) I guess the next on will be Poland then...
Post by wolf4537 on Dec 30, 2014 16:21:13 GMT -5
I made this for my blog that my friend and I run, if you wanna read it here: gamesitecenter.com/?p=2059
Who Wants to be a Millionaire is one of my all time favorite game shows. I have been watching it since early 2000 when my family first got into the whole craze about it being on ABC Primetime television. Back in 1999, the whole concept of the game itself was definitely unheard of when it came to game shows. To think, a game show with a top prize of $1,000,000? No one (with the exception of lottery game shows) had ever really thought something like that was possible.
ABC defied the odds and stunned the whole world by making the show itself one of the highest rated game shows of all time when it debuted, destroying the ratings and eventually making it's way into everyone's homes, where you pretty much couldn't go anywhere without someone saying "Is that your final answer?" or, "Do you need to use a lifeline?"
As for me personally, I always enjoy watching it, up to this day. Granted, the format of the game has changed drastically over the last several years, and the people involved in the show have also changed. Back in the day, you would answer questions that got progressively harder, which would earn you more money for every correct answer you got. Now, only the final four questions are progressively harder, with the first 10 being completely randomized, along with the money to go along with it. In addition to that, the show has taken on many different hosts since Regis Philbin started the whole craze, which included Meredith Vieira, Cedric the Entertainer, and, most recently, Terry Crews.
In the end, there are many different moments of the show that really bring out the excitement of watching a game show, while keeping you on the edge of your seat. There have also been some moments that have either left the audience speechless, or have made you go "OMG". Here are my personal top 10 favorite moments from the show itself.
10: Doug Van Gundy, August 1999
One of the first big winners on the show, Doug Van Gundy was definitely an interesting contestant to say the least. When you have a profession as a "Poet", you know that winning a lot of money means A LOT. Combined with one of the best reactions ever to winning $250,000 on the show, this is definitely one of my favorite moments from Millionaire.
9: David Goodman, July 2000
I remember watching this show the last time I visited Canada, in the Summer of 2000. I clearly remember being absolutely AMAZED at how this guy knew every question that was given to him. David saved his lifelines and used them when it mattered the most, which ultimately helped him win the top prize, and made him become the youngest Million dollar winner on the show to this day.
8: Nancy Christy, May 2003
In what was one of the most exciting wins of the syndicated version of the game show itself after its run on ABC, Nancy Christy showed that having guts to go after questions REALLY paid off, as she was able to answer the final 6 questions of the money tree without any lifelines left. To this date, she is still the only woman to win the top prize on the US version of the show itself.
7: Michael Shutterly, August 1999
When this moment happened during the first run of the show on US soil, Michael Shutterly at the time became one of the biggest winners in game show history, by correctly answering the first 14 questions and earning himself a nice payday of a whopping $500,000. Unfortunately he was not able to go all the way and win the million, but this moment definitely stands out as being one of the most exciting Millionaire moments for its time, before one contestant would finally come in and win it all a couple months later. (See further below on the list.)
6: Justin Ray Castillo, November 2000
I think this stands out as one of my favorite millionaire moments where someone didn't win the million dollars, but came very close in doing so. Justin Castillo was probably one of the most likable contestants that I can remember, and his reactions to winning the big money certainly stand out as being VERY memorable. In addition to that, he also showed that he had a lot of guts when going after the big questions in the later part of the game, as you will see in the video.
5: Celebrity Millionaire, May 2000
It was at this point in time, that Who Wants to be a Millionaire was so popular, that they actually had a celebrity version of the show itself, where all the celebrities playing would be playing for a charity of their choice. Granted, all the charities were guaranteed $32,000, but that didn't mean that the celebrities playing wouldn't make the game exciting. Case in point, Drew Carey and.....well....ROSIE O'DONNELL.
4: Bernie Cullen, April 2001
I think this moment in Millionaire history stands out when it comes to showing how confident some people can be when attacking these questions left and right. There's many different ways to play this game, but I think Bernie Cullen stands out as one of the best in terms of jumping right in and not hesitating on anything. Combined with one of my favorite Million dollar win reactions, this moment gets #4 on my list.
3: Kevin Smith, January 2003
After Regis moved on from being the host of the game show, Meredith Vieira took over in late 2002 as the show moved into its syndicated run. With that said, the questions got harder, and big winners were hard to come by. However, one contestant by the name of Kevin Smith showed that not only was he smart, but also gutsy as well.
If there's one moment in the show that made me go "HOLY S***!" when I first saw it, well, I'll let the video explain itself as Kevin goes for $500,000 and beyond.
2: John Carpenter, November 1999. "Hi Dad, ummmmm.....I don't really need your help, I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna win the million dollars."
If there's such a thing as a game show troll, this guy was definitely one of the first, and hands down one of the best. John Carpenter never flinched on any of the questions that he was given during his time in the hot seat in November of 1999, easily breezing through the first 14 questions WITHOUT USING A LIFELINE. But hang on here, that Million dollar question is there. It's supposed to be the toughest question, right?
Well, this guy went on to show everyone that your lifelines....can be used for other things besides helping you out. And when it was all said and done, this guy ended up becoming one of the most popular game show contestants of all time:
Before we get to my favorite moment, here's a few honorable mentions of my favorite moments if this was a bigger list:
Honorable Mentions:
Ogi Ogas, November 2006:
Kim Hunt, July 2000
Jerry Halpin, BEST USAGE OF PHONE A FRIEND EVER, February 2000
Carlos Giron, March 2009
Dan Blonsky, January 2000
Chip Esten, November 2013
Brianne Sherman, November 2008
Kevin Olmstead, the biggest winner in the show's history, April 2001
And with all of that said, we come down to my all time favorite moment from one of my all time favorite game shows.
..............
....................
.................................AND THE WINNER IS........
1: Joe Trela, March 2000. "HE JUST WON A MILLION DOLLARS!!!"
I remember watching this moment with my family and being amazed by the whole performance. With no lifelines left after winning $32,000, Joe carefully went over every question afterward, taking his time and studying all the answers very carefully before he answered each question. With the excitement of the game itself being combined with the fact that Joe was one of the most liked contestants on the show itself, it all ultimately lead to one of the most exciting Million dollar wins that I can remember. This is definitely my all time favorite Millionaire moment.
As the show continues onward now that we are in the 2014-2015 season of the game itself, I will continue to watch it and be a fan of the series. It's a game where you really feel like you can be a part of it, while leaving you on the edge of your seat as you root for the contestant that is on the big screen.
And I know this might be a shameless plug, but even I myself have made my own Anime version of the show:
In the end, I'll never be able to top the excitement that the real show brings to TV, but as a fan, it's still one of my favorite events to run, watch, and be a part of in general. But overall, Who Wants to be a Millionaire has, and will continue to be, one of my all time favorite game shows.
Thoughts, comments? Feel free to add them here.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire is one of my all time favorite game shows. I have been watching it since early 2000 when my family first got into the whole craze about it being on ABC Primetime television. Back in 1999, the whole concept of the game itself was definitely unheard of when it came to game shows. To think, a game show with a top prize of $1,000,000? No one (with the exception of lottery game shows) had ever really thought something like that was possible.
ABC defied the odds and stunned the whole world by making the show itself one of the highest rated game shows of all time when it debuted, destroying the ratings and eventually making it's way into everyone's homes, where you pretty much couldn't go anywhere without someone saying "Is that your final answer?" or, "Do you need to use a lifeline?"
As for me personally, I always enjoy watching it, up to this day. Granted, the format of the game has changed drastically over the last several years, and the people involved in the show have also changed. Back in the day, you would answer questions that got progressively harder, which would earn you more money for every correct answer you got. Now, only the final four questions are progressively harder, with the first 10 being completely randomized, along with the money to go along with it. In addition to that, the show has taken on many different hosts since Regis Philbin started the whole craze, which included Meredith Vieira, Cedric the Entertainer, and, most recently, Terry Crews.
In the end, there are many different moments of the show that really bring out the excitement of watching a game show, while keeping you on the edge of your seat. There have also been some moments that have either left the audience speechless, or have made you go "OMG". Here are my personal top 10 favorite moments from the show itself.
10: Doug Van Gundy, August 1999
One of the first big winners on the show, Doug Van Gundy was definitely an interesting contestant to say the least. When you have a profession as a "Poet", you know that winning a lot of money means A LOT. Combined with one of the best reactions ever to winning $250,000 on the show, this is definitely one of my favorite moments from Millionaire.
9: David Goodman, July 2000
I remember watching this show the last time I visited Canada, in the Summer of 2000. I clearly remember being absolutely AMAZED at how this guy knew every question that was given to him. David saved his lifelines and used them when it mattered the most, which ultimately helped him win the top prize, and made him become the youngest Million dollar winner on the show to this day.
8: Nancy Christy, May 2003
In what was one of the most exciting wins of the syndicated version of the game show itself after its run on ABC, Nancy Christy showed that having guts to go after questions REALLY paid off, as she was able to answer the final 6 questions of the money tree without any lifelines left. To this date, she is still the only woman to win the top prize on the US version of the show itself.
7: Michael Shutterly, August 1999
When this moment happened during the first run of the show on US soil, Michael Shutterly at the time became one of the biggest winners in game show history, by correctly answering the first 14 questions and earning himself a nice payday of a whopping $500,000. Unfortunately he was not able to go all the way and win the million, but this moment definitely stands out as being one of the most exciting Millionaire moments for its time, before one contestant would finally come in and win it all a couple months later. (See further below on the list.)
6: Justin Ray Castillo, November 2000
I think this stands out as one of my favorite millionaire moments where someone didn't win the million dollars, but came very close in doing so. Justin Castillo was probably one of the most likable contestants that I can remember, and his reactions to winning the big money certainly stand out as being VERY memorable. In addition to that, he also showed that he had a lot of guts when going after the big questions in the later part of the game, as you will see in the video.
5: Celebrity Millionaire, May 2000
It was at this point in time, that Who Wants to be a Millionaire was so popular, that they actually had a celebrity version of the show itself, where all the celebrities playing would be playing for a charity of their choice. Granted, all the charities were guaranteed $32,000, but that didn't mean that the celebrities playing wouldn't make the game exciting. Case in point, Drew Carey and.....well....ROSIE O'DONNELL.
4: Bernie Cullen, April 2001
I think this moment in Millionaire history stands out when it comes to showing how confident some people can be when attacking these questions left and right. There's many different ways to play this game, but I think Bernie Cullen stands out as one of the best in terms of jumping right in and not hesitating on anything. Combined with one of my favorite Million dollar win reactions, this moment gets #4 on my list.
3: Kevin Smith, January 2003
After Regis moved on from being the host of the game show, Meredith Vieira took over in late 2002 as the show moved into its syndicated run. With that said, the questions got harder, and big winners were hard to come by. However, one contestant by the name of Kevin Smith showed that not only was he smart, but also gutsy as well.
If there's one moment in the show that made me go "HOLY S***!" when I first saw it, well, I'll let the video explain itself as Kevin goes for $500,000 and beyond.
2: John Carpenter, November 1999. "Hi Dad, ummmmm.....I don't really need your help, I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna win the million dollars."
If there's such a thing as a game show troll, this guy was definitely one of the first, and hands down one of the best. John Carpenter never flinched on any of the questions that he was given during his time in the hot seat in November of 1999, easily breezing through the first 14 questions WITHOUT USING A LIFELINE. But hang on here, that Million dollar question is there. It's supposed to be the toughest question, right?
Well, this guy went on to show everyone that your lifelines....can be used for other things besides helping you out. And when it was all said and done, this guy ended up becoming one of the most popular game show contestants of all time:
Before we get to my favorite moment, here's a few honorable mentions of my favorite moments if this was a bigger list:
Honorable Mentions:
Ogi Ogas, November 2006:
Kim Hunt, July 2000
Jerry Halpin, BEST USAGE OF PHONE A FRIEND EVER, February 2000
Carlos Giron, March 2009
Dan Blonsky, January 2000
Chip Esten, November 2013
Brianne Sherman, November 2008
Kevin Olmstead, the biggest winner in the show's history, April 2001
And with all of that said, we come down to my all time favorite moment from one of my all time favorite game shows.
..............
....................
.................................AND THE WINNER IS........
1: Joe Trela, March 2000. "HE JUST WON A MILLION DOLLARS!!!"
I remember watching this moment with my family and being amazed by the whole performance. With no lifelines left after winning $32,000, Joe carefully went over every question afterward, taking his time and studying all the answers very carefully before he answered each question. With the excitement of the game itself being combined with the fact that Joe was one of the most liked contestants on the show itself, it all ultimately lead to one of the most exciting Million dollar wins that I can remember. This is definitely my all time favorite Millionaire moment.
As the show continues onward now that we are in the 2014-2015 season of the game itself, I will continue to watch it and be a fan of the series. It's a game where you really feel like you can be a part of it, while leaving you on the edge of your seat as you root for the contestant that is on the big screen.
And I know this might be a shameless plug, but even I myself have made my own Anime version of the show:
In the end, I'll never be able to top the excitement that the real show brings to TV, but as a fan, it's still one of my favorite events to run, watch, and be a part of in general. But overall, Who Wants to be a Millionaire has, and will continue to be, one of my all time favorite game shows.
Thoughts, comments? Feel free to add them here.
