London Mayor Boris Johnson will probably never meet Brandon High School English teacher Nate Odinga.
Knowledge of Johnson, however, could have proved profitable to Odinga, who recently competed on ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?? which aired at 3:30 p.m., Jan. 9 and 12 on Channel 4.
‘I had no idea who Boris Johnson is,? said Odinga, 29, a Clarkston resident and 2001 Michigan State University graduate. ‘That was a hard question.?
Odinga’s day-and-a-half stint on the New York-based game show hosted by Meredith Viera ended at $8,000 when he failed to correctly identify Johnson.
‘I used the, ‘Ask the Expert,? life-line on the question and an editor of Self magazine did not know the answer for sure.?
Odinga’s journey to the game show began in August when he auditioned at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The show’s producers were impressed with Odinga’s test results and contacted him about two weeks later. He and his wife, Stacy, went to Manhattan on Sept. 21 for a taping of the show.
Odinga asked the audience on the first question, ‘What company coined the phrase, ‘You deserve a break today??
‘They (audience) were 71 percent sure it was McDonald’s,? he said. ‘I really have never heard that before.?
His three, ‘Phone a Friends:? were Gary Hauff, a family friend and retired police officer from Troy; his sister Janelle Odinga, a high school history teacher from Shelby Township; and his brother, Matt Odinga.
‘I called my sister Janelle on the question of what a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid eats?? he said. ‘She had no idea.?
While Odinga fell short of a million dollars, he emphasized the experience was wonderful.
‘I watched myself on the show’I looked nervous the first day and better the second day. Still, the producers of the show put makeup to good use.?
‘I’d like to try again sometime. My goal was to make it to $16,000, but $8,000 is not too bad,? he said.
‘We are going to pay some bills and put the rest of the money toward a down payment on a home.?
Nate, his wife Stacy, a health care aide at Costello Elementary in the Troy School District, and their 9-month-old son, Carter, currently live in an apartment in Clarkston.