The quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire debuted in 1999 and immediately became a smash hit for ABC. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire offered the intellectual challenge of Jeopardy and other more “serious” quiz shows but had a very exciting human element. Each contestant, if they could answer fifteen consecutive multiple choice questions correctly, could win $1 Million. Adding to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’s intrigue was that very few contestants got anywhere close to the $1 Million and people began tuning into see if anyone would ever reach that level. All in all, it proved to be one of the most surprising game show hits that thrived on prime time TV and still continues on syndicated TV during the day. The format of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is that ten contestants who had qualified to be on the show would assemble and first compete in the “fastest finger” challenge. Here four choices were to be put into order (often chronological) and the fastest competitor who had the right answer would have the opportunity to go on the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire stage. The show was hosted by Regis Philbin, most famous for his daytime TV talk show. The “fastest finger” winner would get put into the hot seat where they began receiving multiple choice questions, each worth a different increasing monetary value. The first Who Wants to Be a Millionaire question, often embarrassingly easy, was worth $100. After the contestant answered five questions they would have $1,000 and at that point if they missed a question they would be guaranteed that amount. Contestants also had “lifelines” if they were stumped on a particular question. The first gave them the option to poll the studio audience who would each vote on the questions. The audiences often proved pretty astute on the show and many contestants were able to use this lifeline to advance. The second lifeline on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was the 50/50. This would remove two of the incorrect answers giving the contestant a 50% chance of being right. Producers of the show claimed that the two choices that were removed were done so at random, but contestants often found that the two “best choices” were left standing. The final lifeline allowed a contestant to “phone a friend.” Here the contestant would have 30 seconds to ask a pre-selected friend of theirs the question (presumably something within the friend’s expertise) and get an answer. Using lifelines wisely was necessary for a chance at the bigger money prizes. Once the contestant answered ten questions right they would be guaranteed $32,000 and were five more correct answers away from a million dollars. One of the most unique things about Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is that a contestant could read the questions, deliberate, and even use lifelines and then still walk away without answering. If the contestant left voluntarily they would receive the dollar value of the last question they answered. If they answered incorrectly they would be reduced to $32,000 or $1,000 depending on how far along in the game they were. Several players eventually won the $1 Million, but the first, John Carpenter, proved to be one of the most interesting. He answered all 15 questions without a lifeline and on the final question used the “phone a friend” lifeline to call his father and tell him he had won the $1 million.
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