Chris Walton has always been an avid reader, being one of the few people he knows that have read more reference books than novels. He has always had a knack for Trivia, having an almanac at 9 years old, and devouring the information, as he will soon tell you. And on the nights of July 10 and 12, 2001, Chris dominated 11 of his 15 questions on WWTBAM ... only to have the 12th question dominate him. Chris re-lives his near Million Dollar Experience with WWTBAM2001.tripod.com.

WS: First off Chris, Congratulations on your appearance, and thank you for your time with us. First off, what are your opinions on the Phone Game and the Millionaire Auditions?

CW: I'm somewhat in awe of the people who make it to "Millionaire" via the phone game. I tried several times, made it past the first part, then never got the callback the next day. The audition in Boise was a lot of fun. Most of the prospective contestants were trivia buffs, so there was plenty of good conversation to be had.

WS: We have seen a small peek of what goes on Behind the Scenes in the WWTBAM Behind the Scenes Special in May, 2000, but basically what happens from the time you arrive in New York to the taping of the show?

CW: We (my wife Sherri and I) arrived at LaGuardia Airport on a Sunday afternoon. In the baggage area there was a gentleman holding a sign with my name on it. He drove us to the Empire Hotel, taking a long detour to avoid the Puerto Rican Day parade. We actually saw a lot more of Manhattan than we had expected. At check-in we received a packet of instructions, including the phone number of a show representative who lives right there at the hotel. A meeting of all ten contestants was held in her room that evening, where she went over some of the rules, reviewed our on-air clothing choices and gave us our $50-per-day meal money. The next morning we were all driven by shuttle to the studios, where we met with our personal producers, who went over more show rules and asked us questions about biographical information to use on the program. Then it was up to the studio, where an attorney briefed us about possible problems that might occur and more show rules. We were seated in our fastest-finger positions, told which cameras to look at, then given six fastest-finger rehearsal questions. After that they fed us in the ABC commissary, then marched the ten contestants to the dressing rooms to get ready. We were given professional makeup jobs and taken to the studio, where the audience was already seated. One at a time we were introduced by the floor manager. We waved to the crowd and took our seats.

WS: Regis seems to be a pro at the game - what were your opinions on him?

CW: He's a good conversationalist and quick with comebacks. However, even though I made it to the hot seat and came back a second day, I didn't get to talk much with Regis. I think he likes to keep his distance from the contestants, because he knows he could be dashing their hopes and dreams at any moment. But he seems very nice.

WS: Chris, you were a real pro at the game yourself - you won $64,000 without using a lifeline - a rare feat - then you missed on the $125,000 question. That question was pretty tough - what were your feelings as you used your lifelines and missed it?

CW: Once I saw the $125,000 question, I honestly didn't expect my lifelines to help. I considered myself sunk. The toughest question for me was whether I should walk away or go for the big bucks, and you saw which I chose. In retrospect, I should have realized this about the 50/50 lifeline: when one answer seems reasonable and the other doesn't, choose the one that doesn't. They told us at the attorney briefing that 50/50 isn't random. One answer is clearly there to try to throw you off. When "ethology" seemed like a good answer, I should have realized that "ekistics" was it. But it's a lot easier for me to say that now, when I'm not sitting in the hot seat.

WS: You seem to have a broad range of trivia, and you mentioned a little bit on the show that you were a bit of a "trivia buff." How did you accumulate all of your knowledge?

CW: I've always been a reader, and when I was nine years old my mom bought me a World Almanac. For some reason I devoured it, sports statistics, history and all. The almanac created in me a love of reference and list-type books. I'm one of the few avid readers I know who's read more reference books than novels.

WS: What are your plans for that $32,000?

CW: I can't say that I have anything really exciting planned. We still owe some money on my wife's car, so we'll probably finish paying off that. Then I'll more-than-likely shop for a car of my own, since I'm currently driving a 1985 Mercury station wagon, and it's beginning to fall apart. If there's money left over, I'll invest.

WS: Chris, do you have any tips to offer for potentional WWTBAM Contestants?

CW: What I mentioned earlier about the 50/50 lifeline is a pretty good tip. If you have absolutely no idea, such as is often the case on definition-type questions, use the 50/50 and go with the one that makes no sense whatsoever. And when you're sitting in your fastest-finger chair, getting the question right really is more important than speed. It took me 8.53 seconds to win, but I was the only one who answered correctly. Here's one last tip: having a friend sitting at home with a high-speed computer and "Google" at the ready is smart. If one of my phone-a-friends had a computer, I might have answered the $125,000 question correctly.

WS: Finally Chris, thank you for your time, and good luck to you.

CW: Thank you, also! Appearing on "Millionaire" was lots of fun, with or without the money. I've been recognized everywhere, including at a gift shop in Yellowstone Park and standing in line at Wendy's. The program definitely has an effect on lots of people.