Chi vuol essere milionario?

Chi vuol essere milionario (milliardario)? (English translation: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (billionaire)?), also known as Verso il Milione (English translation: Towards the Million (Billion), is an Italian-language Italian game show based on the original British format of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show is hosted by Gerry Scotti. The objective of the game is to win €1 million by answering 15 multiple-choice questions correctly. There are four lifelines - fifty fifty (cinquante cinquanta), phone a friend (telefonata a casa), ask the audience (aiuto al pubblico) and switch the question (switch, the lifeline is unlocked when player won €3,000). Chi vuol essere milionario? is broadcast from 2002 to today. It is shown on the Italian television station Canale 5. When a contestant gets the fifth question correct, he will leave with at least €3,000. When a contestant gets the tenth question correct, he will leave with at least €20,000.

Chi vuol essere milionario? Edizione Straordinaria (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - Extraordinary edition) was the special editions aired from December 15, 2008 to March 29, 2009.

Lifelines
In Italian version three standard and one additional lifelines used:
 * 50:50 or "50%" (cinquanta-cinquanta)
 * Phone-a-Friend (la telefonata a casa)
 * Ask the Audience (l'aiuto del pubblico)
 * Switch the Question (lo switch) (September 24, 2007 - March 29, 2009)

The game's prizes
In second version of Chi vuol essere milionario? (today series), there are fifteen questions and there are these prizes for questions: In first version of Chi vuol essere milionario?, there were fifteen questions and there were these prizes for questions:

Chi vuol essere miliardario?
From 2000 to 2001, a previous version of Chi vuol essere milionario? was broadcast at Canale 5. It was called Chi vuol essere miliardario? (English translation: Who Wants to Be a Billionaire?). As in today's version, Gerry Scotti was the host. The biggest prize was ₤1,000,000,000 (€516,456), as the currency in Italy, until 2001, was the lira. There was one winner of 1 billion lire, Francesca Cinelli.

Top Prize Winners

 * Francesca Cinelli - ₤1,000,000,000 (March 18, 2001)
 * Davide Pavesi - €1,000,000 (October 17, 2004)
 * Michela De Paoli - €1,000,000 (January 27, 2011)

Biggest Losers

 * Marco Sacconaghi - €16,000 (€300,000 question wrong; lost €134,000) (January 22, 2007)
 * Daria Ciotti - €70,000 (€300,000 question wrong; lost €80,000) (December 21, 2010)

€300,000 Winners

 * Cosimo Rillo - €300,000 (March 23, 2006)
 * Giovanni Balasso - €300,000 (February 11, 2007)
 * Simone Colzani - €300,000 (March 29, 2007)
 * Riccardo Tori - €300,000 (March 25, 2008)
 * Roberto Riva Cambrino - €300,000 (October 15, 2010)

€150,000 Winners

 * Michela Gregorio - €150,000 (December 7, 2007)
 * Elio Orio - €150,000 (December 9, 2007)
 * ? (March 30, 2010)
 * Andrea Maccatrozzo - €150,000 (February 27, 2011)

€70,000 Winners

 * Paola Scarica - €70,000 (December 5, 2007)
 * Beppe Paolone - €70,000 (February 10, 2008)
 * Daniele Zella - €70,000 (June 5, 2009)
 * Roberto Poppa - €70,000 (September 8, 2009)
 * Stefano Berton - €70,000 (May 9, 2010)
 * Giusy Panico - €70,000 (May 11, 2010)

€35,000 Winners

 * Paolo Comunian - €35,000 (May 1, 2003)
 * Erika Grandi - €35,000 (May 11, 2006)
 * Elio Turrisi - €35,000 (December 28, 2006)
 * Danilo Zaccaria - €35,000 (December 28, 2006)
 * Andrea Mastrovito - €35,000 (January 19, 2007)
 * Lorella Villa - €35,000 (February 26, 2007)
 * Carla Cogo - €35,000 (February 28, 2007)
 * Ferdinando Mastrangelo - €35,000 (December 4, 2007)

₤64,000,000 Winners

 * Antonio Goglia - ₤64,000,000 (January 7, 2001)

€20,000 Winners

 * Daniela Rita Pieretti - €20,000 (lost €50,000 (April 1, 2009)
 * Patrizia Leone - €20,000 (lost €10,000 (August 31, 2009)
 * Gaia Lucantonio - €20,000 (December 7, 2010) (risk format)
 * Paola Morossi - €20,000 (lost €10,000 (December 31, 2010)

€16,000 Winners

 * Davide Elia - €16,000 (lost €0 (2003)
 * Danila Giovinazzi - €16,000 (lost €54,000 (January 26, 2006)
 * Paola Albano - €16,000 (lost €0 (January 19, 2007)
 * Marco Sacconaghi - €16,000 (lost €134,000 (January 22, 2007)
 * Elisabetta Mennillo - €16,000 (lost €19,000 (April 11, 2007)
 * Gaetano Marra - €16,000 (lost €0 - beginning of 2002)

€15,000 Winners

 * Daniele Ianello - €15,000 (October 2010)

€10,000 Winners

 * Andrea Pelliccia - €10,000 (October 15, 2008)

€3,000 Winners

 * Gabriele Orsi - €3,000 (lost €7,000 (April 1, 2009)
 * Francesca Della Selva - €3,000 (lost €4,000 (April 6, 2009)
 * Antonino Bordonaro - €3,000 (lost €7,000 (April 6, 2009)
 * Roberto Bortolussi - €3,000 (lost €7,000 (September 1, 2009)
 * Alessandra Montagna - €3,000 (lost €0 (September 1, 2009)

€500 Winners

 * Francesco Marcheselli - €500 (May 1, 2003)
 * Davide Rizzini - €500 (May 11, 2006)
 * Andrea Iacopini - €500 (March 12, 2007)
 * Dario Lauria - €500 (April 11, 2007)
 * Laura Barbieri - €500 (April 11, 2007)
 * Francesca Marini - €500 (April 27, 2007)
 * ? - €500 (October 24, 2007)
 * Paolo Fantini - €500 (December 7, 2007)

€0 Winners

 * Francesco Gaiardelli - €0 (January 13, 2002) (2nd question wrong)
 * ? - €0 (200?) (5th question wrong)
 * Floriana Conte - €0 (200?) (1st question wrong)
 * Annarita Santucci - €0 (September 6, 2010) (7th question wrong, risk format)

₤? Winners

 * Ilaria Vighi - at least ₤1,000,000 (January 7, 2001)

€? Winners

 * Elsa Capossele - at least €500 (January 26, 2006)
 * Ernesto Ottaviano - at least €16,000 (February 28, 2007)
 * Enrico Indelicato - at least €500 (March 12, 2007)
 * Barbara Di Gioia - at least €16,000 (April 10, 2007)
 * Francesco Maria Ballone - at least €20,000 (September 8, 2008)
 * Gaetano Caltabellotta - at least €3,000 (October 15, 2008)
 * Maurizio Righi - at least €3,000 (April 6, 2009)
 * Raffaella Gambardella - at least €3,000 (June 5, 2009)
 * Mauro Benedetti - at least €0 (September 1, 2009)
 * Marco Bonfitto - at least €3,000 (September 8, 2009)
 * Alessandro Giunti - at least €0 (September 6, 2010)
 * Luigi Maria Puddu - at least €30,000 (December 7, 2010)

Trivia

 * Over 11 years, 12 seasons and 1,679 episodes aired.
 * On February 24, 2002, 100th episode aired.
 * The names of the contestants of each game are written by the host on a special card. Once the players are all introduced, the card is thrown away as a running joke.
 * The film pavilion where the filming takes place, as well as the studio, belong personally to the show's host - Gerry Scotti.
 * Several times, when the contestants did not have time to finish the game before the "final klaxon" on the last episode of the current season, they continued to the next season.
 * In the history of the show, the money tree was changed three times.
 * Since March 30, 2009 the Fastest Finger First round was scrapped, and the "Switch the Question" lifeline was removed.
 * Since September 6, 2010, instead of the classic format a risk format appeared. First and second minimum amounts were removed. The contestant selects the one minimum amount himself.
 * Paola Morossi (December 29, 30, 31, 2010) and Michela De Paoli (January 25, 26, 27, 2011) are contestants, who in three episodes in a row appeared.
 * Michela De Paoli (January 27, 2011) is the only contestant who saved all three lifelines to the final question.
 * In the episode on January 2, 2006, the Carla Cogo a €16,000 bad question was asked. He answered the 10th question wrong, lost €7,500 and walked away with the €500. Later it turned out that the answer was right. on February 28, 2007 she was invited again to the show and continued the run with "Phone-a-Friend" and "Ask the Audience" lifelines.
 * As of August 31, 2009, almost 1,500 episodes aired.
 * On May 24, 2010, an 10th Anniversary (1,291st) episode aired. In studio was invited Giuseppe Scala, first contestant, who on first episode appeared. In total, 1,290 episodes aired and nearly 7,000 contestants in studio appeared, but nearly 2,500 appeared in hot seat, who nearly 20,000 questions were asked. The show was watched by 10,000,000 TV viewers.
 * In the episode on June 8, 2011, a contestant the bad question was asked. He asked, "Who won a Nobel Peace Prize?" with John Paul II, John XXIII, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the Dalai Lama as choices. The right answer was Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, but also the Dalai Lama won it in 1989. So there were two correct answers to a question, which is contrary to the rules same as the game.
 * Gerry Scotti can be considered to be the creator of Millionaire Hot Seat, as he demanded to be allowed to make bigger changes to the format, resulting in Edizione Straordinaria, the first show to use the Hot Seat format.