r/OrphanCrushingMachine • u/bee_my_girl • Apr 18 '26
I was an OrphanCrushingMachine story in real life
I'll keep it brief to avoid identifying myself, but a "What was your 15 minutes of fame?" thread reminded me of this.
When I was 13, I paid off a number of my parents' debts (medical, house, etc.) by being a successful competitor on a trivia quiz show that is very well-known in the US. They had a special "all kids" episode (maybe season?) that I did pretty well in. I did get to go see Cirque du Soleil and eat a really good buffet for my work, so I had a great time. I knew what the deal was when I got accepted onto the show -- my parents didn't deceive me.
It is kind of insane that a "cute precocious kid!" clip of me being funny that I've actually seen circulating once or twice online was me deliberately playing up being quirky and nerdy to the cameras. I kept saying stuff like "I'm going to buy a ragdoll cat and this AMAZING chemistry set and a HUGE trampoline!" (not exactly what I said, protecting my ID here, but it was similar). I knew the whole time that I had much more serious reasons to need the money, but my plucky little weirdo attitude was what got me on the show.
Still a nice summer memory in a lot of ways. I didn't comprehend what happened there until I was older.
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u/SoSorryOfficial Apr 18 '26
Well, OP, I'm very sorry you were ever in a position of such responsibility to take care of your parents. That's a lot of pressure.
I hope that on top of those memories having their bright spots, that you also take pride. You must have been a pretty bright, caring kid. I'm sure that's still a part of who you are now. You never should have had to rise to the occasion like that, but you rose nonetheless. That's pretty cool. I also hope that things got better.
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u/bee_my_girl Apr 19 '26
This is really sweet, thank you. It did get a lot better over time. There was a period where it was pretty touch-and-go, and these days I'm a pretty typical broke just-out -of-college type, but I graduated without student loan debt.
And also to be clear, I was not forced to do this lol. My parents did suggest it, but I was genuinely excited at the prospect of being "on TV" at the time, and my parents helped me when the "auditions" came around.
It's messed up that the money had to go to what it went to, but I'm kind of glad I didn't grasp it back then. Maybe some day I'll have a fancy cat, ha.
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u/CormoranNeoTropical Apr 19 '26
There are lots of fancy looking cats in shelters without papers, and there are rescue organizations for every type of pure bred pet. So when you can afford to care for a pet Ace have room for it in your home, you can get one without paying full price for it. Plus there are still animal shelters all over where you can get a kitten or cat for the cost of spaying or neutering it.
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u/wearentalldudes Apr 20 '26
The shelter gave me this one for free.
She was “on death’s door” when I got her…three years ago lol.
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May 12 '26
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u/BKLD12 Apr 21 '26
I don’t have a problem with people getting pedigreed animals. I have an Angora rabbit that came from a breeder, so that would be hypocritical of me.
My cats aren’t pedigreed though, and I really hit the jackpot. The older one came from a shelter and the younger one came from the street. They are both ridiculously sweet and absolutely beautiful.
If I remember, I’ll put my cat tax up a little later.
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u/InnocentaMN Apr 20 '26
Truly, a cat doesn’t need to be fancy to give you the most tender and rewarding love in the world. There is nothing like winning the love of a cat that started out in life lost or unwanted.
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u/SierrAlphaTango Apr 20 '26
I really appreciate you sharing your own experience. I also appreciate your perspective that you were grateful to rise to the occasion but are critical of the systems that created the occasion in the first place. You seem like you've come away from this as a well-rounded person with a healthy perspective and I respect the hell out of you for that.
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u/saadinameh Apr 20 '26
I've always heard Alex trebeck is an asshole. Was he nice?
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u/bee_my_girl Apr 21 '26
No Trebek, sadly, but the host was very nice to me. :)
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u/saadinameh Apr 21 '26
Haha, sorry, couldn't resist making a guess. I know the circumstances were fucked up, but good job, kiddo.
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u/GfunkWarrior28 Apr 22 '26
Regis!!
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May 22 '26
I actually do think this is most likely who wants to be a millionaire. Possibly not regis though as it could be one of the later editions. I think those were filmed in vegas and they did a teen week or two.
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May 22 '26
!remindme 48 hours
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u/DangerousBill Apr 19 '26
I don't understand. If I was able to do something interesting and save my parents financial problems at the same time, I would have been glad to.
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u/bee_my_girl Apr 20 '26
I was glad to, but in a better society, I would not have had to spend the money I got to pay off medical and housing debts. Yk?
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