MILFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A local woman came close to winning $40,000 on ABC’s newest game show.
Tiffany McGuire lives in Milford and works at a New Haven Salon and Spa, but for one day, she was a contestant on “The Hustler.”
“Two days before, they were like, ‘Alright, you’re getting on a plane and you’re coming and you’re on the show,” McGuire said. “It was so awesome. It was so cool.”
The contestants on “The Hustler” answer trivia questions to build up money. Five players get whittled down to three players, but one of them is not who they say they are.
“If the two players can suss out who the Hustler is, they split the bank,” McGuire explained. “If they don’t, the Hustler takes the whole thing.”
McGuire had never been on a game show before and said it’s harder than you think.
“‘Cause it’s so easy when you’re in the audience, and you’re like, ‘It’s obviously this and it’s obviously that, but when you’re in it, and there’s lights and there’s an audience and they’re like, ‘Five seconds!’ You’re like, ‘C!'”
McGuire thinks she was picked for the show because she has a big personality, and being a hairstylist and makeup artist, she is always camera-ready. She said it is very easy to try out for these game shows, at least it was pre-pandemic when “The Hustler” was recorded. All you have to do is go online.
“There’s so many. You just fill out a form. I think a lot of people think, ‘Oh, I could never do that.’ You definitely could.”
Her strategy on the show was to have an air of mystery and to have fun, which was easy with comedian Craig Ferguson as the host.
McGuire made it to the last round, but as for who won, she guessed wrong about who the Hustler really was, and did not win any money.
The Hustler on the other hand got to take home $80,000.
“One of the things that is very important is to learn to go with your gut, which I second-guessed and really shouldn’t have.”
She said, however, that she would definitely be on a game show again.
You can watch the episode she appeared in on ABC’s website. New episodes Thursdays at 10 p.m.
