, Schauber admitted that it was hard not to feel pressured during the taping.

"I don't think the questions are hard," she said. "But it is luck of the draw whether you know the question you get."

Schauber attributed most of the questions to a "whole lot of random, useless knowledge."

Though Schauber is prohibited from discussing the outcome of the game before it is aired, she did say that she and the other members of team Ivy League have stayed in touch -- "just like a Greed family."

And Meyd commented that Schauber's performance on the show was "awesome."

College Tournament Greed is one in a series of themed programs that the quiz show has broadcast, including 70's Greed and TV Expert Greed.

The first episode of College Tournament Greed will air on Fox at 9 p.m. on May 29.

After her television appearance, Schauber said she is hooked, and would not hesitate to do it all again.

"I'm addicted," she said.

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