Section A·Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Monday, April 17, 2000
Student is mother's lifeline on game show 21 Oscar Mayer says she's a born weiner
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Danny Hammond might get his 15 minutes of fame tonight. Or make that one minute.
Hammond, Olathe freshman,
will be on the game show 21 at
8 p.m. on NBC. But he's not a
contestant — he's a lifeline for his
mother, Mary.
"I'm going to be on for 30 seconds at a time so it's a lot of hype for nothing," Hammond said. "If this is my 15 minutes of fame, I guess that's all right."
Hammond said he was nervous about knowing the answers and seeing himself on television. The show was taped about a month ago.
"The whole thing was just unreal," Hammond said. "I was more nervous about knowing the answers, but I knew both of them. They'll probably just see this tall, skinny kid from Kansas."
Mary Hammond said she picked her son to be a lifeline instead of her husband and friends because of his age and intelligence.
"He's a very bright young man, and he'd know stuff I don't know since he's younger," she said.
One of the questions Danny Hammond answered for his mom involved a naked woman on the cover of a magazine. The second question was about a car. With her son's help, Mary Hammond won more than $100,000 in one game.
"Basically, I know more about stuff that people don't really need to know," Danny Hammond said. "I consider myself an expert on Saved by the Bell trivia."
Mary Hammond was invited to the show March 16, and the pair flew to Los Angeles the next morning. Danny had enough time to call his French teacher and ask if he could miss a test. The NBC limousine picked them up from the airport and paid for their hotel, too.
On the morning of March 18, the Hammonds were escorted to an empty room at 8 a.m. to wait for taping to start at 3 p.m. Hammond said he did crossword puzzles for about seven hours.
"They put you in a big, empty
room to make sure you don't have contact with the outsid world." Danny Hammond said.
The show's staff even escorted them to the bathroom, Hammond said.
In the 1950s, the game show was involved in a scandal because contestants were fed answers by people who worked on the show.
Danny might miss his English class tonight to watch the show, but he isn't sure where he'll be watching it.
"My high school friends want to have a party, the friends on my floor want to have a party, and my mom wants to have a party," he said.
Danny said he'd probably end up on the seventh floor of Templin Hall.
C is for cookie
Brothers Neil and Preston Newsome, 8 and 10 years old, enjoy the spoils of their cookie creation. The Chi Omega and Gamma Phi Beta sororites
*Photo by Jamie Roper/KANSAN*
By Wearisa Chulindra
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
At 11 feet tall and stretching 27 feet wide, the 5-ton Weinmobile attracts a lot of attention wherever it goes. Considering it's a huge bright orange and yellow hot dog on wheels, that's understandable.
And shortly after Allison Deutch graduates next month, she will be one of 19 college graduates to drive it for a year.
Deutch, Des Moines, Iowa,
senior was chosen from about
1,000 applicants to be a
Hotdogger for Oscar Mayer.
Deutch said the company told her
that she was the first Hotdogger
from the University of Kansas.
In addition to driving the Weinirmobile, Hortoggers serve as company ambassadors, handing out weiner whistles. They also conduct auditions to find children to sing the Oscar Mayer jingle in television commercials.
Being a Hotdogger allows Deutch to combine two of her interests—theater and children. She said people had mixed reactions when they heard about her post-graduation plans.
"At first it sounds like a truck driver job, but then they realize it's a public relations job." Deutch said. "It's another year to travel and explore what I want to do."
Before hitting the road, the Hotdoggers make a two-week stop at Hot Dog High at the company headquarters in Madison. Wis. They will receive a crash course in Oscar Mayer products and history, special events and how to maneuver the Weinmobile.
"If the Weinermobile gets in an accident, that's news, and it's not good news," Deutch said.
"I've read an article that said it was challenging," Deutch said. "But hopefully it's not too hard."
She said that her only concern was learning how to play the jingle on the weiner whistle.
Deutch has wanted to be a Hotdogger since she saw the Weinermobile at the Plaza in Kansas City, Mo., nearly two years ago.
"After seeing so many pictures of it, it was really cool." Deutsch
Allison Deutch, Des Moines, Iowa, senior, will begin training to be a Hotdogger for Oscar Mayer and will drive the infamous Weinermobile after she graduates in May. Deutch was chosen out of about 1,000 applicants. To the company's knowledge, she will be the first Hotdogger from the University of Kansas. Photo by Nick Krug/KANSAN
said. "I saw some Hotdoggers on David Letterman, and I thought it was a job I would love to have."
Deutch sent the company a cover book. On the cover was a photo she fabricated of herself standing in front of the Weinermobile. She had a phone interview in November and flew to company headquarters for an interview before spring break.
Chuck Marsh, associate professor of journalism, said he remembered when Deutch found out she got the job. He was in his office, and Deutch stood in the doorway, smiling.
"She didn't have to say anything, I knew that she had it." Marsh said. "They made the right choice."
In the United States, Hotdoggers cover 10 different regions, including Hawaii. They also go to Japan, Canada, Puerto Rico and Spain. Deutch said she did not know which region she would be assigned to cover.
--present
The University of Kansas Commission on the Status of Women and The Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center
Guest Speaker: Jill Docking
Vice President, Investments A.G. Edwards and Sons, Inc.
Tuesday, April 18th, 2000 7:00 p.m.
Alderson Auditorium, Kansas Union
Reception Following in the Centennial Room, Kansas Union
STUDENT
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
SENATE