Looking for links; weak ones OK.

Byline: MARK BAKER The Register-Guard

Tami Sanders-Bell came because her daughters made her.

Denise Smith came because she's a game-show veteran.

Mike Burns came because he wanted to experience the humiliation firsthand.

"I was looking for the old lady to come out and talk bad to me," the 27-year-old Eugene upholsterer said with a hint of disappointment.

But Anne Robinson and her curt dismissals weren't even here.

In fact, this was an audition for the syndicated version of the game show "The Weakest Link," not the prime-time version shown on NBC and made popular by Robinson, the Brit best known for her rude behavior and the show's signature line: "You are the weakest link - goodbye!"

The show, which was created in Great Britain and debuted on American television 14 months ago, has already been canceled by NBC.

But the syndicated version, hosted by little-known actor and comedian George Gray, debuted in January and is now holding auditions across the country - including Tuesday's two sessions at the Red Lion Inn on Coburg Road - for its second season, said Jason Segal, a contestant coordinator with Weakest Link Productions.

The syndicated show, which is on daily in the afternoons, doesn't air in Eugene, but is shown on KGW in Portland, said D.J. Feldman, another contestant coordinator who worked the local auditions.

About 110 people from all over Oregon showed up for the 10 a.m. audition. Applicants stood up and introduced themselves, as part of a personality test - giving their names, ages, occupations and hometowns. A 20-question trivia quiz followed.

There were rock 'n' roll drummers, spelunkers and "housedads," along with Les Schwab tire jockeys, crossword puzzle addicts and a "repo" man. Even a guy named Michael Jackson, who was one of 28 people selected to be videotaped, but he disappeared before the cameras rolled.

"He's with Billie Jean," someone quipped, referring to the 1980s song by a better-known Michael Jackson.

Sanders-Bell, 44, of Roseburg, admitted to not being much of a fan of the show, in which contestants stand behind podiums on a futuristic stage, answering trivia questions as prize money grows with each correct question, but her two teen-age daughters begged her to call the contestant number after a prime-time episode last fall.

``I've always had a `why-not' attitude,'' said Sanders-Bell, who was Miss Oregon in 1979, competing in the Miss America pageant. "You've got to be willing to stick your neck out and be humiliated."

Smith, of Eugene, won a spot on the game show "The Wizard of Odds," hosted by Alex Trebek of "Jeopardy" fame, in 1974. But she didn't win much. Maybe some salad dressing, she said. She had better luck in the 1980s on shows such as "Super Password," where her celebrity partner was Pat Sajak, and "The Home Shopping Game," where she won $2,000 and a brass lamp.

Smith was one of the 28 who impressed Segal and Feldman enough to get photographed, videotaped and participate in a mock version of the show that will be viewed by producers in Burbank, Calif. The show is taped in front of a studio audience on the same set as the prime-time version.

"My chances of getting on the show, since I made it this far, are reasonable," Smith said, just before being videotaped. "My chances of winning (anything) are probably low," she said with a laugh.

Only one contestant walks away with the prize money, which was about $75,000 per show during the first season, Segal said.

As for how many will make it on the show from Tuesday's auditions, Segal couldn't say. The second season, slated for 100 shows, tapes from July to November, he said.

"We're just looking for bright, articulate people that are a mirror of America," Segal said.

CAPTION(S):

BRIAN DAVIES / The Register-Guard Denise Smith of Eugene got past a nerve-wracking quiz Tuesday at auditions for ``The Weakest Link'' and has a shot at making the show. Erika Lanning (left) came to the audition with her 4-month-old daughter, Alexa. Former Miss Oregon Tami Sanders-Bell (right) of Roseburg fills out a questionnaire at the tryout.