Who wants to be a Millionaire TRIVIA GAME SHOW - facts and history

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Where does "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" come from?

Many of us know it as an ABC trivia game show and perhaps the most loved quiz show in the world.
Actually, the game was created in the UK where it was first aired in September 1998. The US version was quick to follow though first airing in the following year.

What was "who wants to be a millionaire" originally called?

The original working title for the who wants to be a millionaire show was Cash Mountain.
This does sound like quite a good title, but perhaps it does not evoke the same strong emotional response as the title eventually chosen.
There is something about the phrase 'who wants to be a millionaire' that generates an emotional response from people.
This is a trivia quiz game, so it is very appropriate to have a trivia question as its title. And when people are baited to think about the answer to this question, they find it quite easily "I DO!". I want to be a millionare ! where can I play?
Read more about the title [link to the lure of.. page, if you decide to have it as a separate page]

Who was the first player to go all the way and win a million dollars on who wants to be a millionaire?

A contestant called John Carpenter was the first to play who wants to be a millionaire and win the big jackpot, not just in the US, but anywhere in the world. An Economics graduate, Carpenter worked in the IRS, but after winning the jackpot, he tried to capitalize on his new found fame and enter show biz on his own. This apparently didn't work out for him as well as his appearance on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, since he soon thereafter returned to his old job in the IRS.

His win was probably the most dramatic and entertaining in trivia game show history.
After answering all the answers correctly without using a single lifeline, Carpenter reached the last question, and then requested to call his parents using his lifeline. This is a transcript of what occurred:

Regis: ...John you've got thirty seconds, starts right now.
John: Hi, Dad.
Tom: Hi!
John: Um...I don't really need your help, I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna win the million dollars..."
(crowd laughs, cheers)
John: [with 7 seconds remaining] ...because the U.S. President that appeared on 'Laugh-In' is Richard Nixon and that's my final answer.
Regis: Well, my Gosh. What can I say except: Debbie [Carpenter's wife], you're going to Paris, and this is the final answer heard all around the world, he's won a million dollars

Watch John Carpenter winning a million dollars on who wants to be a millionaire

Who was the first contestant ever to be booed by the audience in who wants to be a millionaire?

Surprisingly or not, the same contestant who was the first to win the who wants to be a millionaire jackpot, was also the first ever to be booed by the audience. This happened when he answered his first question of the show – what do you do for a living? As mentioned, Carpenter worked for the IRS, and to make things worse – he worked as a collections agent.

So can you really win a million dollars on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"?

Well, not really. Originally, the big jackpot was awarded as a lump sum. This was changed later on, and in the newer version of who wants to be a millionaire, hosted by Vieira (and also in the $10 million Philbin special), if you win the big prize you will not receive it in cash, but rather as annuities.
On one hand, the title "who wants to be a millionaire" isn't very appropriate anymore, since your not getting a million dollars even if you do win, but I guess the producers ruled out "who wants to get a salary" since it just didn't sound right.

Do you need a TV to watch "who wants to be a millionaire"?

Not in Venezuela. Who wants to be a millionaire, or as it is called in Venezuela - ¿Quién quiere ser millonario? stopped airing in May 2007 when the government refused to renew the broadcast license of the network in which it was aired, but ¿Quién quiere ser millonario? could not be stopped, and in June 2007, the show was performed Live in Caracas at Plaza Alfredo Sadel. Later on, the Spanish language Venezuelan version of 'who wants to be a millionaire' returned on cable and satellite broadcasting to Venezuela and other Latin American countries.

The secret lure of playing who wants to be a millionaire for cash

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