He didn't win a million, but senior Dan Keough is very pleased with the $50,000 he took away on the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"
"I got out of there without missing a question and I am pretty happy about it," he said.
Keough's performance, which was taped July 25 in New York, aired Monday on WNDU-TV. He used all four of his lifelines during his run, and chose to walk away with $50,000 rather than going for $100,000 on a difficult question.
"I feel like the questions definitely got much harder ... The last three questions were pretty hard," Keough said.
Keough's Tennessee roots and deep movie knowledge helped him reach the $50,000 mark. One question he answered was about the Tennessee Valley authority and another was about the rumor that actor Christopher Walken was running for President.
Keough said "Millionaire" producers edited out two jokes he made during the show, including one where he said $25,000 and $50,000 were so large that he did not know the difference.
After the show aired, many people, including some he did not know very well or know at all, congratulated him on the performance or asked if he was the person they had seen on "Millionaire."
"It was a really bizarre, kind of cool day," he said.
While he was on the show Keough said he would have been happy with even a thousand dollars. However, $50,000 puts him in a situation where he can use his money to get a good start after graduation, he said.
"Fifty-thousand dollars was my dream goal," Keough said. "It was absolutely everything I could ask for."
Keough plans to will use some of the money to pay off his college loans and use some to start a nest egg.
"I am going to put it where it makes sense financially," he said.
Part of his winnings will help finance a trip to the Notre Dame vs. USC football game in Los Angeles Nov. 25, he said.
