Pegasus manager soars to $20k Hot Seat win

Brad Tyler from Sydney’s Pegasus Print Group won $20,000 on popular afternoon TV quiz show Millionaire Hot Seat, spending the winnings on a new swimming pool.

Appearing on Friday night, key account manager Tyler won the Fastest Finger First round by one point, before surviving to $20,000, then using his lifeline to swap out his initial question about the Korean dish kimchi.

Confronted instead with having to pick a novel written by George Eliot out of four choices, Tyler made a guess – and correctly answered Middlemarch, the other three all having been written by Charles Dickens.

“I wanted the experience, and the chance to win some cash. I thought I would win money – I’ve got a good general knowledge. I knew I wouldn’t win the million, but if I played the game smartly I’d be in a position to win money – and that’s what I did.

“At the time, my builder had told me we would be in the house we were building by around March, so that’s the only reason I went for that answer. It was a complete guess,” he added.

Tyler told Print21 that the money ended up well spent on the new house.

“We wanted to put a pool in, and funny enough, we were about 20 grand short – so we put it towards that. The pool’s great, we’re enjoying it now in the warmer weather.

“It was a surprise for everyone that I won money – I kept it to myself the whole time until it aired. Got a lot of hearty slaps on the back – and requests for a shout down at the pub,” he said.

Tyler had auditioned for the show about three years prior, he said, and had all but given up on getting on air.

“After watching the show one night, my son asked if I would ever get a chance on air – the very next day the producer called to ask if I was still interested in being involved, and I agreed to go down to Melbourne the following month,” he said.

He said anyone thinking about tossing their hat into the ring should go for it, and that he’d met some great people during the experience – both among the other contestants and the crew.

“Do it – if nothing else, you get flights, accommodation, one night in Melbourne all paid for. My wife and I had an enjoyable night out, turned up with no expectations, and had a great time. Even if I didn’t win, I’d recommend it to everyone. Give it a try. The money was an absolute bonus,” he said.

As for how to get on the show, Tyler has one big recommendation.

“My age bracket has the most applicants, which is why it took three years for me to get on – but in the end the universe worked it out perfectly, with the money coming through just as we finished building our house, and the pool being installed the week before the show went to air.

“Anybody in the 18-30 or 60-80 age brackets will definitely get on air much quicker,” he said.