Freshman goes `Hollywood'

Every student comes to college anticipating exciting, new and varied experiences. Few, though, can say that by their second semester they've already mingled with stars and appeared on national television. Nursing freshman Joey Tini couldn't say that either -- until one weekend early last month. Tini spent the last weekend of winter break in Hollywood with 10 other college students from around the country as a contestant on the "Hollywood Squares" Second Annual College Tournament. The tournament began airing February 12, and will feature Tini tomorrow on CBS. The show chose Tini out of about 100 Penn students who attended the audition. "I didn't think I'd make it," Tini said, confessing that he tried out partly in order to get out of his Sociology lecture. But his personality pulled him through. Tini says he likes to joke around a lot and makes friends quickly. The audition, held early last November, asked applicants to fill out some basic forms and take a test consisting of some "pretty easy questions and some difficult, random trivia," Tini said. After the test, the "Hollywood Squares" representatives selected 20 finalists, who then strutted their stuff, acting as contestants. Three judges from the show critiqued each of the 20 students, sending write-ups and headshots of their favorite five to Hollywood, where the producer ultimately chose Tini. Nursing freshman Amanda Carson also tried out "because [she] thought it would be cool to be on TV." Representatives from the game show "acted as though the only way we could be on the show is if we kissed their ass," she added. "It would have been cool to be on the show, but I'm not disappointed," she added. "I would definitely try out again, but I wouldn't cut class to do so." Unlike Carson, Tini heard from Hollywood during finals. "When Robert [a representative from the show] called I didn't believe him at first," Tini said. "I was actually studying for my Spanish final when he called, but then I couldn't study." Tini said he left Hollywood with new friends hailing from colleges as far as Vanderbilt University, Southern Methodist University, Ohio State University and the University of California at Los Angeles. "I now have a network of friends cross the country," he added. In addition to gaining some pals, Tini received $2,500 in cash and a free seven-day trip for two to Cancun. He also got to appear in a commercial with Caroline Rhea, from the TV show Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, which will air in his hometown of South Philadelphia.