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"Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of
Fortune" were already a week into their new
seasons. Fans were awaiting the changes in store
for Fremantle's "Family Feud" and "To Tell the
Truth," set to premiere in a week. "Big Brother
2" was about to draw to an end after an
all-too-turbulent summer run. That was September
10. Chico Alexander
editor
The next morning would bring that scope of
thinking to a screeching halt, as millions
around the world bore witness to the atrocities
that occurred that morning with the crash of two
commercial airliners into the World Trade Center
towers of New York City, one into the Pentagon
of Washington, DC, and the plane crash in
Pennsylvania.
To paraphrase Fayetteville Observer sports
reporter Brett Friedlander, how does one find an
appropriate way to commemorate the first
anniversary of that day without patronizing the
memory of those who served and died? Or without
trivializing the events of that day by preaching
about how we as fans are told to keep fun and
games in their proper perspective?
The answer: You can't.
A Fateful Morning
Having just won "Murder in Small Town X"
earlier that summer (the mystery game's finale
aired on Fox a week earlier), Angel Juarbe, Jr.
returned to the job when he was called to fan
the flames at the World Trade Center.
Realitynewsonline.com was the first online news
agency to report the news that he was one of the
first firefighters to respond to Tuesday's call
from the World Trade Center. Consequently, he
was also one of the over 300 emergency personnel
missing and presumed dead. He was in a nearby
hotel assisting in rescue efforts when the
second tower collapsed above him. The news was
confirmed by another contestant on the show,
Kristin Kercher, as well as the mother of host
Gary Fredo, who verified that she had been
called by Fox and told of Juarbe's missing
status.
Finally, George Verschoor, Bob Fisher, and
Gordon Cassidy, producers of the show, posted a
message on the boards of Realitynewsonline.com.
"We confirmed that
Angel is one of the many firefighters still
missing. That is as much as we -- or anyone --
know at this time. As you've seen on television,
rescue operations are continuing. As information
becomes available, we will let everyone here on
the board know more. Until then, we know you
join us in sending our prayers and best wishes
to Angel and his family," they posted.
A week later, he was still reported as
missing and presumed dead. "Throughout his participation in 'Murder in Small
Town X' and beyond, Angel has been a gentle
soul, conducting himself with integrity and
honor," said Fox representatives in an interview
with Tribune's zap2it.com. "It is no surprise to us that
he was one of the first firefighters on the
tragic scene at the World Trade Center on Sept.
11. Our thoughts are with his family, the
families of all rescue workers and those
currently missing. We pray that Angel and all
those missing will be reunited safely with their
families soon."
Tragedy in Washington
While police and fire responded to the call
of the World Trade Center, another tragedy was
about to take place in Washington. At the center
of the furor was the crash of American Airlines
Flight 77 into a wall of the Pentagon. The captain of
said flight,
which was hijacked and crashed into the
Pentagon, was Charles Burlingame. This was the
same Charles (Chic) Burlingame who was a
contestant on the March 10, 2000 edition of
"Greed." Sadly, the Pentagon plane's cockpit
voice recorder was too damaged to be useful. It
was reported on Saturday that Flight 77 hit the
Pentagon at speeds surpassing 300 mph.
According to a report in the
New York Times, as a pilot, Burlingame, 51, was
a perfectionist, and his attention to safety
earned him the respect and admiration of his
colleagues. But Captain Burlingame's most valued
quality, friends say, was his commitment to
people. He personified the word classmate, said
Perry Martini, a former classmate at the US
Naval Academy, and as such, "he became family."
He was to attend his 30-year
college reunion, which he helped organize, the
week after the attacks. Instead, former
classmates from as far as Hong Kong gathered to
honor their fallen brother, take in a Navy
football game and reminisce.
"If Chic were around this
weekend," Mr. Martini said, "he would be doing a
lot of high-fives and hugs."
The Game Played On
Everyone knew what was happening, except for
three people: Nicole Nilson-Schaffrich, Monica
Bailey, and Will Kirby, the three players left
in the "Big Brother 2" house. The houseguests
were notified of the basic events that occurred
that Tuesday morning in New York City, Monica's
hometown. In addition, apparently a cousin of
Monica's, Tamitha Freeman, was still unaccounted
for. It at first appeared that she had been
injured in New York but was fine. Although it appears Monica has been told that
she most likely can't be located due to downed
phone lines, her and the rest of the guests have not
been allowed to watch any of the coverage and
don't appear to have a full idea of the damage
the multiple attacks had. Only that Thursday have the
houseguests started to question the eerie quiet, realize that things are
not quite right. They have noticed that no
planes (which are usually a common sight,
carrying banners) have flown overhead, and
Nicole is saying it's "ridiculous that they
haven't given us more information." She has also
begun speculating that something horrible must
have happened.
"Because of that, it became defined for us as a
family emergency," executive producer Arnold
Shapiro told USA Today. "It was an extraordinary
circumstance for us. Obviously, the tragedy that
happened in America far outdoes anything with
the show."
That being the case, many fans think the logical
next step would be to halt production and send
the houseguests home with a check for their time
and trouble and a thank you, but Ekeblad says,
"Regarding production, we're still in the
process of deciding what the future holds, as is
probably the rest of the country." Some
fans have a markedly differing opinion, saying
that the houseguests are "citizens before
contestants".
"I can only hope that these three human
beings are being treated with the respect they
deserve; that BB has postponed the game for now;
and that Monica, Nicole, and Will have been
given access to television news reports," an
online administrator wrote, "as well as some
form of contact (however brief) with their
families, simply to assure their safety." But still CBS and Arnold
Shapiro's office have no comment on those
complaints. Until a final decision is made, life
will go on in the "Big Brother 2" house, even as
America continues to watch coverage of Tuesday's
events unfold.
The network
ended up airing the Saturday episode on the next
Tuesday as the two-hour eviction episode (which
resulted in Monica's expulsion from the game)
and ending the series as scheduled that
following Thursday, a night before the scheduled
"America: A Tribute to Heroes" concert/telethon.
Moving Forward
In an editorial, Game Show NewsNet
editor-in-chief Jason Elliott stressed normalcy.
"We must not allow this to significantly change
us," Elliott said. "If you were planning to buy
something early last week, go buy it. If you
were planning to make a trip, take it.
Obviously, life is not the same as it was one
week ago. But we must not let this tragedy, or
what might or might not happen, consume us. We
must remain thoughtful and prayerful -- but
return to our lives as best we can. Yes, we're
angry. Yes, we're saddened. Yes, we need time to
cope and to grieve. But slowly, we must
slowly bring back the things, no matter how
petty they may seem now, that have always been a
part of our lives."
The fall season began as slated. The season
premieres of the daytime series aired without
fail or the mention of the events that occurred,
having been taped well in advance. Regis Philbin
made a poignant tribute before the season
premiere of "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire,"
which was cut from four nights a week to two,
one regular edition and one special edition. The
segment was taped after the attacks, but the
episode was taped well in advance.
Calling to Serve
"Small Town X" creators/executive producers
Verschoor, Cassidy, and Fisher established the
Angel Juarbe Fund to aid Juarbe's family. "He
was a true champion, fighting fires and saving
lives until the end," a statement from the
producers says.
FremantleMedia rushed back to the studios of
two of their properties, "Family Feud" and "Card
Sharks", after having taped half of their
seasons, to tape a special week of episodes
entitled "America's Heroes". For "Card Sharks",
which was cancelled in December of 2001, all the
prizes on that week of episodes were matched by
the producers to the players' charities. In
addition, several of the 20 players donated
their winnings to the same charities.
In the case of "Family Feud," teams of police
officers, search-and-rescue workers, and
firefighters competed as the week of October 29
showcased "America's Heroes" in "crime fighters
vs. firefighters" contests, with all winnings
going to the New York Police and Fire Widows'
and Children's Benefit Fund. Louie Anderson even
donated his salary for that week to the cause.
"Weakest Link" and "Who Wants To Be a
Millionaire?", the two main primetime quiz
staples of the time, each did special episodes.
At the beginning of the summer, Bob Barker
paid tribute to America's heroes by having them
and their families make up in the audience in
six special primetime series highlighting the
Armed Forces, police officers, fire fighters,
and Port Authority officers. Their victories
were not just wins in their regular games, but
wins in the fight to keep life in America as
stable as possible.
One player's sentiment echoed uproariously to
the audience: "It's all for the fight of 9/11."
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9/11:
One Year Later