Rob Placek sat in a hot seat with no idea of the future, no nerves to be seen upon his face. Just a smile filled with pure adrenaline and eyes that reflected the one and only Regis Philbin.

Rob Placek, Arts & Sciences sophomore, was the youngest contestant to have ever been on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” at the age of 19.

Placek heard about the 10-year reunion show and decided to submit a video to become a contestant, stating what he would do with the winnings, which was help aid in his tuition.

When Placek received the phone call from the workers of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” his call was dropped, so he had to call them right back.

“My parents were in shock,” Placek said.

Placek and his father soon jetted of to New York City, to be one of 10 contestants to shoot for the $1 million grand prize.

“We began the filming process at 11 a.m.,” Placek said. However, that was just the beginning.

Placek first had to talk to a lawyer and a publicist and then be put into isolation with the other contestants.

Placek and the other contestants practiced what the taping experience would be like, and they even practiced getting into the hot seat.

When taping began at 5:30 p.m., Placek was one of the lucky contestants who actually got the fastest finger question correct, by knowing what infomercial products came out in which year.

Then Placek lowered himself into the hot seat and was face-to-face with Regis Philbin.

“He was very personable and joked around with me,” Placek said.

Placek shared his pride of Creighton on national television when he exchanged words with Regis about attending a Catholic university, since Regis attended Notre Dame.

Placek soon answered the first few questions but had to use a few lifelines, one of them being classics professor Dr. Gregory Bakewell.

Bakewell knew that he would be a lifeline since July 1.

“If Rob would have taken my Greek or Latin class, then he would have known the answer,” Bakewell said.

Rob was soon faced with a question that he did not know.

When Rob got stumped, he decided to walk away with $25,000, enough to help with his tuition.

Eric Hansen, arts & sciences sophomore, one of Placek’s friends was very excited for him to be on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”

“I think he achieved a goal, and it’s a life experience that he can share with his friends and family for the rest of his life,” Hansen said.