St. Ignatius High School World History teacher Sean Cahill knows more than just the basic social studies curriculum. He’s also a gameshow whiz.
On March 12, Cahill ventures beyond the classroom walls, trading his chalkboard for the bright lights of television in the season 2 premiere of Password, a gameshow on NBC. The show — which stars celebrities such as Keke Palmer and Jimmy Fallon and includes an appearance from Joe Manganiello from Deal or No Deal Island in the premier — originally aired in 1961 but has been revived a number of times.
For those who are unfamiliar, Password is a game show where two teams take turns trying to guess secret words based on one-word clues provided by their teammates. The team with the most points wins, earning points by correctly guessing words in each round. The challenge lies in giving effective clues without using any form of the secret word itself.
The teacher has been a lover of game shows since childhood and recalls regularly watching the Game Show Network.
“I knew Password very well from the Allen Ludden, Betty White days," Cahill says. "I've been a fan of the show forever, and when I saw that Jimmy Fallon was doing a new version, I watched the entire first season."
Cahill applied to be on the show after seeing an ad for auditions. During the application process, he went through interviews with the producer, practiced the game with other potential contestants, and was eventually flown out to Los Angeles to be on the show.
After years of watching others play from the comfort of his own home, Cahill’s competitive side finally had a chance to shine in-person on set.
“It was exciting to be on Password because I was the contestant. I got to give the clues that I thought were the best and sort of stepping into the shoes of people that I've seen for years,” he says. “It was always interesting to me to see just average people paired up with these celebrities.”
If he wins, Cahill plans to buy his wife chickens for their backyard renovation, despite being a “city mouse” for years working in Downtown Cleveland. The couple plans to build a chicken coop, bocce court and new patio with the potential winnings.
“This was my chance to shine and have so much fun, which is exactly what it wound up being. It was just an absolute blast. Everyone was so incredibly nice to me, and it was just more fun than I can say.”
Tune in as Cahill makes history of his own, and cheer on Cleveland’s own. The premiere episode airs at 10 p.m. EST on March 12 on NBC.
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