Locals on Adoption Mission Compete on The Wall
Nick and Steve Duve were very creative when it came to raising money for a costly adoption. The Akron spouses purchased a puzzle that family and friends could buy pieces of. When it was completed, they planned to hang it in the nursery. Little did they know at the time, this was only the beginning. A much bigger surprise was in store — a four-story-tall surprise, to be exact.
At 8 p.m. Jan. 29 on NBC, watch as the couple competes on the LeBron James-executive produced game show The Wall for a chance to win up to $12 million. Teams of two contestants answer trivia questions and strategically drop green and red balls down the mammoth wall to win money. The show attained local fame when James delivered $1.3 million in winnings to Akron couple John and Angel Whorton in 2016.
Nick and Steve are the first same-sex couple to appear on the show. “The gentleman that created the show wants to show that there can be diversity in the show,” says Steve. To help cheer on the couple, join them at the Barley House in downtown Akron for a watch party at 7 p.m. Before their heart-pounding episode, we chatted with the couple about what it’s like to play on LeBron’s game show.
Q: What was the process like to get on The Wall?
Steve: I was at Starbucks filling all the paperwork out and reading about adoption. It dawned on me, ‘How are we really going to fund this?’ I got on Facebook to procrastinate, and an ad came up. I remember it said, ‘Do you want to be a contestant on LeBron James’ game show?’ I filled out the application, and they contacted us. I told them about the adoption and the whole premise behind our story, how we moved back to Ohio and loved our family and friends. They filmed our backstory in our house in Akron. We flew out to Burbank, California, last March and filmed it. The special thing is now we have adopted a little boy. His name is Anderson. He’s perfect. He’s the cutest little boy. Lots of hair and lots of personality already at 2 months old.
Q: What was the overall experience of being on the show like?Nick: Everything is so fast. You have the live audience in front of you. Chris Hardwick is there, and all of a sudden, they call your name out and you’re onstage. You’re like, ‘Holy crap here we are on this show.’ You’re looking up at a big, huge 30-foot wall dropping these green and red balls down. It was the most intense moment ever.
Q: What was it like having the show as a platform to raise awareness about adoption?
N: The platform of The Wall is being able to either start a foundation or awareness for adoption and fostering, being able to give people resources and information. Right now, especially in Summit County, there are more people in the adoption and fostering system than ever before because of the opioid epidemic. It’s a really big topic currently, and to be able to use this for other people, to be able to push financially and help other people is something we really want to use this for.