Who Wants to be a Millionaire? One Palmer woman, that's who

"Number 130," said Meredith Vieira, and with that, Sara Brock stepped into the hot seat.

Vieira is the host of the wildly popular game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and Brock, a Palmer resident, earned a shot on the show when her number -- 130 -- was called as part of "Walk in and Win Week." And while Brock didn't pocket a million bucks, she did walk away with $16,000 and one heck of an experience.

"Just being there was definitely an experience I'll never forget," Brock said. "I'm a special education assistant. That $16,000 is two-thirds of what I make in a year, and I did it in an afternoon."

Brock and her husband went to New York just to see the game show in person. They had tickets for Oct. 15, but when they were sitting in their hotel room, they realized that "Walk in and Win Week" was taping on Oct. 14, so they went a day earlier. It turned out to be the perfect move.

"There were between 600 and a thousand people there, and my number was called for the interview. Being from Palmer, Alaska certainly didn't hurt," Brock said.

Her number was then put in an envelope along with other numbers of contestants. Vieira reached in and pulled out "130" and Brock had her turn in the hot seat.

"Since it was 'Walk in and Win Week,' I didn't have time to prepare like other contestants normally do," Brock said. "It was an 'ode to couch potatoes,' they said. It was for average people to get on the show."

After she correctly answered the second question, the show wrapped up filming for the "day." She went backstage with Vieira, had makeup done, and then entered the studio for the second "day" of shooting -- the episodes aired on back-to-back days, but the filming was done on the same day.

"The entire set is very small. It feels like it is right on top of you," Brock said. "When you are gambling your own money and the lights are on and the audience is right there, it's a lot harder than when you're at home or on your computer."

She used one of her lifelines -- "ask the audience" -- on the question to win $500. They helped out and she got the answer right. Then, for $8,000, she had to "phone a friend" to find out how long an Olympic-sized pool is. She called Bruce Case, her pastor at Christ First Methodist Church.

"I think he was more nervous than I was," Brock said.

He thought the answer was 25 meters, but told Brock it was just a guess. She then used her final lifeline, "50-50" to reduce the possible answers to just two -- 50 meters and 75 meters. She correctly chose 50 meters.

She then correctly stated that lawman Patrick Garritt shot Billy the Kid, earning her $16,000. Her final question was to identify which war was taking place when "The Battle Hymn of The Republic" was written.

"I wasn't 100-percent sure, so I walked away," Brock said. "I walked in with nothing, and I could walk away with $16,000, so I did it."

The show aired on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7, but Brock is still waiting for her check. She got a cardboard replica, which she has framed. Now comes the fun part -- spending the cash. Brock said her and her husband are going to put it to good use.

"I'm going to take some classes, and we'll pay off some bills," she said. "And then we're going to put the rest away so we can buy some land."

Throughout the whole ordeal, Brock said she realizes just how connected everyone is.

"I'm from Palmer, and I'm in New York calling someone from Palmer for an answer," she said. "His family is watching in Alabama because they heard his voice. Everyone knows each other in the end."

"Millionaire" a blast

I was sitting in my room watching "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" when I saw the announcement for "Walk In And Win Week."

This was the show's promotion for people to literally come in off the street and take a chance of getting in the hot seat without taking the test. Knowing I had already received tickets to be in the audience that same week I realized this was an opportunity of a lifetime, to not only be an audience member but to possibly sit in the hot seat.

My husband Joseph and I took the red-eye flight from Anchorage to New York, arriving just in time to stand in line with the other 1,000 people waiting to enter the auditorium and see if they would be chosen.

It was a balmy 60-degree New York morning as we stood chatting with others in line, many of them locals. When we told them where we were from they were amazed we had come that far. As we crossed the auditorium doorway every individual was given a numbered bracelet and only a certain percentage of those would be called.

An hour later my number was called, but my husband's was not.

I continued on to a curtained area where my interview consisted of, "My name is Sara Brock and I'm from Palmer, Alaska".

It's good to be a small-town girl from the Last Frontier because my number was placed in an envelope that Meredith Vieira had on stage and when she called "one three zero" I couldn't believe it.

Sara Brock won $16,000 on the television show.

$16,000 is just nine answers away, as long as you know what "MI" is

Think you can cut it on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" Here are the questions Palmer resident Sara Brock faced while sitting in the hot seat. The answers are below.

For $100 -- According to a popular saying, what "gathers no moss?"

A. A wise man

B. A rolling stone

C. A wasted day

D. Moss repellent

For $200 -- A high school student taking a "trig" class is studying a branch of what subject?

A. Mathematics

B. History

C. Literature

D. Philosophy

For $300 -- A famous nickname was coined in 1831 when a sea captain hoisted the U.S. flag and dubbed it "Old" what?

A. Courage

B. Glory

C. Loyal

D. Sturdy

For $500 -- A foot-shaped device inserted into a shoe to keep its shape is called a "shoe" what? (Brock used the "poll the audience" lifeline and 78 percent of the audience said the answer was 'D')

A. Crane

B. Boat

C. Bridge

D. Tree

For $1,000 -- Best friends Betty and Veronica often vie for the attention of what classic comic book character?

A. Spider-Man

B. Archie

C. Richie Rich

D. Batman

For $2,000 -- Founded in 1970, Celestial Seasonings is a popular brand of what?

A. Tea

B. Soup

C. Instant rice

D. Salad dressing

For $4,000 -- Which U.S. state's postal abbreviation is MI?

A. Mississippi

B. Minnesota

C. Michigan

D. Missouri

For $8,000 -- By definition, an Olympic-sized swimming pool is how many meters long? (Brock "phoned a friend," and his admitted guess was "A." She then used her "50-50" and her choices were limited to "B" and "C")

A. 25

B. 50

C. 75

D. 100

For $16,000 -- Lawman Patrick Garritt won fame for catching and killing what legendary gunslinger?

A. Butch Cassidy

B. Wild Bill Hicock

C. Jesse James

D. Billy the Kid

For $32,000 -- Julia Ward Howe wrote the words to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" during what war?

A. Revolutionary War

B. Civil War

C. World War I

D. Spanish-American War

Answers: $100, C; $200, A; $300, B; $500, D; $1,000, B; $2,000, A; $4,000, C; $8,000, B; $16,000, D; $32,000, B.