Stephanie Girardi

Stephanie sells out-of-print books, and here's the question that gave her admittance:

Put the following architects in order according to the year of their births, starting with the earliest.
A. Inigo Jones	B. I.M. Pei
C. Gustave Eiffel	D. Leon Battista Alberti
Correct Order (drag the mouse over the letters): D-A-B-C Stephanie's winning time: 8.07 Competitors: 1/9

Let's see how far Stephanie can go!

For $100:
1. According to the popular expression, where should you never look a gift horse?
A. In its eyes	B. In its mouth
C. In the rear	D. Under the hoofs
C sounds plausible, but Stephanie knows it's B... And she's got it for $100!

For $200:
2. If you've 'lost your shirt' playing poker, which of the following best describes your situation?
A. Fearless	B. Penniless
C. Topless	D. Speechless
Stephanie chooses B... It's the right answer for $200!

END 2/15 SHOW -- BEGIN 2/17 SHOW

For $300:
3. What number button is directly below the '4' on most standard, U.S. push-button, telephones?
A. 8	B. 0
C. 7	D. 3
Stephanie picks C... Another correct answer! $300.

For $500:
4. What is the English translation of the traditional French-language song title 'Frere Jacques'?
A. Son of Joseph	B. Father Jim
C. Sister Jane	D. Brother John
Stephanie goes with D... Absolutely right! $500.

For a guaranteed $1000:
5. What term is used to describe a group of whales?
A. Pod	B. Troop
C. Reef	D. Pack
Stephanie selects A... It's the right one for $1000!

For $2000:
6. What Chinese game of tiles became a U.S. craze in the '20s?
A. Yahtzee	B. Mah-jongg
C. Pachinko	D. Euchre
Stephanie picks B... She'll lock it in. It's the only one up there that uses tiles! $2000!

For $4000:
7. What was the name of the first manned vehicle to touch down on the moon?
A. Falcon	B. Voyager
C. Eagle	D. Columbia
Remembering that famous phrase, "The Eagle has landed," Stephanie will go with C... As her final answer. And it's landed her $4000!

After the break, we hear more about Stephanie's personal life. It turns out she met her husband, Ray, at the town library - he was her boss. They kept it a secret until four months before the wedding.

Reege: "Is it a big library?"
Ray: "It's small, but very active."
Reege: "Not as active as it used to be!"

Stephanie is also a volunteer snow-level recorder for the National Weather Service. Essentially she goes out into the yard every morning, sticks a ruler into the ground, and measures how much snow has fallen.

Stephanie: "And they didn't even give [the ruler] to me; I had to get it myself."

For $8000:
8. Which U.S. State was named for Britiain's Queen Elizabeth I?
A. Maryland	B. Louisiana
C. Georgia	D. Virginia
Noting that she was the "Virgin Queen", Stephanie will say it's D... Final? You bet. She certainly was the Virgin Queen! $8000!

For $16,000:
9. In what city does the first series of MTV's 'The Real World' take place?
A. Los Angeles	B. New York
C. Boston	D. San Francisco
Stephanie thinks she knows this one, but just to make sure she's going to ask all the pop-culture buffs in the audience.
A. Los Angeles - 19%	B. New York - 61%
C. Boston - 3%	D. San Francisco - 17%
That's a conclusive enough majority to prod her into it. Stephanie chooses B... Which she will turn orange. And the audience keeps it streak going! $16,000!

For a guaranteed $32,000:
10. Who wrote the lyrics to 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic'?
A. Francis Scott Key	B. Stephen Foster
C. Harriet Beecher Stowe	D. Julia Ward Howe
She knows a woman wrote it, and since Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, that leaves D... And that's her final answer. She sounded like she had a good handle on the question... Because she did! Stephanie wins $32,000!!

For $64,000:
11. Which of the following people invented the disposable blade razor?
A. Jacob Schick	B. Baron Marcel Bich
C. King Camp Gillette	D. James Wilkinson
The fact that there are a few brand names up there is not helping Stephanie. On that note, she'll take the 50:50.
A. Jacob Schick	OUT
C. King Camp Gilette	OUT
Wanting to hold on to her last Lifeline, Stephanie decides to go with C... For her final answer. She had a 50-50 shot at it. There was nothing to lose. So she shouldn't feel too bad when she learns... That she's just won SIXTY-FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!

For $125,000, or ONE EIGHTH of a MILLION DOLLARS:
12. What artist gained fame for his series of paintings of California swimming pools?
A. David Hockney	B. Chuck Close
C. Jasper Johns	D. Andy Warhol
Eugene: "Hello America!" Here's the transcript after the question and choices:
Eugene: "California swimming pools? David Hockney." Stephanie: "That's kinda what I thought, but..." Eugene: "I'm obnoxiously certain." Stephanie: "OK. Well, I'll- I know you, and I know then that you're very certain, then. So I'll take your answer. Thanks." Reege: "Hey, Ge- hey, Eugene!" Eugene: "Yes?" Reege: "America says goodbye."" (Burp burp)
How can you argue against "obnoxious" certainty? Stephanie picks A... That's her final answer. Well, I'm obnoxiously certain... That she's just won ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!

Stephanie Girardi has now tied Jane Oviatt and Lauren Kelner for the most money won by a female on the show. Unfortunately, she's out of Lifelines, but she is just three questions away from the million dollars.

For $250,000, or ONE QUARTER of a MILLION DOLLARS:
13. What famous musical frontman attended the London School of Economics?
A. David Bowie	B. Paul McCartney
C. Mick Jagger	D. Rod Stewart
Stephanie doesn't believe it, but she actually knows this one. She says it's Mick Jagger. Regis reminds her that she'll lose $93,000 if she's wrong. But Stephanie remains undaunted. She'll say C... And that's her final answer. Stephanie is not the first woman to answer the 13th question. Judy Tigay, another February contestant, was. Unfortunately, she missed it. Well, Stephanie ain't gonna do that! She's just won A QUARTER-MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!!

Stephanie is now the richest woman in WWTBAM history, and the first female member of the 13 Club. But we aren't done. Two questions remain on Stephanie's plate. However, if she misses a question, she drops a lot of money - $218,000 in this case.

For $500,000, or HALF A MILLION DOLLARS:
14. What is the more well-known name of the island called Rapa Nui?
A. Tahiti	B. Easter Island
C. Papua New Guinea	D. Tasmania
She knows it isn't D. She knows it isn't C, either. She recites the name "Rapa Nui" several times. Then, she decides on B. She's risking it. And she makes B her final answer before Regis even asks. Well, you'd have to be really sure to lock in an answer unprovoked. Stephanie certainly seemed sure. And that certainty... Has just won her FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!!!!!

Not only does this make her the richest woman in WWTBAM history in the U.S. - that answer just made her the richest woman in world WWTBAM history. But there's still one more hurdle to climb. A wrong answer costs her $468,000. A right answer will give her one million dollars. She's out of Lifelines.

For ONE MILLION DOLLARS:
15. What Shakespeare character says, 'Something is rotten in the state of Denmark'?
A. Hamlet	B. Marcellus
C. Horatio	D. Laertes
She knows it's from Hamlet, but can't immediately remember which character said it. She has it down to C or D... But apart from that, she isn't going to chance it. She's quitting. Stephanie Girardi gets up from the hot seat with $500,000. If she were to guess, she'd say D... And it's a good thing she stopped; the answer was B. Marcellus.

TRIVIAL TRIVIA
Stephanie's winnings put the show over the $10,000,000 mark in total money awarded.

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