Alumna gets her shot with Regis

IU alumna Becky Wallihan made her television debut Tuesday night, schmoozing with Regis Philbin as a contestant on the ABC primetime quiz show "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire."\nAnd while she didn't walk away a million dollars richer, the 22-year-old Wallihan was awarded $64,000 in cash prizes. She had used all her lifelines by the $64,000 question and quit the game when she declined to answer a question about the book "Naked Lunch." \nWallihan claims she's always enjoyed watching the program but was "never the kind of person who turned it on every night -- if I have nothing else to do then I might turn it on." But when the show announced it would be holding open auditions in Indianapolis in April, she decided to give it a try.\nThe first stage of the process consisted of a written test to be completed in 12 minutes. Those who pass this stage are granted a short interview, according to the ABC Web site. From those interviewed, 10 to 20 contestants are chosen from each city holding auditions. \nWallihan was one of the chosen few. \nA former IU tennis standout and Wells Scholar, Wallihan says she feels her undergraduate studies in biochemistry and physics prepared her well for medical school at IUPUI. \n"Classes were great -- most of the time," Wallihan said. "IU has some of the best professors, and they helped me prepare for the future."\nIt's a future rich in prospects. Wallihan is serving as a summer intern for Lilly Pharmeceuticals in Indianapolis. Upon graduation from medical school, she plans to possibly enter the field of radiology.\nAccording to Scott Sanders, director of the Wells Scholars Program, Wallihan was "very quiet" and dedicated tremendously to tennis. \n"I\'m not really sure why they chose me," Wallihan admitted. "I think that they are looking for more minorities and women, and they are trying get more young people, so all of that could\'ve had something to do with it."\nSix weeks after learning she'd been chosen, the show's producers contacted Wallihan and set her up with a taping date. They flew her and her boyfriend to New York -- "a lot of fun," she said.\nThe taping spanned two hours, Wallihan said, but she had to be at the studio all day. Upon arrival, she consulted briefly with other contestants and the associate producers. \nContestants then went on-set and practiced "fast-finger questions" to acclimate themselves to operating the console. Following that session, contestants were presented with a legal briefing. They then retired to dressing rooms to "have makeup caked on" their faces, Willihan said. \nThe biggest surprise? The set.\n"It's smaller than it looks on TV," Wallihan said. "It is actually kind of intimate and I could make contact with some members of the audience."\nShe said she decided before the show aired she wouldn't answer any question worth more than $32,000 she couldn't answer.\nShe walked away at $64,000, satisfied. \n"I decided to walk away at $64,000 because when you\'re in med school, with loans and everything, that\'s a lot of money and can make a serious dent in my debt," Wallihan said.