However, it's safe to say that if the host had anything to do with it, the contestants would have walked away with overstuffed wallets.
And to have fun in the process: Producers at the Stamford, Connecticut, taping over the summer regularly advised contestants to stay upbeat — almost issuing orders, on occasion, to the various officers and enlisted members that they enjoy themselves.
A photo from the production of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" on Aug. 20, 2015, in Stamford, Conn.
Photo Credit: David E. Steele, Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and TV Distribution
While each participant had to score well on a quiz to qualify for the show, staffers also screen for personality, camera presence, and the ability to function while surrounded by a studio audience buzzing on free candy and dance music.
Jackson, 37, entered the taping battle-tested: He won enough money on "Jeopardy!" in 2009 "to pay for my trip to L.A. for filming," he said, and was eager to try his luck — and his self-proclaimed "Velcro brain" — in a new format.
A photo from the production of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" on Aug. 20, 2015, in Stamford, Conn.
Photo Credit: David E. Steele, Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and TV Distribution
It worked. Pool and his wife headed to New York City and turned the Aug. 20 taping into an excuse for an East Coast vacation, then returned home with their lips sealed, barred from revealing the results prior to broadcast.
It wasn't a new feeling for Pool, 36, a prior-enlisted chief petty officer who has spent his career in intel work.
"My family and friends are used to it," he said. "I usually can't tell them anything."
Game-show gouge
"I have the greatest job in television as it is — my job is to give people money," Rowley said. "So when we can sort of stack the deck and give military people money, that feels even better. It's a nice way to say 'Thank you for your service,' but also to kind of put them on a pedestal — to say, 'Hey, here's a chance to win some real money.' "
One thing the show can't do, Rowley said, is break its format. While the game used four lifelines instead of the traditional three to give its military contestants a bit more help, there were still times when the amped-up audience would be brought down by a music stinger signifying an incorrect answer.
"That is the risk you run with these theme weeks," Harrison said. "You want it to be a positive experience. But at the end of the day, it's a game, and they have to be able to play that game somewhat well to be able to get some money. You do run the risk of them walking out of here without it, which is terrible. For the host, it's the last thing I want. I want the happy ending."
A photo from the production of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" on Aug. 20, 2015, in Stamford, Conn.
Photo Credit: David E. Steele, Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and TV Distribution
Showtime
Wade and Pool praised the show's staffers for their upbeat attitudes and their guidance throughout the taping, though both said they didn't have much to compare the experience with. Jackson, the Jeopardy! vet, said he appreciated the joint-ops atmosphere on set.
"It made the green room a whole lot more friendly, because everybody had the common, base knowledge," he said. "Even if you're in different services, everybody knows that the chow hall is full of bad food. ... It was nice sitting around. There were guys from all over."
The squared-away group also made Rowley's work corralling contestants easier, he said, adding that for this series of tapings, "we hear 'sir' a lot more."
Wade and Jackson plan to hold viewing parties in Arlington and at Andrews, respectively, so others can see their performances.
"My squadron is already looking forward to making as much fun of me as they can," Jackson said.
Competitors
The seven current and former service members who will take part Dec. 14-18 in Armed Forces Week on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," in order of appearance (click here for times and stations):
- Air Force Maj. Marcus Jackson, Sunderland, Maryland
- Retired Army Capt. Greg Galeazzi
, Glastonbury, Connecticut - Navy Lt. j.g. Jason Pool, Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Wade, Dumfries, Virginia
- Navy Lt. Rylan Collins, Pittsburgh
- Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jason Davenport, Las Vegas
- ROTC instructor Curt Green (retired Air Force), Lutz, Florida
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
