Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 1992)
Game-show winner cites skill Luck not involved with win, he says By Shannon Uehling Staff Reporter Joe Ryan doesn’t have much faith in luck. Ryan, a senior political science stu dent, competed and won on MTV’s “Remote Control’’ game show in Decem ber 1988. Ryan only partially attributes getting on the show to luck. But his success was a product of skill and positive attitude, he said. “I don’t think I was lucky,” he said. “1 went out and expected to win.” That attitude paid off, he said. Big. Ryan won several expensive prizes, such as a 1989 Mitsubishi Montero, a stereo, a television, a Soloflex machine, a Karaoke-type machine, a bike, a camera, some compact discs and “some sort of musical instrument," he said. The odyssey to Orlando, Fla., began at the University of Xebraska-Uncoln, where Ryan competed against 100 potential contestants. He first had to take a written quiz, identify nine rock videos and prove he had “personality” before the group was cut down to 20 and, eventually, to the five contestants. MTV' flew those five to Florida for the game show. The trip itself was a quick one, Ryan said. He spent one evening in Orlando and was on his way back to Nebraska the same day as the taping of the show. Ryan said he wasn’t very nervous about being on television. The people at MTV look the lime to show the contestants around the studio and let them practice the game before the taping. As soon as the practice was over, three of the five contestants were put on the set to begin the taping “and 22 minutes later it was over,” Ryan said. The best part of the experience, Ryan said, was meeting the people on the show and the other contestants. Ryan said that show member Collin Quinn was a pretty nice guy, even though Quinn said something rude about Ryan. “He ragged on me,” Ryan said. Ryan said Quinn commented that Ryan was the type of guy to be the first in a crowd to point out a foul smell. Another perk to being on “Remote Control," Ryan said, was staying at Orlando’s Peabody Hotel. MTV paid for all the contestants’ expenses except food. Although the “vacation” lasted only one day, Ryan said it was nice to get away. The weather in Florida was consid erably warmer than in Nebraska. Ryan said he also prepared for “Re moteControl’’ through another game: the old KSPN show, ‘Superbowl of Sports Trivia.” He said he was concerned that being on the sports trivia show would disaual ify him for “Remote Control.” But nothing came of his apprehension. Although Ryan had the good fortune to be among the first 100 contestants and the final three to be selected, he put more of his faith in himself. “The questions are easy and the people you go against are pretty much idiots,” he said. “You go out and blow their socks off. Or you don’t get any points at all."Jfe And that is anything but luck. Flash of fright Lightning strikes too close to home By Thomas Clouse Senior Editor Many people may be feeling lucky this St. Patrick’s Day, but there are some who have been struck by misfortune. Struck by lightning, to be exact. For those who are unfortunate enough to be too close to where lightning strikes, the consequences sometimes can be deadly. But regardless of whether people are in jured when lightning strikes, they will never forget it. One person who was unfortunate enough to be too close to a lightning strike was Gene McKenzie of I'remont. About seven years ago, McKenzie was sitting next to his fireplace, which had a steel chimney, when lightning struck it, and the electricity jumped onto his back. “It didn’t burn my back, but I was worried about my heart,” McKenzie said. The surge did not hurl, he said, but he suffered minor shock afterwards. “I felt a little weak and a little drawn, like all my energy waspulledoutofme,” he said. Although getting struck by lightning would seem very unlucky, McKenzie said he didn’t see it that way. “1 would say that I am lucky that I survived and have had no side effects," McKenzie said. The only way to have avoided the blast would have been to sit farther away from the fireplace, he said. “Looking back, I guess that wasn’t the smartest place to be sitting during a thun derstorm,” McKenzie said. Although lightning is said never to strike in the same place twice, McKenzie said he still respected lightning. “I worry about not having lightning rods on my house,” he said. But lightning and thunder are cool. 1 hey are like natural fireworks in reverse. 1 he flash comes first, then comes the blast. As children, my brothers and sisters used to try to figure out what caused thunder and lightning. One educated theory was that lightning came from clouds colliding with each other • and thunder came from angels wrestling. We wou Id sit arou nd, trying to scare each other by telling stories: Thunder was God’s way of saying that we had been bad. Thunder storms can be scary if you are in a dark, lonely room. But as children, your parents always seemed to have enough room in theirbig, warm bed to chase the evil thunder away. Then you became too old and too “big to be scared of such wimpy things like thunder, and you reached the stage of challenging lightning to strike where you are. But as you grew older, you learned to respect the power of nature and the danger involved. We learned in junior-high science class that lightning was actually a discharge of atmospheric electricity from one cloud to another or between a cloud and the earth. We were also taught that the thunder blast was caused by the sudden heating and expansion of air by an electrical discharge. Then after you found out what it was, you reached the stage where lightning could again frighten you — when you’re alone at night and you awaken to that big flash Jk of blue light. Catch-A-Ray Tanning Salon Spring Break Special 7 sessions for $20 or one unlimited month for $45 catch-a-ra/'T® m 233 N. 48th Suite Q/ In Eastview Shopping Center 464-4386 Interested in an International Assignment? Mennonite Central Committee, the social concerns organization for North American Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches, seeks committed Christian Volunteers. Needed: Health Workers, Agriculturists, Teachers, Community services workers and others Meet MCC representative Dana Neff at Carreer Information Day, Thursday, March 12, 9:30-3:30 in the City Union. Our Steaks Taste Better Because They Are Better. Somebody still goes to the trouble to do things the right way. The best way. That s the way we do things at Golden Corral. Maybe that s why everything tastes better at Golden Corral. ■790 Sirloin Dinner I v< I Get a 7 Oz. sirloin diner for 79tf ■ when you purhase the salad bar for $5.29 I ® >. - —i ' —'.oo<i Kor All Member* Of Your Parly. ^'ot Valid WUh Other Oder* At Participating ^leatauranU Tax Not Included ^2W«J 79^ Shrimp Dinner ■ Get a shrimp dinner for 790 I when you purchase the salad bar for $5.29 It'iood Kor All Mrmbrr* Of Your Party. a Jxot Valid With Olhrr Offer*. At Participating B U<r*iaurant* Ta* Xot Included Ku^rr* 6145 "O" Street Lincoln, Ne. 488-2802 Paul Rieken-Partner/Manager