WESTMINSTER – Jason Rodewald always believed that his memory has always been his downfall.
"I could never remember anything right," says the La Quinta High School track and soccer coach.
So naturally he was nervous when he was one of the lucky few called to participate in NBC's newest game show, "Amnesia."
But as it turned out, Rodewald did not suffer from amnesia. In fact, his sharp memory about several intimate details from his own life – from the dress his wife was wearing at their wedding to the bar he frequented in college -- fetched him $130,000 in winnings.
"It turned out to be the best experience of my life," said the 32-year-old teacher, who recorded the show with host Dennis Miller, his wife Chi Mong Do and his brother, John Rodewald in October. The show was broadcast Friday.
Jason Rodewald said he heard back from the show's producers within weeks after he applied for a casting call through NBC's Web site.
"I totally did not know what to expect," he said.
The days between his selection and his appearance on the show turned out to be more stressful than he imagined. He got a call from his high school buddy in Minnesota, who he hadn't spoken to in 20 years.
"He said he got a call from NBC asking personal questions about me and was wondering if he should answer them," Rodewald said with a laugh.
But then, Rodewald got a bigger shock when the show's producers called his ex-girlfriend in Australia.
"It made me really nervous about what they were going to ask me," he said. "Everyone has skeletons in their closet and I was scared because my wife was going to be on the show too."
Among the questions Rodewald answered correctly on the show were the name of the yacht he and his wife were married on; the name of the bar he and his college roommate went to on Wednesdays, as per their bar calendar; the Vietnamese phrase that said "I want to marry Chi" and the brand of champagne he used to toast their engagement.
However, he could not identify his favorite stuffed mousey from a chest of other stuffed toys.
His wife said the experience was nerve-wracking, especially when the show called her husband's ex-girlfriend.
"I thought we were going to end up with no money and divorced," Do said with a laugh. "But it turned out great."
