When a person is selected to be a game show contestant, are his plane tickets paid for by the game?

I know that at the end of many game shows an annoucement is made similar to this: "If you would like to be on Jeopardy and will be in the Los Angeles area then contact us at..."

That indicates to me: no.

Game show producers love out-of-towners. Most of their contestants come from L.A., and the producers realize that these Los Angeles residents can always come back at some later date to be on the show - so they tend to take locals for granted. But they'll go out of their way to accommodate a visitor from another state so that they can get the widest representation of the nation at large. However, they won't pay your way out to Los Angeles, though; they won't buy you a plane ticket, or put you up in a hotel. Getting to L.A. is up to you. And if you are an out-of-towner, don't phone them collect; they simply won't accept collect calls. Also, don't assume that being disabled or physically impaired will disqualify you from a show; they will try their best to accommodate you.

http://www.seeing-stars.com/ShowBiz/Tips.shtml

I can speak with first-hand knowledge as a contestant on "Jeopardy!" According to the contestant coordinators, that particular show will pay for returning champions to come back for additional tapings as required. They don't pay for lodgings on any trip.

As zbeckabee also noted, having a disability does not preclude you from being on a game show. One of the best-known "Jeopardy!" champions, sportswriter Eddie Timanus, is blind.

http://www.j-archive.com/showplayer.php?player_id=439&highlight=eddie

It depends on the show as well: The original Who Wants to Be a Millionaire used to pay for you and your audience guest to fly to New York, paid for a hotel up to 3 nights (your choice on how many nights; the hotel was The Empire in Lincoln Center), and paid a cash stipend of 150.00 for meals, etc. If you lived close to NY, in lieu of airfare, they would provide a round-trip limousine.