Freshman appears on 'Millionaire' show

Matthew Stevenson skipped a day of high school last spring for the chance to go after a million dollars. Sunday, the country learned of Stevenson's fate as a contestant on the ABC game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." \nStevenson walked away with $1000. He watched the show Sunday with family and friends.\n"I was pretty wired to see myself on national television," said Stevenson late Sunday night. "The money will probably be sent directly to Indiana University."\nStevenson, a freshman political science and history major, traveled from Plainfield, Ind., to Indianapolis for an audition, which consisted of a written test, and an interview with officials from the game show. After being selected, Stevenson was flown, all-expenses-paid, to New York City where the show is taped.\n"Skipping school was worth it," Stevenson said. "It was lots of fun, seeing how a TV show is made. And I got to meet people from across the nation." \nStevenson described an intense scene in the Hot Seat, the center seat on stage for the contestant who beat the other players on "fastest finger" questions.\n"When you first hear (the music), you really know you're on the show, but after a while, it gets annoying," Stevenson said. \nBut he was relaxed by Regis Philbin. \n"Regis was a nice guy," Stevenson said. "He jokes with the contestants and is real comforting." \nStevenson's roommate, Justin Long, also got to experience "Millionaire," but from a different perspective. He and Stevenson's father were two of Stevenson's Phone-a-Friend life lines. Long, a freshman biochemistry major, was chosen for his science knowledge. \nAlthough Stevenson called another friend to be his on-air lifeline, representatives of the show called Long to notify him that his friend advanced to the Hot Seat. He was on call for several hours.\n"I was pretty excited, along with everyone else in the house," Long said. "It's been great, to tell everyone that I was a lifeline"