Next time you watch NBC's "The Weakest Link," do not be surprised if one of the contestants looks familiar.

Chris Wis, of Austin, landed a spot on the game show this summer and flew out to Los Angeles to tape the show in October.

"I just called the 800 number," he said and thought, "I don't know … just , why not?"

The game show challenges contestants to work together to earn money by answering trivia questions. After a round, the contestants vote off the team member who they feel performed the worst. The last one standing wins the money collected.

Wis cannot reveal how well he did until the show airs, but said the experience was fun -- and a little stressful.

"It was pretty nerve-racking. I was nervous," Wis said.

Wis competed against about 200 people at a tryout in the Twin Cities and got called back.

But even when he went to Los Angeles, he wasn't guaranteed to get on the show. He tried out again with 25 people and only six were picked.

"I thought the chances of me getting on were pretty slim," he said.

But Wis was chosen and started taping the next day.

Taping the half-hour show takes three hours, he said. Much of the ad-lib between the host and contestants is edited as are the introductions of the contestants, he said.

Audience members must wear black and are paid $80, he said.

The podiums are not attached to the stage, he said, and are somewhat top heavy. A contestant knocked one over, Wis said. The button the contestants push to reveal who they voted off is only a prop, he said. A person manning a computer times the screen to coordinate with when the contestants push the button.

"It doesn't really seem real until you're playing," Wis said.

The show's taping became intense, Wis said. Tensions rose as contestants were kicked off the show.

"It gets pretty heated on there, too," he said. "One girl was upset I voted her off."

But Wis said the contestants got to know one another after spending the day together. Wis still e-mails some of them.

"We had a really good time," he said.

The contestants are encouraged to pick on Host George Gray, but Gray usually one upped them, he said.

"I like him better (than British host Anne Robinson)," he said. "I think he's funnier."

Wis, CEO of All-State Bonding, is familiar with game shows. He and his family competed on Double Dare in 2000, but he said he probably will not try out for another game show for about five years.

Wis said there is no way to prepare for a game show. He and his family tried quizzing each other with trivia questions before Double Dare, but he said they asked obscure questions.

Wis' co-worker, Lon Prizler, also tried out for the show and was set to fly to Los Angeles for the taping, but a death in the company prevented him from going.

Wis does not know yet when the show will air, but will receive a post card two weeks before the date.

"It was pretty fun," Wis said. "I'd do it again."

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at cari.quam@austindailyherald.com