Jeetayu Biswas ’13 gets his shot in the ‘Millionaire’ hot seat

He walks away with $10,000 in winnings

Jeetayu Biswas ’13 talks with 'Millionaire' host Meredith Vieira

Forget finals. Jeetayu Biswas '13 experienced a new level of academic stress when he was a guest on the hit television trivia game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The episode, which was recorded back in October, aired on affiliate stations on Wednesday, Jan. 27.
 
After submitting a contestant application video over the summer, Jeetayu didn’t find out that he was picked to be on the show until producers called just as he was about to donate blood at the university’s fall blood drive.
 
He rolled up his sleeves again for a different purpose a few days later, when he was sitting on the “Millionaire” set opposite host, and "Today" anchor, Meredith Vieira.
 
“I was tremendously nervous, but Meredith was super nice and very easy to talk to,” Jeetayu said. “It definitely helped that my parents and two of my best friends were also in the audience.”

Jeetayu also got some help from "Good Morning America" weekend anchor Kate Snow, when he used his “Ask The Expert” lifeline on the $12,500 question, which was: "What poet made the now-famous declaration 'Good fences make good neighbors?'" Snow thought the answer was Robert Frost, but as she wasn't so sure, and Jeetayu had used his other lifelines, he decided not to take a guess and walk away with the guaranteed $10,000 that he had already won (Snow was right, by the way). He plans to use the winnings to help pay his educational expenses.
 
He then hopes to use his Brandeis education to help others. Biswas, who is currently considering a neuroscience or biology major with the goal of finishing premed, said he was inspired to become a doctor when he took a trip to India six years ago and saw the poor conditions that many people there were living in. He’d like to eventually practice medicine in third world countries.
 
For now, though, Jeetayu is focused on helping his fellow students maintain a healthy lifestyle. Last semester, he founded the Brandeis Fitness/Weightlifting Club that promotes exercise habits through small group training. He’s also involved in Colleges Against Cancer, plays intramural sports, and volunteers as an English Language Learning Initiative tutor.

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