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THE TEMPTATION SAGA I auditioned with hundreds of other hopefuls for the Channel Nine quiz show "Temptation". A few weeks later I received my call and flew down to Melbourne. Channel Nine put me up at the magnificent Crown Casino.
Arriving at the CH9 studios at 8am Tuesday morning with 15 other contestants (they tape 5 shows in a day) we were taken into the studios and given the speech on what to expect. Then it was off to "make-up and hair" where i was lucky enough to be sitting right between Ed & Livinia (she is tiny like Buffy). We were then taken into the studio audience, where we sat waiting our turn.
Sitting on my own in the freezing studio, I watched the first two episodes being taped before I got the call up. We were led down to our seats where we had our microphones attached and our make-up touched up. We then got to practice on the buzzers for a few minutes before being led off stage to wait for the show to start. I was seated by the lovely Chelsea. Yum.
My one goal was to win the first night. I didn’t want to be embarrassed and land up on minus 20 at the end!! I bought a few things in the gift shop (hard to say "no" to Chelsea in the bikini) but declined the Cash Vault as it had only paid out $600 & $500 on the two shows I had just watched live. To my surprise I won the first night and also managed to boost my cash jackpot to $100,000. The whole episode was fun and I got along very well with Ed, Livinia and the floor managers.
After winning the first episode, I had to quickly tape the "lead in" for the next night. I asked if I could read out the questions like Ed - it was fun. I then had to quickly change my suit and then it was back at the desk. The 2 new contestants had their practice while I was changing. It all goes very fast with little time between episodes.
Once again I managed to win the night (and crack the cash vault for six grand). Turning down an ugly $15000 plastic dinner table suite I chose to come back for a third night. As before, I taped the "lead in" for the next night, this time doing Livinia's job in the gift shop. While I got changed, the new contestants, Charles and Lainie were having their buzzer practice. I raced back on set, got "miked up", said "hello" to the other two and away we went.
Straight away, I could tell that Charles was good. He was certainly answering questions that I had no clue about. During each commercial break, the producers come over to make sure all the contestants are okay. Lainie kept complaining that she had answered a question in time despite answering after the buzzer. She wanted Charles and I to back her up, but I was worried enough about my own game, so I kept my eyes closed during commercials in "meditation" mode while trying to conserve my heat in the freezing studio. She was also complaining to the producer that "Harry was too quick" and "how could he know the answers so fast". I didn't like what she was insinuating. Charles was quite chatty and the two of them got along well in the breaks. I ignored them and either "meditated" or waved to the crowd to my left. The crowd was awesome.
Charles was playing well. He was buying from the giftshop and he was also winning cash off the board. In the break before the final 60 seconds of questions, the producer came over to check on us. She told Charles and I that we were playing well. After Lainie complained about me being too quick again and that she thought she had beaten the buzzer in round one again, she was told by the producer that she couldn't win from the position she was in, but that she should enjoy her last minute.
In the last minute Charles got the jump on me, but I knew I was pretty good at the fast stuff and that I would come home strong. That is when Lainie entered the picture. She started pressing in very early, effectively freezing both Charles and I out of the game. She didn’t know the answers - no one did at the stage she was buzzing in. I was on my third night and didn't get to answer a single question in the fast money round. At about the 30 second mark, I realised something was amiss and tried to give her a quick evil glance to stop her tactics. With about 6 seconds left, I lent back and took my hand off the buzzer realising I had been thwarted!!
 After Ed had announced Charles as the new winner, they thanked me for being a great champion. When they spoke to Lainie and congratulated her on having a "red hot try" at the end, she uttered the now famous words for the whole country to hear "Well, I helped Charles win, I hope". That is when you see me lift my hands to the studio audience. What didn’t make it to air in the eastern states of Australia was Livinia responding to Lainie's comment "I can't believe I just heard that".
Once the cameras were off, Ed & Livinia shook my hand with Ed saying "that was a lousy way to lose". I was then taken over to a desk near the audience to sign a form confirming my prizes. That is when the whole studio audience starting clapping me and the "harry" chant broke out. I believe it interrupted Charles filming his "lead in" for the next episode.
The studio audience wasn't finished. As Lainie made her way out of the studio, the audience loudly boo'ed her. It was obvious to everyone - even the school kids - that something "unsavoury" had just happened. Thankyou to those of you who were in the audience that have since tracked me down to express your feelings.
I was very disappointed. I will never know whether I would have lost fairly. And I will never know what else I might have won!!
Three days later I was off on my annual Hawaiian vacation, putting “Temptation” behind me. That was until I was tracked down in Waikiki by Channel Nine, The Melbourne Herald Sun and the Courier Mail. They had seen the episodes the day before they aired and knew there was a story here.
I got back from Hawaii on Sunday October 22, two days after the fateful episode had aired. I had some more newspaper interviews that afternoon. At 5.30am Monday morning I was woken by the phone. Heavily jet-lagged, I answered. It was Channel Seven's "Today Tonight" and they wanted to come over and do a story on what had happened to me (not sure how everyone got my phone number). I agreed and they were set up in my loungeroom by 7am when Channel Nine rang. They had been inundated with complaints and wanted me to be on "A Current Affair" that night. I told them that "Today Tonight" was already here and they freaked!! They explained that my best bet to be re-instated on "Temptation" was to stay with Nine. After some negotiating I had "Today Tonight" leave (they had been very nice and very professional about the whole thing). "ACA" wanted me in Sydney straight away, so they put me on the first plane available. I actually had 3 Channel Nine bodyguards with me all the way to ensure I didn’t speak to anyone else. By this time, NOVA, B105 and 97.3 were all ringing to get me on their breakfast shows!!
The first ACA story on the Monday night didn’t go completely in my favour. They weren’t sure whether Australia saw me as the victim or the sore loser. So, they placed an each way bet. Meanwhile "Today Tonight" ran an excellent story about me and other quiz show contestants in the past who had been "shafted". The ACA story aired as I enjoyed the Sydney Sheraton hotel that evening. That night I was stopped numerous times in the hotel lobby and restaurant by people letting me know they were on my side.
Next morning (after many radio interviews) I was in the cab on the way home from Brisbane airport when the producer of "A Current Affair" rang and told me they wanted me to turn around and came straight back to Sydney. They had been inundated with thousands of emails, faxes and phone calls demanding Harry's re-instatement or they would boycott the network. I was exhausted - the jet lag and travel was too much. Channel Nine's Extra had already booked me in, so I told ACA they could talk to me in the Brisbane studios instead. They picked me up and walked me around the Queen Street Mall getting people's reactions to the "Temptation" saga. It was quite surreal having people yell out my name as I walked along the street with a camera crew following me. The story that went to air that night (Tuesday) was very "pro-Harry". They were promising to make Grundy’s (the production company that makes "Temptation") take me back. That night they also put up some phone numbers to gauge the country's feelings.
  Wednesday night, ACA announced the result of the phone poll. In the 17 hours the poll was open, over 14500 votes were logged. I had 94% in my favour. The Channel Nine Internet Poll was also running with 83% demanding my re-instatement. Despite this, Grundy’s were still refusing to have me back or even let me audition again as a new contestant!!
On the Friday, Channel Nine contacted me again. They told me that CEO Eddie Maguire was now involved and that a new meeting had been called for Friday afternoon. ACA came to my house to film me answering the phone call from Sydney. Grundy’s agreed that I had been hard done by and they have promised to review all rules and procedures to ensure it doesn't happen again. However, they were unwilling to set a precedent by re-instating me.
 What about Lainie?? She had done one radio interview the day after the episode aired (3AW I think). She admitted to getting along well with Charles before the show and that she didn't like me at all. Apparently they tore her to pieces and she vowed not to talk to anyone else about it. So all the other media outlets just used sound bytes from that original interview!! The Temptation producers tell me she is hoping to get a spot on the next Big Brother. Honest.
And Charles?? Charles was clever. I have never stated that I thought I should have beaten him. We'll never know. He won another night before being beaten by a lady who went on to win the lot. That lady had been on 2 years earlier but had lost on her first night, which allowed her to come back on.
  And Harry?? Thankyou to everyone that voted for me, complained on my behalf, blogged me and stopped me in the street. To all the lawyers that have approached me telling me that Temptation had a duty of care to ensure a fair contest, and that once they realised the contest wasn’t fair, they breached their duty by not taking any action ...... thankyou for the advice, but unless you can get me on Judge Judy, maybe we should leave it there.....
Thankyou,
H xx
In June, I received two emails from a “friend” of Lainie’s. Here’s what the person (who isn’t Lainie allegedly) sent me:
Email One: I have NEVER in my life read such a pack of lies about your "treatment" on Temptation.
I have been overseas, and was just alerted to your nonsense article on your site about your experience.
Why don't you find out EXACTLY what was said about YOU by channel 9 behind your back, and what EXACTLY was told to the other contestants by the co-ordinator before the final 60 seconds, in order for them to have THEIR best chances of winning! And where did you get this rubbish about Lainie wanting to appear on Big Brother? Mate, you have NO clue whatsoever!
I was in the audience that day, I also know what was and wasn't said, and to BLATENTLY lie about things that Lainie said and did on the day is ABSOLUTE slander, and could land you in hot water if you aren't careful.
You better be more careful about lies you make up mate, otherwise you'll have karma come back and hit you right in the face.
And Email Two (seven minutes later): Oh, and by the way, I also noticed that you stopped trying to buzz in after the 2nd question in the final 60 seconds, so there was ANOTHER lie in your "famous" blog. You DEFINITELY can't win if you don't attempt to answer questions!!! :)
And also, aren't contestants meant to play for THEMSELVES and do whatever it takes to give THEMSELVES the best opportunity to win the game? How can that be done without consistently pressing the buzzer if they are a fair way behind with only the 60 seconds left??? Hmm, use your brain, that you so profess to have!!
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