Senior Appears on New Game Show

Harvard's version of a spastic gameshow host, Mandel N. Ilagan '99, has finally hit the big time.

This summer, the Kirkland House senior, became one of the first contestants on a new TV game show, set to air next week.

A lifelong fan of game shows and host of two Harvard-Radcliffe Media Network shows, Ilagan heard about the new program taping and decided to audition for his 15 minutes of fame.

The show is called Match Game. Each contestant is given a phrase, and then asked to fill in the missing word, using the creative powers of their mind.

During his audition, Ilagan was asked to nickname Luciano Pavarotti, who had just sung a concert with the Spice Girls.

Ilagan's answer: "Chubby Spice. I got a point for that," he said.

He was also asked to fill in the missing punch-line to a constructed joke.

For example: "Never marry a librarian. I did and every time I ask her to make love, she tells me___."

To "be quiet," Ilagan said he responded. The shows' producers liked what they heard and scheduled him as a contestant.

Appearing with comedians Richard Jeni, Vicki Lawrence and Nell Carter, as well as soap opera hunk Joshua Morrow, Ilagan made quite an impression.

He says he won a prize, but doesn't want to divulge it.

Ilagan lauds the new game show: "It's one the all-time best game shows that has ever aired," he said.

"One of the funniest, too."

Ilagan hosts Survey Says! and Common Sense, two Harvard-Radcliffe Television game shows.

His Web site, http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~ilagan/, is a tribute to the art of game-showing. There's even a photo of him with actress Betty White.

Ilagan has taken the time to Review and rank (on a scale of one to five dollar signs) dozens of popular game shows.

Wheel of Fortune gets a $$$$$. "You scream out the puzzle," he writes on his Web site. "Any game that can do that is great!"

The more obscure game Go gets $$$$.

"While some will say that it's just another variation of Password/Pyramid, the question aspect threw in a different kind of challenge," he writes on his site.

An economics concentrator, Ilagan says he is planning on pursuing a career in television. This summer Ilagan was out of the game show spotlight but still got some Television experience. He worked as an intern for Home Improvement.

Match Game is produced by Los Angeles-based Pearson/All American communications.

The show is taped at CBS Television City, in the same studio as The Price is Right. The new show is a jazzed-up version of the classic Match Game, which aired in the 60s and from 1973-1982, with host Gene Rayburn. A similar version tried to win audience on ABC but did not succeed.

Ilagan's episode airs the week of September 21, on WABU, Channel 68 in the Boston area.