By Tina Romito
Anxious and nervous to be on the hot seat on WABC’s game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”, University student, Billy Breuer managed to smile continuously while on the show. Anyone who knows Breuer would know that he is always smiling.
Many people would feel nervous being on national television, on a game show, sitting next to a host who is serving questions to you on the hot seat that are worth both money and your reputation yet Breuer remained composed. Sitting next to Meredith didn’t cause Breuer to feel nervous at all. She actually made his experience a little less nerve-racking.
Breuer said, “Meredith was really cool. We talked a little during the commercial breaks. I wasn’t nervous at all around her.” Two weeks after the show Meredith sent Breuer a handwritten card and wrote that she hoped he had fun on the show.
As calm as Breuer seemed, when confronted with a question that sent him out to sea, Breuer reached out for life preservers and used both the 50/50 lifeline and his phone call lifeline on the question: “Used to extend shelf life, hydrogenated oil is the process of adding hydrogen to what?”
Even after using the lifelines, he still gave the wrong answer. Although Breuer didn’t come home from the show a millionaire, he still won $16,000, which is more than his fraternity brother, senior Scott Bienick, who came home with $1,000. Breuer plans to mostly save and use the money to pay back his parents money that he has borrowed. If he won the $1,000,000 prize, Breuer said that he would probably buy a house here on Long Island. He plans to live and go to graduate school on Long Island.
Breuer landed a spot on the show because the producers of the show came to the University last year in search of college contestants. Testing and interviewing areas were set up on campus for any student who wished to audition. Breuer and Bieniek both auditioned for the show. Breuer didn’t have a lifelong dream to be on television but he figured no had nothing to lose by auditioning. Bieniek received a call first and was filmed for the show. Almost a year later, Bieniek received a surprising phone call. He was shocked since Bieniek had already been on the show. Breuer had no idea that his name was going to remain on a waiting list to air on the show.
During the two months prior to filming the show, Breuer and his family moved from their Garden City home to a new house in Malverne. While in the process of moving, Breuer still managed to prepare as much as he felt possible by watching “Jeopardy” and answering random questions that his brother asked him.
“There is no real way to prepare for the show. I had no idea what kinds of questions they were going to ask. I just had to hope that I knew the answers,” Breuer said.
The contestants on the show were allowed to bring only one guest to come down with them when the show was taped. Breuer decided to bring his brother, Mike, whose birthday was that month so Breuer brought him along as a birthday gift.
The week of Jan. 12, Breuer and his brother were flown down to Disney World in Florida. Hours upon landing, Breuer, his brother and the other contestants from colleges all over the United States were brought to the Magic Kingdom, MGM studios, Animal Kingdom,and Epcot Center, where they had the privilege to cut the lines. Aside from winning money, being a contestant on the show was also a great opportunity to meet new people. Breuer made a few friends with some of the other contestants and has kept in contact with them over the phone.
On the flight home a passenger recognized him as one of the contestants from the show. This wasn’t the only acknowledgement that Breuer received after being on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”. Since he’s been home, Breuer was recognized while out to dinner with his dad by the Lynbrook fire inspector. He has been receiving E-mails on www.thefacebook.com from college girls from all across the U.S. showing interest in meeting him. A modeling agency has called him recently. Being on the show has now made Breuer a well-known person.
Prior to being on the show Breuer, was noticed at Loyola College in Maryland for his attributes. Breuer attended Loyola College in Maryland his freshman year of college. Although Breuer moved back to Long Island, he still went to Loyola some weekends to visit all the friends he made the year that he attended. He visited so much that some of the female students didn’t know that he wasn’t attending Loyola anymore and still voted him the hottest sophomore at Loyola.
At the University, Breuer is president of his fraternity, Tau Epsilon Phi, which won the Chapter of the Year award two years in a row. Breuer joined Tau Epsilon Phi because he wanted to be involved in the Hofstra community and meet new people. While on campus, Breuer still shows his pride by wearing his University sweatshirt that he bought to wear on the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” show. His fraternity is very involved in the community. In October, they volunteered at Nassau Medical Center in East Meadow to paint pumpkins with the sick children. Last semester they participated in “Songs of Love”, in which University students recorded a personalized song for a child in Wantagh who is battling Leukemia. Breuer’s fraternity also participated in the University’s Sinterklaas holiday festival. One part of the annual Dutch holiday festival is decorating the sorority and fraternity tables in the Rat which is downstairs in the student center. The Phi Epsilon sorority and Breuer’s fraternity, whose tables are neighbors, teamed up to help decorate each other’s tables. They split the award for best-decorated table.
“Breuer was really helpful with the organization of the event. He always has a positive attitude and is always smiling,” Shannon Hegy of the Phi Epsilon sorority, said.
One upcoming event that Breuer’s fraternity is participating in, along with every other fraternity and sorority at the University, is a 9/11 benefit show for the families of the 9/11 victims in the U.S.A. building at the University, March 10.
Breuer said that Tau Epsilon Phi will most likely be performing a comedy skit.
During his senior year, Breuer was co-captain of his football team and played North Babylon for the second year in a row for the Long Island championship. After losing the year before to North Babylon, the victory for Breuer’s team was colossal. Bill Breuer, Breuer’s dad, feels that being on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” was the best thing that has happened since winning the Long Island championship that year.
Breuer said, “No matter what he accomplishes, Billy still has to take out the garbage and walk Scruffy.”
Breuer, left, enjoys spending time with his fraternity brothers in the Rathskellar when he has free time. (Tina Romito/The Chronicle)