On Thanksgiving of 2000, Robb and Micah Aldridge were one of the lucky family teams to make it to the hotseat in the WWTBAM Family Edition. Through their good teamwork, the managed to win $32,000, missing the $125,000 Offering. Robb and Micah re-live their experience in this exclusive interview with WWTBAM2001.tripod.com

WS: Robb and Micah, Congratulations on your appearance, and thanks for your time with us. First of all, how were you guys selected for the show? There didn't seem to be any announcements in the media.

R&MA: We qualified under the "old" phone in systems, i.e. call when the lines are open and answer three questions, get a call back (maybe!) and then answer five questions. When we qualified with the three, the recording came on with the "family show" option, which required playing alongside a child between the ages of nine and seventeen. We selected that option, as we felt there would be fewer people who would do so and our odds would be better. After all, not everyone who made the first round qualification was likely to also have a child in the right age bracket.

WS: How did the show accommodate you in New York?

R&MA: Since ours was a family oriented show, they offered to fly back our entire family. That was nice, as there are five children in all. So instead of having to fly and put up two people, WWTBAM did so for all seven of us. Had a stretch limo pick us up at the airport, which all the kids thought was "really cool", although they are so common in New York City that they didn't get the attention they thought they would. They provided two large rooms at the Empire Hotel for two nights, just a few blocks from the studio. Show pays for hotel, airfare and transportation from the airport. Per diem for food isn't enough because after all, this is New York. Certainly a nice day out though and in general, the show treats the contestants very well.

WS: You guys won $32,000, which came in 2nd for the Family Edition. How do you plan to use this money - and please don't tell me you split it 50:50.

R&MA: You have to pay taxes on it, of course, so there goes a third or so. Each of the five children got a small share, which Micah invested back into a 1966 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia he is fixing up. Dad just paid off some bills.

WS: What is it like in the hotseat with all that pressure ... the music, lighting, and even Regis?

R&MA: They actually don't play the (sometimes annoying) background music on the air but rather dub it in afterward (or at least, that is what they did with us). The various cameras are set well back but must have big lenses, as they can zoom in for tight close-ups. It was a bit disconcerting, as you never knew when you are on camera or not. As to the pressure, let's just say that like everything else in life, it is much easier to watch than to actually do.

WS: Give us a brief summary of what happens from when you get to New York to the Taping of the Show.

R&MA: The night before, you meet with the resident coordinator at the hotel, who looks over the two sets of clothing you intend to take to the taping. Since they usually do multiple shows a day, this allows you to change and make it look like you are "back" for another show when you didn't really go anywhere but to the dressing rooms.

The day of the show, they pick you up and take you to the studios. Meet with legal and then the producers, who ask a lot of background questions so that they can feed some interesting facts to Regis. Then to the studio, practice the fast finger a few times, wave to the cameras, sit in the hotseat so they can check heights, etc. Change clothes, get makeup applied and fitted with the wireless microphone. By then the stands are filled and it is back to the "arena" again. It is interesting that it takes 2 to 2 1/2 hours to tape a show, especially considering that there is only 45 minutes or so of air time.

WS: What were your opinions on Regis?

R&MA: Regis is a pro, in all senses of the word. Very little chit chat and even less eye contact when the cameras are off. Lots of life and animation when they are on. All in all, he is very good at what he does. We were surprised to see that much of the banter we thought was ad lib was actually coming across the monitors for him to read. Does it very well.....

WS: Do you have any tips to offer for potential WWTBAM Contestants?

R&MA: (1) Use the "ask the audience" for popular culture questions and remember, they are statistically right over 90% of the time.

(2) Don't put much faith in the "50-50". They claim it is random but I don't believe it, since the two most likely always seem to be the ones remaining.

(3) Obviously, give some thought to picking your five "phone a friends". Make sure that at least one of them is online with Google during the time you might call. If the question is short enough that a key word search would work, have some kind of a code when you call and give them the key words first, then read the entire question. If we'd done this, we would have won $125,000

(4) Can't get to the hot seat unless you win the fast finger, so practice it! Four raised buttons in a row across the bottom of the panel, plus a "lock" button at the upper right. You have to get to a point where it is like touch typing, i.e. you don't look at the keys at all. Start with your thumbs on the B and C keys to cut down on movements. If you can't complete the fast finger in 5 seconds or so, you'll probably not going to get a chance to play.

(5) If someone is going on, send me an email if you have other questions!

WS: Once Again Robb and Micah, Thank You for your time with us, and Best of Luck to you.