Answer: I am a woman
Popular game show Sale of the Century is suffering a dire shortage of female contestants, despite the temptation of luxury cars, exotic holidays and expensive household goods.
Male contestants outnumber female contestats 65 to 35, according to Michael Whyte, vice-president of light entertainment with the producer, Grundys.
"We would like a more even balance," he said. "More often than not guys come to auditions to test their luck whereas women, they think they can do it but they don't take the next step."
Producers hold auditions for contestants every fortnight in each State, usually attracting 200 people to each session.
Over Sale of the Century's 18-year history, 12,000 contestants have played for the jackpot; of that number, 142 have become champions (including repeat winners of events such as masters series). But of the 142 champs, only 32 are women. And the disparity isn't due to female contestants' knowledge or reflexes ensuring speed with the buzzer.
As Mr Whyte explains, there have been a number of high-achieving female champs on the program.
The first-ever winner was a woman. Mary Stanley of Camberwell in Melbourne won in 1980, taking home $36,424 in cash and prizes including a Mercedes 320.
A few years later, 17-year-old Leesa Selke of Chiswick in Sydney became one of Sale's youngest champions when she won cash and prizes worth $239,249, including a Berlina wagon and a sedan.
One of Sale's biggest prize pools went to Queenslaner Kate Buckingham in 1990. She won $471,640, which included two cars.
| TOP 10 WINNERS | ||
| 1 | Robert Kusmierski | $676,789 |
| 2 | Kate Buckingham | $471,640 |
| 3 | Sandra Oxley | $421,080 |
| 4 | Richard Hitesman | $382,341 |
| 5 | David Poltorak | $376,204 |
| 6 | Peter McMillan | $372,538 |
| 7 | Cameron Burge | $360,844 |
| 8 | Fran Powell* | $353,683 |
| 9 | Damon Mackay | $345,863 |
| 10 | Tony Pestell | $344,183 |
Clearly, women can play as hard as men, but what puzzles Mr Whyte is why more don't audition.
My observation is that during the show, women are often watching it while doing other things," he said.
"I have two kids, so I can tell you that 6-7.30pm is a hectic time in our household.
"Maybe it's a situation where the women are answering the questions from the kitchen or the laundry but they're not actually seeing it, whereas men are actually sitting down and giving the show their full attention."
by Rachel Brown
Don't understand? Find out all you need to survive on the set of a game show with this glossary of terms, reprinted courtesy of FHM.
Skippy
A contestant who freezes when the cameras start rolling. Based on the reaction of frightened animals blinded by headlights.
Corrective surgery
The pricess of weeding out unsuitable, undesirable or downright weird potential contestants.
Cue the Kleenex
The stage direction given when an excitable contestant is about to win the jackpot. It usually involves a close-up on the contestant's face in case the tears start rolling.
Dumb off
What the host does when he has to reveal the answer to a question because none of the contestants knows it.
Elbow grabber
the beautiful female assistant whose job is to ferry contestants on and off the set.
God
The member of the production team the host defers to when he wants to know if the answer is acceptable.
The idiot
The term used by some producers to refer to the host.
Judas's audience
Members of the audience who can't resist shouting out the answers to questions.
Lovely parting gifts
The cheap trinkets given to losing contestants to remind them of their time on the show.
The march of shame
What the elbow grabber does when she drags an eliminated contestant off the set.
A tornado
A brilliant contestant who trounces all the opposition and walks away with a stack of prizes.