Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
The Who Wants to be a Millionaire quiz show got its start in the UK. In 1998, David Briggs created a show to test knowledge of a series of people that answers questions with multiple choice answers. The show had a simple format: a series of contests to test knowledge to win money. The player would answer fifteen questions to win money prizes; potentially one million pounds. What made the show unique was that only one person would play at a time, they would get to see the answers before deciding if they wanted to go on, and rather than focus on speed, suspense was the key.
Coming to the US in 1999, Who Wants to be a Millionaire became a sensation, and is now in over thirteen countries. The prize amounts are always generally equivalent to or less than one million dollars. Regis Philbin was the original US host, now it’s Meredith Vieira.
The Who Wants to be a Millionaire show starts with ten players in a circle around the main quiz chair; and beyond them is the audience. The host does a test knowledge question where the contestants have to arrange four items. Whoever gets this quiz done the fastest moves to the center chair. The fifteen quiz questions are divided into three sections. The first has $100, $200, $300, $500 and $1,000; and once the $1,000 level is reached, the player is guaranteed that amount. The second group has $2,000, $4,000, $ 8,000, $16,000 and $25,000. Once the $25,000 quiz question is answered correctly, the contestant is sure of getting at least that much. Finally, the last batch has $50,000, $100,000, $250,000, $500,000 and the million dollar question. Missing a question results in the player getting zero, $1,000 or $25,000 (depending on where they are in the game).
Each question has four possible answers, and the player can use three lifelines one time each. “Ask the Audience” is where the audience votes for which answer they think is right. The 50/50 removes two wrong answers, and “Phone a Friend” lets them call someone. Each player gives the quiz show names and numbers of five people. Prior to shooting, they’re called and told to stay near their phone during taping.
John Carpenter was the first million dollar winner, and Drew Carey and Rosie O’Donnell won half a million for charity on celebrity editions.
Today, the site Money4intellect is an online game, and superior in the sense that it’s an evolution of quiz games. Contests take place in real-time, entry fees go from $10 to $100, and people win money up to $10,000. Much like “Millionaire”, each quiz has multiple choice questions, and whoever gets the most right wins. Unlike it, you don’t have to audition, you don’t have to travel to the studio, and your chances of winner are much better.