By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
Tom Hatfield is proud of his time in the spotlight on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
Call his residence and the answering machine starts off with the theme from the show, then says he knows the Kentucky Derby is held in Louisville, Ky.
The derby response represents the question that stumped Hatfield when he got into the "hot seat" of the show, which was telecast on Thursday, March 1.
He came away with $1,000 after answering Lexington to the derby question and missing on $2,000.
"I was ready to go with Lexington no matter what. Even if I had a lifeline left, I don't think I would have used it," he said, referring to his quick use of the lifeline, calling Rhody's Bar, 2501 Church St., on Tuesday, Feb. 20, during taping of the show for the March 1 telecast.
Once he incorrectly answered the derby question, Hatfield said he knew he was going to take some razzing because he works for a sports information business in Nelsonville.
He said his wrong answer is also doubly puzzling because he had looked up the Triple Crown winners to prepare for the show and he was watching an episode of "M*A*S*H" after he got to New York and the characters were talking about Kentucky racing days.
He had called Rhody's as a lifeline regarding a question concerning the popular music group Destiny's Child, and said a high school student that worked with him asked if he know which member of the group had quit, which he didn't. He then looked up the group on the Internet, but didn't pay attention to any of the group's songs.
Despite the setback, Hatfield said he'd love to go back on the show. "It was great. I would recommend it to anyone just to try. It takes a lot of luck. I just ran into some questions I didn't know the answer to."
He was impressed with the treatment of guests on the show. "The way they treated us is just unbelievable. If you needed anything, you just asked."
On the Tuesday of the taping, he said they were secluded, but on Tuesday night they got out to see Times Square and Central Park. On Wednesday they also got to see some things before leaving at 5:45 p.m. to return to Stevens Point.
Since his return, he's had calls from people Kaukauna and Wisconsin Rapids who have advanced beyond the first stage of qualifying for the show. And he's talked with others in the area who went on the show, although they didn't reach the "hot seat."
Hatfield says he'd love to get back on the show, but doubts that he'll be able to. "I'm trying to talk Jamie into it," he said about his wife, adding that he'll have to check the rules to see if that's possible.