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Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? - General Discussion


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My problem is, this is like "celebrity charity" than "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." Yes, it's true seeing people who go: "I watched this at home and think I can do better and I really can't." The show was great not because of Regis, but because of average people being on. Friend of mine was on back in 99. I had two friends almost get on in 2000. Every time I see this I want to go: "How about us teachers who need money for funding?" or how about: "I'm playing for a community to get them going." Not that one charity is more important than another, but this just doesn't work in the long term. 

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19 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Omg Tiffany Haddish had moments of brilliance, and moments of WTF ARE YOU THINKING?!??

I came here to say the same thing. I've never cared for her, but when she started out pretty smart, I was thinking hey, girl's got some brains going for her, I need to rethink my opinion. Then she was all WTH is a woodchuck, some imaginary animal? And I was back to oh, snap, get her off my teevee, what a loser.

I never watched The Sopranos but saw that last scene several times on different pop-culture shows. I didn't notice they were eating anything, but like she said, shrimp was too high-class for that diner. Onion rings were what people would order there IMO. Chicken fingers would be next choice, but even those are a bit fancy for a mob diner. And nachos? No way. Too crunchy and loud for the sound guy. Plus messy with all that cheese gooping off the chips. No respectable mob boss would eat nachos, at least not in public.

Was glad when she was gone, although I'd really like to own that wig. It was nice.

The "regular" guy who came on next shows promise. He was smart so far, and I like how he thanked Jimmy for making him feel relaxed. Well done, fellow. I hope you go far.

Edited by saber5055
Added my take on nachos.
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Not for nothing, I ❤️ the charity Tiffany was playing for.  I’m so glad she was able to bring it to a national stage.  It is a VERY important cause that I wish more people took notice of.  If you ever have the opportunity PLEASE donate old suitcases, luggage, duffles, backpacks to your local foster / adopt organization.  Anything is better than the black bags. My son came into my care at 8 years old with 4 black garbage bags of his entire childhood “belongings.”   

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Gah, they were overthinking the states question. They got Ohio and Utah, which rule out "border each other" and "names are one syllable," even if they don't know where they are in relation to the Mississippi River...and if they know where Ohio is, it rules out that answer, too. So "starts with a vowel" is all that's left. Didn't even need to come up with Iowa.

Trinidad is closer to mainland South America than I realized...

Fun fact: Julie Bowen's charity (Baby2Baby) "is one of the four charities to which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex suggested people might donate instead of sending gifts for their newborn son Archie in 2019" (from Wikipedia). Julie is on the board of directors.

I guessed Fast Times for the movie question because it's the only one I've never seen and I couldn't think of three Oscar winners for any of the others (though I don't really pay that much attention to the Oscars, so that was no guarantee).

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12 hours ago, ams1001 said:

I guessed Fast Times for the movie question because it's the only one I've never seen and I couldn't think of three Oscar winners for any of the others (though I don't really pay that much attention to the Oscars, so that was no guarantee).

I came up with Sean Penn right away, and Forest Whitaker after I thought for a little bit. I was assuming the third one was Jennifer Jason Leigh, who has been nominated for an Academy Award (for "The Hateful Eight") but didn't win. The third one is actually Nicolas Cage, who is kinda barely in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (and I think is credited as Nicolas Coppola in it). It was his first screen role.

Edited by Phishbulb
14 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I think I would subscribe to a podcast with Julie Bowen and  Jimmy  Kimmel discussing 80’s films and Oscar winners. 

That was the best part of this episode for me. I was enjoying how much they knew about the business (show) they are in. Not that that should be surprising, but it is.

I knew the answer to the Utah/Ohio clue as soon as those two states were said, so agree that spending time trying to think of Iowa was a waste. But the funny part is, I can (practically) see Iowa from my back door and I couldn't think of it either. Good thing Iowa doesn't connect Utah with Ohio.

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4 hours ago, Phishbulb said:

I came up with Sean Penn right away, and Forest Whitaker after I thought for a little bit. I was assuming the third one was Jennifer Jason Leigh, who has been nominated for an Academy Award (for "The Hateful Eight") but didn't win. The third one is actually Nicolas Cage, who is kinda barely in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (and I think is credited as Nicolas Coppola in it). It was his first screen role.

The only name I associate with Fast Times is Sean Penn..

2 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I knew the answer to the Utah/Ohio clue as soon as those two states were said, so agree that spending time trying to think of Iowa was a waste. But the funny part is, I can (practically) see Iowa from my back door and I couldn't think of it either. Good thing Iowa doesn't connect Utah with Ohio.

Iowa was the first I came up with, then Ohio. I hadn't thought of Utah before they said it.

On 10/26/2020 at 12:53 PM, saber5055 said:

That was the best part of this episode for me. I was enjoying how much they knew about the business (show) they are in. Not that that should be surprising, but it is.

Same. Though I was screaming at my TV that Robin Williams didn't win a Best Actor Oscar. His win was for supporting. I think that would have made things easier for them. 

Also, I didn't realize that you were allowed to use Jimmy like your helper and go back and forth with him. All the more reason to ditch 50/50 and use him. 

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On 10/26/2020 at 12:53 PM, saber5055 said:

That was the best part of this episode for me. I was enjoying how much they knew about the business (show) they are in. Not that that should be surprising, but it is.

Oh man, I was just coming here to say that. That was so delightful and spontaneous, from the moment Jimmy Kimmel said "I watched Fast Times last weekend," and Julie Bowen leaned forward in her chair, like they were having an actual conversation. I loved them going back and forth about the characters in the movie. You could see them drop their "personas" and it was almost like listening in on two friends, hanging out. "Forest Whitaker was in Fast Times?" "Yeah, he was the football player." And then when they started doing imitations of the characters ... I swear, twenty years fell away from both of them during that exchange.

Julie Bowen was interesting, because I thought she was toast after she had to check with her expert after every single answer, but she clearly was leaning on the guy because she thinks he knew more than her. Yet when forced to think for herself, she's actually pretty good.

Edited by Eolivet
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17 hours ago, opus said:

That lifeline started in the first pandemic run when it replaced "ask the audience' (since there's no audience to ask)

I knew they had switched it but I think this is the first time it's turned into a drawn out conversation rather than Jimmy just giving his answer with maybe a joke back and forth. Julie and Jimmy being able to collaborate is the thing I find fascinating and the reason it would be even more valuable a lifeline. I think any time you can talk out an answer with another person is ideal.

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I do like the "Ask a friend" option, and the banter/consultation on the early prize levels they can have. I suspect it helps relax the contestant a bit and break the ice, especially for the ones not used to TV production. 

I also like the ask the host banter chance as well. I hope both of those life line options remain somehow even when the audience can return. 

While it is one of the show's "feature" life lines, I wouldn't mind "Phone a friend" being dropped as a lifeline entirely. Or maybe replace it with "Zoom a Friend" so you can see who is being called and see they aren't looking up the answer but just trying to figure it out, and give them a full minute, or maybe 45 seconds to answer (with the question on their screen). 

Maybe have 4 Lifelines available at the start, but you can ONLY use 3 lifelines total. So you would have: Zoom a Friend, 50/50, Ask the Host, Ask the Audience at the start and have the in studio partner available to the 32k level. Then you can swap your Studio friend for one of the remaining lifelines if you want. (And are still limited to 3 total)

  • Love 1
41 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

Joel McHale is the game show utility player. In the last month he’s been on Masked Singer, Match Game and this and I’m not even counting Card Sharks. 

Also he was on Celebrity Family Feud where his “family” was other dads from his kids school.

Sucks that neither Erik nor his helper Alberto knew what a “wenis” was. I learned that in elementary school since it was something kids would joke about due to the rhyming implications. If he had used Ask the Host I’m confident Jimmy would know it.

As for Julie Bowen getting a Tiger King question for $1,000,000 that would be the one case I would see a question and be happy to not know the answer. 

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I thought Julie Bowen's $500,000 question was about as difficult as a  $100 question ....I mean what else could you see people in Caracas doing?  I certainly can't see them on ziplines....and what people would ride an ostrich or a water buffalo to church?   Caracas isn't all that weird.  People do roller skate.  But you put a life changing amount of money on that question and you find yourself agonizing over it.

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Erik and his friend obviously had a more refined upbringing than my school friends and I did.  "Wenis" was the talk of the town.

I wasn't sure about the "hero" contestants, but they aren't overdoing it.  I was hoping they would include bus drivers and others who have kept things working, and not just the usually fireman-cop-soldier.  It's like the show read my mind.  I did cringe a little at the "you've never ever seen snow...not even to go up to Big Bear?"  Little bit of foot-in-mouth, maybe.  Not everyone has time or money for a ski vacation.

Questions were pretty interesting.  I did not know that Julie's sister was a noted infectious disease specialist.  Pretty good episode.  Joel, though, my goodness.  I need him to dial it down just a bit.  He way way too "on" for me.

Edited by 853fisher
typo
1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Today I finally learned what the R in Joseph R. Biden stands for... 😄 Thanks, Millionaire! 

 

 

 

 

I think I heard it for the first time at some point yesterday. But I did know that it was “R” so I would have been able to figure it out. I have to keep reminding myself that these folks didn’t see what we current-time people have seen over the past couple days. 

9 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I think I heard it for the first time at some point yesterday. But I did know that it was “R” so I would have been able to figure it out.

Yeah, I knew it was R (I think it's the NY Times that almost always refers to him as "Joseph R. Biden") and I have idly wondered what it stood for but never bothered to look it up.

I know we are supposed to be rooting for the little guys on this show, but that food truck guy was such a dummy. He acted like he had to pick one of those answers even though he clearly had no idea. And he obviously didn't even read the question much less understand it. I was screaming at him to pick Thelma & Louise and then he was like "But they didn't even have cell phones back then?" It said Polaroid right in the question!

I also wondered why he can't run his food truck right now. The food trucks where I live are doing excellent business because they are outside and carry-out only to begin with. One of my favorite food trucks even partnered with a nightclub that is closed so they can park in their parking lot every day for lunch and use their kitchen. They sell out at lunch every single day.

Edited by Jadzia
  • Love 4
11 minutes ago, Jadzia said:

I know we are supposed to be rooting for the little guys on this show, but that food truck guy was such a dummy. He acted like he had to pick one of those answers even thought he clearly had no idea. And he obviously didn't even read the question much less understand it. I was screaming at him to pick Thelma & Louise and then he was like "But they didn't even have cell phones back then?" It said Polaroid right in the question!

I also wondered why he can't run his food truck right now. The food trucks where I live are doing excellent business because they are outside and carry-out only to begin with. One of my favorite food trucks even partnered with a nightclub that is closed so they can park in their parking lot every day for lunch and use their kitchen. They sell out at lunch every single day.

I got it wrong too....because I remember Romie and Michelle was about two ladies attending their high school reunion so I thought it was that.

Jimmy's usually fairly quick to remind contestants that they are forgetting their "Walk away" option, but I get the feeling the Food Truck guy lept to Final Answer too fast for Jimmy to realize where that was going and remind him of the other option. Plus they had gone over "You can still walk away after you phone your friend" before the lifeline was used. 

 

As for the question itself, I would've been stumped, since I've only seen 1 and maybe 2/3rds of the movies listed. But I vaguely recall T&L had some marketing of them with the Polaroid selfie, so it was my best guess. I probably would have walked though. 

 

While it is an iconic lifeline, Phone a Friend really has to be replaced with something else. Studio friend sort've works, but as I suggested above, Zoom a friend might be a better one. Or maybe Phone a friend could work better if they have the host ask the question and starting the 30 seconds when the host is done. (And don't let them chatter until the 30 seconds starts). Since often times a lot of the time seems eaten up just with the contestant mangling the question. 

  • Love 1
3 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I was happy for David Chang.   But pissed that they gave away that he was going to win the million in the promos during the show.

 

Me too! I was watching it yesterday and the episode is called something like "the one with the million". They to make it even worse the commercials even kept saying "someone" is going to win. Well... hm, there is David Chang who is only five or so questions away and someone will maybe start if there is time. So I think it's safe to jump to the conclusion that he wins. And certain enough he does. That being said, he seems like a nice guy actually and the charity really could use help right now. I know locally (but everywhere really) a lot of restaurants are about to go under if they don't get help. 

  • Love 1
1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Did they really? I hadn't seen any promos.

For me, it was literally the name of the episode on my PVR guide. "Someone wins the Million" or words to that effect. And I think the description was something like "A celebrity wins a million" on top of that. Whoever was in charge of promoting this episode should be fired. 

  • Love 3
3 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Did they really? I hadn't seen any promos.

Turns out it was in the DVR description on mine, too.  I just didn't pay any attention to it.

On the show Jimmy says that Regis talked Norm McDonald out of going for the million.   I remember that episode because it was the first celeb edition and Norm had been playing the fool the whole time and it was back when you had to do the fast finger test to get into the hot seat and he didn't get any of the fast finger questions right and it was a big joke and then he gets to the hot seat and of course he's really well educated guy.   But he has like no confidence.  So he wastes all 3 of his lifelines on questions he for sure knows the answer to.   I mean 3 questions in a row where he is like, "um, so I'm pretty sure the answer is a because I legitimately know the answer is A but I'm not sure the answer is A so I'm going to use a lifeline and the whole while I'm screaming, "But the answer is AAAAAA"   So by the time he got to the million dollar question he had no lifelines.  

Maybe Regis talked him out of it but I mean he just wasn't playing like he was a gambling person the whole game.   

 

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2 hours ago, Taeolas said:

For me, it was literally the name of the episode on my PVR guide. "Someone wins the Million" or words to that effect. And I think the description was something like "A celebrity wins a million" on top of that. Whoever was in charge of promoting this episode should be fired. 

Heh, I hadn't read the description, either. Just looked at TV Guide and...yeah. 🙄

Considering they don't get more than two players into an episode, they seem to be alternating celebs and regular people, and the episode started with a celeb in mid-game...pretty obvious.

If I’m using my phone a friend lifeline, I am condensing that question into as few words as possible in order to give them time to ask Mr Google. Who was the first president to have electricity in the White House. No need for the wordy part about president and First Lady being afraid of getting shocked. 

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15 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I was happy for David Chang.   But pissed that they gave away that he was going to win the million in the promos during the show.

All the tv promos on all the days leading up to Sunday as well as my tv directory said a celebrity was going to win a million, but I'd never heard of David Chang so wasn't sure he was the winner. Until I looked at the clock and knew there was no time for a new contestant to get that far, so yeah, the show ruined the BIG SURPRISE that was no surprise at all.

However, I did actually tear up when he won. It's been that kind of year. David is going to be on Kimmel's show tonight. Good thing he had that phone a friend since he thought two of those million-dollar answers weren't even presidents. Gah.

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For David Chang's million-dollar question, I would've thought it was Arthur, but only because I thought Arthur was the latest among those presidents. I knew it had to be around turn of the century, thanks to a line from the Dowager Countess in Downton Abbey season 1: "I couldn't have electricity in the house. I wouldn't sleep a wink!" and that was 1912.

I'd also forgotten (or maybe it's a new thing) that they turn off the music entirely at the million-dollar question, so it's just a heartbeat. Spooky.

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I happened to know the million dollar question!  I used to love books like "101 Odd Stories About Historical Figures."  If there wasn't a servant around to turn off the lights in the residence, they just stayed on all night while the Harrisons were there.  What is now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building was electrified at the same time, but the paper pushers there in the State, War, and Navy Building didn't earn a mention in any of my books.  I think commercialized electricity was about a decade old then, but maybe it got to rural England a while later.

I was pleased for the winner.  He was a bold and intelligent player.  I can only imagine what a great moment that would've been if I hadn't been told it was going to happen by the title of the episode.  Harrumph.  I appreciated that he named the charity as many times as possible too, discussed at length what they need and why, etc.  He is a great spokesman for them.

I've noticed in recent weeks that some contestants seem not to understand what appears to me to be a basic fact of the game.  I guess Millionaire doesn't have particularly complex mechanics, but if I were going on I would want to bear a few things in mind.  What I'm thinking of is that, at the upper levels of the game, there are no "trick answers."

If the question is "which president," the four options are all going to be presidents, so don't psych yourself out trying to figure that part out.  There isn't going to be a "Warren Hoover" or "Chester Z. Arthur" up there.  It obviously didn't stop him, but the big winner spent a bit of time trying to parse whether Harrison was in fact a president.  Once you introduce yourself to doubt, it can be tough to dig out.

The ASL interpreter a few shows ago did the same thing.  "I haven't heard of 'Blueberries for Sal,' I guess it must not be much of a classic, I can rule that out."  If the question is "what classic book," assume that all four books are in fact classics.  IIRC, she was bailed out by a lifeline who knew the correct answer.  I could be overthinking this, but it's what I'd tell someone I knew who was going on.

One more thing: I'm sure we're all tired of hearing and reading about COVID, but does it strike anyone else that, if you're unmasked and you've gotten close enough to bump elbows, you might as well just shake hands or go in for the hug or whatever you were going to do?  I find that looks so strange.

Edited by 853fisher
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14 hours ago, ams1001 said:

OMG. I liked JD but jeez he was getting really annoying with the Meryl Streep question. 

I was absolutely LOVING JD and wanted him to stay on for at least 20 more episodes, then take over hosting, then star in his own show. I've never enjoyed anyone that much. And I was getting a kick out of his Meryl Streep talk. JD could do no wrong in my eyes. I  wish he could have gone on to the million. That would have been whack if he played his Czech guess and won $500,000. I was with Kimmel on that one though, I guessed Korean so I would have been a big loser. I'm happy JD got $250,000 though. Well deserved. I also got a kick out of his friend having studied Oscar winners when they knew JD was coming on the show.

It was refreshing to see a bright articulate player after some of the dumbasses who have been on (pretty much all) game shows lately.

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7 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I was absolutely LOVING JD and wanted him to stay on for at least 20 more episodes, then take over hosting, then star in his own show. I've never enjoyed anyone that much. And I was getting a kick out of his Meryl Streep talk. JD could do no wrong in my eyes. I  wish he could have gone on to the million. That would have been whack if he played his Czech guess and won $500,000. I was with Kimmel on that one though, I guessed Korean so I would have been a big loser. I'm happy JD got $250,000 though. Well deserved. I also got a kick out of his friend having studied Oscar winners when they knew JD was coming on the show.

It was refreshing to see a bright articulate player after some of the dumbasses who have been on (pretty much all) game shows lately.

I agree, it was just the hemming and hawing on that one question. No wonder they only manage a game and a quarter (at best) per episode.

I tried to google the last question while they were talking, and chrome autocorrected "ano" to "no" which apparently means yes in Polish, so I figured since it was close the answer was probably Czech. Then I went to google translate and saw I was right. (All while they he was still deciding what to do.)

  • Love 1

I also liked JD.  He was clever and funny. Total keeper.  I knew Iron Lady straight off but that's a lot of money so I get the hemming and hawing.  I like, though, that the friend was assigned topics.  I told my mom a long time ago she needed to learn all the vice presidential trivia to be my phone a friend and she has not taken this request seriously at all.  So every time vice presidential trivia comes up on this or Jeopardy I tease her about being a terrible phone a friend.   On the electricity question, she was like, "HA, not a vice president.  You're on your own."

 

  • LOL 4

When Cedric the Entertainer hosted the daytime version, the format was completely different.  For the first ten....they used to shuffle the categories and dollar amounts and when contestants got a question right, they would reveal the dollar amount won and that was added to the players bank.  After ten questions, they played "classic millionaire" for the dollar amounts from $125.000 to one million.  If a contestant lost in this round, they would receive half the bank they had accumulated in the earlier round.

  • Useful 2
11 hours ago, Swenson said:

When Cedric the Entertainer hosted the daytime version, the format was completely different.  For the first ten....they used to shuffle the categories and dollar amounts and when contestants got a question right, they would reveal the dollar amount won and that was added to the players bank.  After ten questions, they played "classic millionaire" for the dollar amounts from $125.000 to one million.  If a contestant lost in this round, they would receive half the bank they had accumulated in the earlier round.

I never even knew he hosted a version of it until recently. Came across an article about James Holzhauer's wife being on Millionaire and watched a video of it on youtube and it was that version. I was so confused at first with the shuffling of the clues.

Didn't have any strong feelings one way or the other about tonight's civilian contestant. I kept yelling "it's Bob Dylan" at my TV but they weren't listening.

I like Cedric's sister.

  • Love 1

I'm curious... has Jimmy ever been wrong? (when asked as a lifeline)

I haven't seen every single show; however, from what I have seen, Jimmy's always nailed it.

Also, it seemed to me that Jimmy clearly wanted the contestant to "think through" that Woody question... did anyone else pick up on that?... and if she'd thought more objectively, she might have won enough for her dream to own a Hug a Pug farm with Pug Mugs in the giftshop!

  • Love 1
1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

I never even knew he hosted a version of it until recently. Came across an article about James Holzhauer's wife being on Millionaire and watched a video of it on youtube and it was that version. I was so confused at first with the shuffling of the clues.

Didn't have any strong feelings one way or the other about tonight's civilian contestant. I kept yelling "it's Bob Dylan" at my TV but they weren't listening.

I like Cedric's sister.

I kept yelling "It's Labrador Retriever!!!" at Cedric and his sister.  They similarly did not listen to me.

Jimmy didn't know something last week, right?  Something about what language something was?   But he's never told somebody he even kind of knew something and been wrong.  I like Jimmy as an ask the host person because I tend to have an idea of the types of things he knows and they aren't always the same things I know.

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27 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

I kept yelling "It's Labrador Retriever!!!" at Cedric and his sister.  They similarly did not listen to me.

I vaguely remember hearing that answer but I was distracted and missed the question. Something about the dog show best in show maybe? Don't know if I would have gotten it.

27 minutes ago, bybrandy said:

Jimmy didn't know something last week, right?  Something about what language something was?   But he's never told somebody he even kind of knew something and been wrong.  I like Jimmy as an ask the host person because I tend to have an idea of the types of things he knows and they aren't always the same things I know.

That was the "'ano' means 'yes' in which language" question. Jimmy didn't know and J.D. decided to walk away (with $250K). 

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