Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (U.S. version)

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (also known as Millionaire) is an American television game show based upon the British program of the same title, which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering a series of consecutive multiple choice questions. The program follows the same general premise as its original UK counterpart, and is one of many international variants in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise.

Originally, as in the UK edition, contestants were required to correctly answer fifteen questions of increasing difficulty; however, in 2010, the format was modified so that the contestants were faced with ten questions of random difficulty and prize value followed by and a second level of four questions of increasing difficulty referred to as "Classic" Millionaire. Nevertheless, in 2015, the program returned to a more classic version of gameplay, in which contestants will be required to correctly answer fourteen questions of increasing difficulty and fixed value in order to win the million dollar prize.

The original U.S. version aired on ABC from August 16, 1999 to June 27, 2002, and was hosted by Regis Philbin. The current syndicated version of the show began airing on September 16, 2002, and was launched by Meredith Vieira, who remained host for eleven seasons, with her final first-run episode airing on May 31, 2013. In the seasons that followed, Vieira was succeeded by Cedric the Entertainer in the 2013–2014 season, Terry Crews in the following season (2014–2015), and Chris Harrison in the (2015-present) season.

As the first U.S. network game show to offer a million-dollar top prize, the show made television history by becoming one of the highest-rated game shows in the history of American television. The U.S. Millionaire has gone on to win seven Daytime Emmy Awards, and TV Guide and Game Show Network (GSN) have ranked it #7 and #5 on their respective lists of the 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time. In 2013, TV Guide ranked it #6 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.

Game series
Below is the list of seasons:

Primetime version
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire debuted in the United States on August 16, 1999 on the ABC television network, and was hosted by television personality Regis Philbin.

The network version, whose episodes were originally shown just a day after their taping in New York, became explosively popular in 2000, and at its peak was airing in prime time four nights a week on ABC. The show was popular enough to find rival networks creating or reincarnating game shows of their own, and created a brief renaissance of sorts for United States based game shows (e.g. Greed, Twenty One, etc.) as well as a flurry of American versions of UK and Australian originals, such as Winning Lines, The Weakest Link, and It's Your Chance of a Lifetime.

ABC used Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in so many prime time slots that when the show's popularity faded by the fall of 2001, it was left with a dearth of original programs on June 27, 2002. ABC's overall Nielsen Ratings suffered as a result of the show's decline in popularity. Michael Eisner, then CEO of The Walt Disney Company (ABC's parent), a former page at Jeopardy! and The Price Is Right, thought that the show would be successful like many other daytime television shows. However, he had realized too late that a hot show like Millionaire would tire more quickly in prime time than in daytime.undefined

However, to celebrate Millionaire's 10th anniversary, the show returned to ABC prime time in August 2009 with host Regis Philbin for a two week event.

Syndicated Version
In 2002, Disney's Disney-ABC Domestic Television started selling a new version of the show for daily syndication, with a new host, Meredith Vieira (who previously appeared on the nighttime show and won $250,000 during a celebrity week where all the money would go to charities related to victims of 9/11). It was initially proposed and developed under the assumption that the prime time show would still be airing on ABC, but the prime time show was canceled a few months before the syndicated show premiered.

The syndicated version premiered in September 2002, and began airing its fourteenth season on September 14, 2015, and has earned Vieira two Emmies for best game show host.undefined The format is licensed by Sony Pictures Television as part of the acquisition of 2waytraffic in 2008, though the U.S. version is still distributed by Disney.

This version has no Fastest Finger Round, new contestants appear after the previous contestant's game ends.

Qualifications
Unlike the original network version, where aspiring contestants made a phone call, answered a few questions correctly on the phone, and were randomly selected, leading to a Fastest Finger competition to determine the player in the hot seat, the current version uses a more traditional game-show procedure, similar to what is used for most games. This toughens the contestant pool.

Contestants, depending on touring tryouts or tryouts held at ABC's New York studio center, are required to pass a quiz between 30 and 40 questions which is electronically scored.

Contestants who pass the general-knowledge test are then interviewed by production staff. People who impress the production staff the most are later sent a postcard in the mail stating that he/she is in a pool of to-be contestants, which by the producers' discretion are sent to New York for their tapings.undefined

Fill-In Hosts
From 2007 to 2011, guest-hosts have appeared in the second half of each season due to Meredith's busy schedule.


 * Al Roker (March 5–9, 2007)
 * Tom Bergeron (May 14–18, 2007)
 * Tim Vincent (June 25–29, 2007)
 * Dave Price (March 3–7, 2008)
 * Billy Bush (April 21–25, 2008; was also an expert in Season 7)
 * Leeza Gibbons (June 23–27, 2008)
 * Cat Deeley (February 16–20, 2009)
 * Samantha Harris (May 11–15, 2009)
 * Shaun Robinson (June 8–12, 2009)
 * Regis Philbin (November 30-December 4, 2009; original primetime-version host)
 * Steve Harvey (April 12-16, 2010)
 * John Henson (May 10-14, 2010)
 * Sherri Shepherd (March 14-18, 2011)
 * Tim Gunn (April 18-22, 2011)
 * D. L. Hughley (June 20-24, 2011)

Gameplay
At its core, the game is a quiz competition in which the goal is to correctly answer a series of consecutive multiple-choice questions. However, the format of the show has been overhauled multiple times along its lifetime.

Fastest Finger
On all of the ABC versions (including the Super Millionaire spin-off and the 10th Anniversary Celebration), ten contestants competed in a one question playoff, known as the Fastest Finger question, for the right to play the main game. During this round, the host would read one question and four items that had to be arranged in a specific order. Each contestant would try to input the correct order, using keys on the podiums in front of them, with a time limit of 20 seconds. The person who did so correctly in the fastest time would join the host in the Hot Seat and begin the main game.

If two or more contestants tied on time, they would play an additional Fastest Finger question to break the tie. If none of the contestants answer the question correctly, they would all play as many Fastest Fingers questions as needed until at least one contestant gets it right. If the main game ended and there was still time available for another game, the remaining contestants played another Fastest Finger round for a chance to play the main game.

If any of the contestants are visually-impaired, the host would read the question and 4 choices all at once (which are included in an envelope), then repeat the choices after the music began.

The Fastest Finger round has been removed from the syndicated series, Meredith Viera calls each new contestant onstage and he or she comes onto the set and immediately sits in the hot seat.

Original format
On the primetime version of the show and during the first eight seasons on syndication, a contestant was asked a series of up to 15 consecutive multiple-choice answers of increasing difficulty. Each question had a fixed cash value, and if they were to be answered correctly, the contestant's total earnings would be raised to that value (for example, giving a correct answer to the $500 question would increase their earnings to $500, not by $500). This would continue until either the contestant answered all 15 questions correctly, miss a question or decide to walk away with all of the money they had received thus far. Any of these conditions being met marked the end of a contestant's game.

Up until the sixth syndicated season, there was no time limit, meaning that a contestant could take as much time to answer a question as they needed. Most contestants who could not answer a question immediately often thought out loud, and tried to work out the answers by either elimination or other means. However, in order for an answer to be considered valid and binding, the contestant must confirm it is what they intend to play by either stating Final answer, Final, or anything similar. The iconic phrase "Is that your final answer?" exists because of this rule, and is said by the host to a contestant when they seem to be committing to an answer but do not do so correctly. However, during the first five questions, segments of contestants stating that their answers are final are often cut out or even do not happen in order to speed up gameplay.

Questions 5 and 10 were known as milestone questions, because if they were to be answered correctly, they would increase the contestant's minimum payout to the cash value they had attached. If at any moment a contestant gave a wrong answer, their total winnings would be reduced to the cash value attached to the last milestone question correctly answered. For example, on the primetime version, answering questions 7 or 11 incorrectly would reduce a contestant's winnings from $4,000 to $1,000 and from $125,000 to $32,000 (or $100,000 to $25,000 on Seasons 3-8 of the syndicated version). A direct consequence of this was that questions 6 and 11 ($2,000 and $64,000; $50,000 from Seasons 3-8 of the syndicated version) were freebies, because they could be answered without fear of losing any accumulated money.

Because there is no initial milestone question, a contestant could leave empty handed if they provide a wrong answer to any of the first five questions. The first person to do so, Robby Roseman, and his infamous answer to the $100 question "Hannibal crossed the Alps using what animals?" were responsible for the creation of the term llama among the show's fans to refer to any contestant who misses any of the first five questions and leaves the show empty-handed.

Clock format


At the start of the seventh syndicated season, time limits were introduced to each question. The host would read a question, and as the four answers appear simultaneously, the clock would start ticking down, even while the host is reading the four possible choices. The contestant is not required to wait for the host to read all the answers, they can commit to an answer as soon as it appears (Alan Carver being the most notable example).

Contestants had up to 15 seconds to answer questions one through five, up to 30 seconds for questions six through ten, and up to 45 seconds for questions eleven through fifteen. However, any unused time from the first fourteen questions was added to the clock during the last question, giving contestants much more time to think through the million dollar question. If a contestant runs out of time before committing to an answer, they are forced to walk away with the winnings they had until that point, unless certain conditions are met.

During this format, contestants had access to a revamped money tree, that presented them the categories for all of the questions they had yet to answer. Also introduced during this era were Celebrity questions. Most often found in mid-tier questions, these were provided by notable individuals whose identities were not revealed until the contestant reached their special questions. Barring a few other exceptions, the clock format was identical to the original format in every other way.

Shuffle format


At the start of the ninth syndicated season, the show was given a complete overhaul. Alongside with the removal of the clock, gameplay was divided into two rounds, Super Mix and Classic Millionaire. During the Super Mix round, a contestant would face 10 questions with a certain money value attached to them. These 10 questions, originally sorted by difficulty, and the 10 money values (ranging from $100 to $25,000) were shuffled before gameplay started (hence the Super Mix name). Contestants were aware of the order in which the questions were shuffled (as they could look at the categories before and after the shuffle), but were not told the money values behind a question.

Correctly answering a question added the money value of the question to a contestant's bank; answering it incorrectly dropped the contestant's winnings to a consolation prize of $1,000 and meant their elimination from the game. A contestant who decided to walk away during this round would only take half of whatever they had banked up until that moment.

Aditionally, a contestant could also decide to jump a question, provided that they had not used all of their allocated jumps (two for Seasons 9 through 12, one for Season 13). When a contestant jumped a question, the correct answer was revealed, alongside with the money value behind the question. This money value was forfeited, but the contestant was allowed to keep playing. During this round, a contestant could bank up to $68,600 by answering all of the 10 questions correctly and not jumping any of them.

After getting through the 10 questions in the Super Mix round (either by correctly answering the tenth Super Mix question or by jumping it), the contestant entered the Classic Millionaire round, in which they would face 4 non-categorized questions worth $100,000, $250,000, $500,000 and $1,000,000 in that order. Unlike the previous round, the questions were of increasing difficulty, and answering a question correctly would only increase their bank contents up to the money value of the question. Furthermore, a contestant could walk away with the full contents of their bank during this round before commiting to an answer (even before answering the $100,000 question), but answering incorrectly any of the final four questions eliminated them from the game and reduced their bank contents back down to a safety net of $25,000. A contestant could also jump a question during this round, provided they had not used all of their allocated jumps and that they were not trying to jump the last question. Jumping a question this round also forfeited the money value behind a question, but meant that the contestant could attempt to answer a higher-valued question.

During this era, Double Your Money Weeks were introduced. Contestants who played during these weeks had a randomly chosen question from the Super Mix round have its money value doubled (the Double Money question). They were made aware of the position of this question before gameplay started, but were not told the value it contained until they had correctly answered the question. If a contestant decided to jump the Double Money question, this doubled value would be revealed to the contestant and be forfeited, and the contestant would be given no additional Double Money questions. During a Double Your Money week, a contestant could bank up to $93,600 during the Super Mix round by answering all 10 questions correctly and having had their $25,000 question doubled in value.

In 2010, audience games Who Wants to Be a Thousandaire? (in 2010-2013 — The $1,000 Question or $1,000 Question Game) was introduced. In 2014, Fastest Feet and Team Millionaire games took place.

Current format
At the start of the fourteenth syndicated season, the show saw another major overhaul, bringing it back closer to its roots. Gameplay is now similar to the format used in primetime and early syndication: a contestant faces a number of questions of increasing difficulty and money value; if they answer a question correctly, their bank would increase to the money value attached to the question, but if they answer it incorrectly, the contents of their bank would drop down to the value attached to the last safety net they had passed and mean their elimination from the game; in addition, a contestant could walk away with the full contents of their bank at any point during the game before committing to an answer.

Unlike the original format, a contestant only needs to correctly answer 14 questions (instead of 15) to win the top prize; and a contestant who is supposed to leave with nothing because they had answered a question incorrectly before acquiring the first safety net will be given a $1,000 consolation prize, although the host does not usually indicate this fact to the contestants while explaining the rules (in the original format, a contestant would leave empty-handed if they answer any question incorrectly before passing the first milestone and they would not be awarded any consolation money).

Lifelines
Before gameplay begins, contestants are given a selection of lifelines, designed to help a contestant who gets stuck at a particular question. Barring the Double Dip lifeline, contestants are free to use as many lifelines as they want in a particular question and are free to walk away from a question even after using them. However, contestants are only able to use each lifeline once, with the notable exception of the Jump the Question lifeline during the 2009/10-2013/14 seasons, as contestants were able to use this lifeline twice.

In the original primetime version and during the first six seasons on syndication, contestants were given three lifelines:


 * 50:50: the computer would remove two wrong answers among the four possible choices, meaning that the contestant was left with the correct answer and one remaining wrong answer. Originally, the two wrong answers that were removed were predetermined by the production staff. This however changed later, and the two wrong answers were selected at random.
 * Phone-A-Friend: the contestant could call one of five (three from the seventh syndicated season onwards) predetermined friends anywhere on the United States and would read them the question and the possible choices. The friend was given 30 seconds to try and answer the question, after which the call would be cut-off. However, the contestant was not forced to commit to the answer that their friend gave.
 * Ask the Audience: the studio audience members were given 20 seconds to indicate the answer they thought was correct using an electronic keypad. The results were then tallied and shown to the contestant.

At the start of the third syndicated season, an additional lifeline was given to the contestants, provided that they had correctly answered the second milestone question:


 * Switch the Question: the computer would switch the current question for another one worth the same money value. The contestant would be shown the correct answer of the old question before being shown the replacement one. Any lifelines used in the old question were not reinstated, and a contestant could not switch back to the original question.

At the start of the seventh syndicated season (the first Clock Format season), the Switch the Question and 50:50 lifelines were eliminated. In their place, the contestant was given two new lifelines:


 * Double Dip: originally available in the Super Millionaire spin-off, a contestant was given two shots at answering a question, i.e., if their first locked in answer turned to be incorrect, they were given another chance at answering the question. The Double Dip lifeline was not restored if a contestant's first locked in answer turned to be correct. Unique to any lifeline in the series, after deciding to use the lifeline, the contestant was not able to use any other lifelines or walk away, so they were forced to either use all of their attempts or let the clock run down to zero. Should the latter happen, the contestant will be considered to have given an incorrect answer and they would be eliminated from their game, dropping their winnings to the last safe haven they had achieved.
 * Ask the Expert: similar to the Three Wise Men lifeline in the Super Millionaire spin-off, a contestant was able to talk with an expert (usually a former Millionaire contestant or a celebrity) through a Skype video-call in order to determine the correct answer. If the Skype video-call failed, the contestant and the expert would communicate through a regular phone call. Unlike the Three Wise Men lifeline, a contestant was allowed to talk to the expert for as long as they wished. Similar to the Switch the Question lifeline, this lifeline originally was not available at the start of the game, and was only given to a contestant after they had correctly answered the first milestone question.

During the Clock Format era, the question clock would stop whenever the contestant stated that they would use a lifeline (and the contestant could actually use it), and would only resume once the results of the lifeline were let known to the contestant. However, if a contestant used their Double Dip lifeline and missed their first attempt, the clock would restart after the attempt was revealed to be incorrect.

On the episode broadcast on January 11, 2010, midway through the eighth season, the production staff announced that the Phone-A-Friend lifeline would be no longer offered to contestants, due to the rising number of phone-a-friends using Internet web searches or other media in order to unfairly aid a player, which according to the show, was against the original intent of the lifeline. In return, the Ask the Expert lifeline was given to a contestant before gameplay started, and would no longer need to earn it.

At the start of the syndicated Season 9 (the first shuffle format season), the Double Dip and Ask the Expert lifelines were eliminated. In their place, the contestant was given two Jump the Question lifelines:


 * Jump the Question: the contestant would be able to skip the current question and see the following one, continuing gameplay as normal but forfeiting the money value attached to the old question, i.e., if used during the Super Mix round, the money value attached to the question would not be added to a contestant's bank, and if used during the Classic Millionaire round, the contestant's bank contents would remain the same (e.g. a contestant who had banked $68,600 and jumped the $100,000 question would still have $68,600 in their bank). If a contestant jumped the last Super Mix question, the $25,000 Classic Millionaire safety net would be activated as normal.

Beginning with the thirteenth season, one Jump the Question lifeline was eliminated. In its place, the contestant was given a new lifeline:


 * Plus One: the contestant would be able to discuss the question with a designated companion (their '+1'), who sat in the studio audience. There was no time limit, and the +1 would stay with the contestant until they had locked in an answer.

During certain Special Weeks (most notably Halloween Weeks), contestants were given one of the following additional lifelines:


 * Crystal Ball: only available during the Super Mix round (and only on the first nine questions), the contestant was shown the money value attached to the current question.
 * Cut the Question: works similarly to Switch the Question (it replaces the current question with a new one). It also maintains the money value of the original question.

Starting in Season 14, the final Jump the Question lifeline was eliminated. In its place, the contestant was given the 50:50 lifeline, which has the same effects as the one available in the primetime and early syndication seasons (it removes two incorrect answers from the current question). Additionally, on weeks that feature the Cut the Question lifeline, it is stated that if a contestant were to use that lifeline, the replacement question would be easier in difficulty than the original question, but that they could only use this lifeline up to the tenth question (the second safety net question).

During the Off to College Week in Season 14, contestants were given an additional lifeline:


 * Extra Help: could only be used after using the Plus One lifeline (but not necessarily during the same question); the contestant would be able to discuss the current question with another companion, similar to Plus One. On weeks featuring this lifeline, when a contestant decides to use the Plus One lifeline, they get to choose which companion gets to come down and help them first.

Super Millionaire
Main article: Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire

In 2004, Regis Philbin returned to ABC for 12 episodes of a spin-off Millionaire called Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire, or better known as Super Millionaire, that offered a $10 Million top prize. The show premiered in February 2004 and showed 5 episodes. The show returned later in May 2004 for 7 more episodes.

The money tree went as follows:

Upon correctly answering the 10th question, the contestant received Double Dip and Three Wise Men lifelines, making the Super Millionaire format of the show the only version to eventually offer contestants a maximum of five lifelines.

On the second episode, Robert Bob-O Essig correctly answered the 12th question and would later walk away with $1,000,000, a feat that would not be matched or surpassed for the rest of Super Millionaire's run. He is the only contestant to win at least $1,000,000 that is not a top prize winner.

Jubilee episodes

 * The 500th episode aired on February 25, 2005. In this period Meredith Vieira has asked over 10,000 questions to 941 contestants in hot seat, who have won a total of $25,936,000.
 * The "1,000th episode" aired on November 9, 2007 (in fact, this is actually the 980th episode).
 * The 1,500th episode aired on November 5, 2010, in which Anne Boyd, Shirley Alfano, and Akiva Fox appeared (winning $100,000, $18,250, and $100,000 respectively).
 * From 2002 until the 1,500th episode, over 2,500 contestants have played Millionaire with Meredith Vieira. Syndicated Millionaire has given away over $60,000,000 since 2002. At the end of each of them there was a stormy celebration of anniversaries with a huge cake.
 * The 2,000th episode aired on October 4, 2013, the 2,500th episode aired on September 30, 2016, and the 3,000th episode will air on May 17, 2019.

Mad TV

 * In an episode of the show with Lorraine Swanson and (Alex Borstein) fake Regis Philbin.


 * Featuring Jay Leno (Christian Duguay), Lance Bass (Will Sasso), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Mo Collins), and Macy Gray (Debra Wilson) as contestants and with Regis Philbin as the host.
 * With the title called "Who Wants To Be The President?" featuring Jessa Ventura, Alan Keyes, and Al Gore as contestants and with Regis Philbin as the host.

Spin City

 * Paul Lassiter was a contestant on November 16, 1999 as Regis Philbin hosts the primetime version of Millionaire.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

 * In November, 2000, A clip of Charlie Sheen from his appearance on Millionaire was shown, with this question edited over his real question.



Pawn Stars

 * Austin "Chumlee" Russell from was dreaming himself as a contestant and won $1,000,000 during Meredith Vieira's era.

The Steve Harvey Show

 * Cedric the Entertainer and Steve Harvey plays a round and The Kline Family were contestants.

Good Morning America

 * Cedric the Entertainer hosts.

Primetime

 * John Carpenter - $1,000,000 (November 19, 1999)
 * Dan Blonsky - $1,000,000 (January 18, 2000)
 * Joe Trela - $1,000,000 (March 23, 2000)
 * Bob House - $1,000,000 (June 13, 2000)
 * Kim Hunt - $1,000,000 (July 6, 2000)
 * David Goodman - $1,000,000 (July 11, 2000)
 * Kevin Olmstead - $2,180,000 (April 10, 2001)
 * Bernie Cullen - $1,000,000 (April 15, 2001)
 * Ed Toutant - $1,860,000 (September 7, 2001)

Syndicated

 * Kevin Smith - $1,000,000 (February 18, 2003)
 * Nancy Christy - $1,000,000 (May 8, 2003)
 * Sam Murray - $1,000,000 (November 11, 2009) (Million Dollar Tournament of Ten)

Primetime

 * Michael Shutterly - $500,000 (August 25, 1999)
 * David Fite - $500,000 (January 10, 2000)
 * Rob Coughlin - $500,000 (January 23, 2000)
 * Stephanie Girardi - $500,000 (February 17, 2000)
 * Mike Menz - $500,000 (April 27, 2000)
 * Drew Carey - $500,000 (May 2, 2000)
 * Rosie O'Donnell - $500,000 (May 3, 2000)
 * Tim Shields - $500,000 (May 14, 2000)
 * Tom O'Brien - $500,000 (June 11, 2000)
 * Joe Kelleher - $500,000 (July 23, 2000)
 * Pat Thompson - $500,000 (August 11, 2000)
 * Phil Gibbons - $500,000 (August 15, 2000)
 * Pat Thompson - $500,000 (November 8, 2000)
 * Norm MacDonald - $500,000 (November 17, 2000)
 * Justin Ray Castillo - $500,000 (November 26, 2000)
 * Jim Matthews - $500,000 (December 6, 2000)
 * Gary Gambino - $500,000 (March 1, 2001)
 * David Stewart - $500,000 (April 1, 2001)
 * Steve Perry - $500,000 (April 22, 2001)
 * Moe Cain - $500,000 (May 1, 2001)
 * Rob and Mary Beth McNally - $500,000 (May 17, 2001)
 * Tom Hoobler - $500,000 (June 3, 2001)
 * Mary Burke - $500,000 (June 14, 2001)

Syndicated

 * Armand Kachigian - $500,000 (May 9, 2003)
 * Jeff Gross - $500,000 (November 19, 2004)
 * Ogi Ogas - $500,000 (November 8, 2006)
 * Lyn Payne - $500,000 (November 1, 2007)
 * Charles Esten - $500,000 (November 21, 2013)

Primetime

 * Doug Van Gundy - $250,000 (August 20, 1999)
 * Gary Levine - $250,000 (November 11, 1999)
 * Toby Moore - $250,000 (November 17, 1999)
 * Matt Marcotte - $250,000 (November 20, 1999)
 * Neil Larrimore - $250,000 (November 24, 1999)
 * Joe Roberts - $250,000 (January 9, 2000)
 * Michael Avitzur - $250,000 (February 15, 2000)
 * Dan Demars - $250,000 (February 20, 2000)
 * David Forman - $250,000 (February 24, 2000, May 21, 2000)
 * Kevin Simcox - $250,000 (March 12, 2000)
 * Al Schaeffer - $250,000 (March 16, 2000)
 * Ian Reifowitz - $250,000 (April 2, 2000)
 * David Rice - $250,000 (April 6, 2000)
 * Tom Ashton - $250,000 (April 16, 2000)
 * Chris Barker - $250,000 (April 23, 2000)
 * Queen Latifah - $250,000 (May 4, 2000)
 * Jason Dickinson - $250,000 (May 10, 2000)
 * John Carpenter - $250,000 (May 25, 2000)
 * Allen Harris - $250,000 (June 11, 2000)
 * Jim Lairmore - $250,000 (July 20, 2000)
 * David MacLaine - $250,000 (August 3, 2000)
 * Christopher Ruth - $250,000 (August 29, 2000)
 * Paul Young - $250,000 (September 12, 2000)
 * Phil Gibson - $250,000 (October 5, 2000)
 * Robin Riglin - $250,000 (October 8, 2000)
 * Eric Buske - $250,000 (October 15, 2000)
 * Dave Colquitt - $250,000 (October 29, 2000)
 * Reece O'Dell - $250,000 (November 2, 2000)
 * Alec Baldwin - $250,000 (November 13, 2000)
 * Tom Bolton - $250,000 (November 29, 2000)
 * Terry Jones - $250,000 (December 5, 2000)
 * Chris Gum - $250,000 (December 12, 2000)
 * Andy Aaron - $250,000 (December 13, 2000)
 * Joel Reid - $250,000 (December 17, 2000)
 * Marty Scott - $250,000 (January 14, 2001)
 * Jack Martin, Jr. - $250,000 (January 18, 2001)
 * John Norquist - $250,000 (January 24, 2001)
 * Peter Braxton - $250,000 (February 8, 2001)
 * Eric Grosskurth - $250,000 (February 15, 2001)
 * Connie Stoltz - $250,000 (February 16, 2001)
 * Eric Oberhand - $250,000 (February 28, 2001)
 * Danny Bonaduce - $250,000 (March 22, 2001)
 * Adam West - $250,000 (March 23, 2001)
 * Gary Cahall - $250,000 (March 29, 2001)
 * Tony Mangaser - $250,000 (April 3, 2001)
 * Henry Olsen - $250,000 (April 3, 2001)
 * Donna White - $250,000 (April 12, 2001)
 * Jane Charnin-Aker - $250,000 (April 22, 2001)
 * Ken Krantz - $250,000 (April 26, 2001)
 * Jeanne Pomenti - $250,000 (April 27, 2001)
 * Adam Edgell - $250,000 (April 29, 2001)
 * Bob Combs - $250,000 (April 29, 2001)
 * Jason Alexander - $250,000 (May 8, 2001)
 * Edie Falco - $250,000 (May 8, 2001)
 * Alfre Woodard - $250,000 (May 10, 2001)
 * Kelly Ripa - $250,000 (May 10, 2001)
 * Dennis Franz - $250,000 (May 11, 2001)
 * Martin Poteralski - $250,000 (May 21, 2001)
 * Johnny Bench - $250,000 (September 16, 2001)
 * Charles Barkley - $250,000 (September 18, 2001)
 * Seth Green - $250,000 (October 8, 2001)
 * Scott McKeeve - $250,000 (October 11, 2001)
 * Eva Herzigova - $250,000 (November 19, 2001)
 * Veronica Webb - $250,000 (November 19, 2001)
 * Heidi Klum - $250,000 (November 22, 2001)
 * Billy Baldwin - $250,000 (November 26, 2001)
 * Dave Hann - $250,000 (December 6, 2001)
 * Meredith Vieira - $250,000 (December 17, 2001)
 * David Clayton - $250,000 (December 20, 2001)
 * Nancy Redd - $250,000 (February 4, 2002)
 * Jonathan Lubin - $250,000 (February 4, 2002)
 * Aurko Dutta - $250,000 (June 6, 2002)
 * Leo Luberecki - $250,000 (June 6, 2002)

Syndicated

 * Carole Price - $250,000 (November 20, 2002)
 * Rick Spears - $250,000 (January 28, 2003)
 * Jeff Crosby - $250,000 (February 13, 2003)
 * Kathy Hempel - $250,000 (May 20, 2003)
 * Peter Sarrett - $250,000 (July 18, 2003)
 * Julie Hunter - $250,000 (February 6, 2004)
 * Ginny Crispell - $250,000 (March 2, 2004)
 * Francis Grant, Jr. - $250,000 (November 10, 2003)
 * John Castellano - $250,000 (September 13, 2004)
 * Dino White - $250,000 (November 23, 2004)
 * Josh Fedeli & Lauren Drysdale - $250,000 (February 10, 2005)
 * Howard Johnson - $250,000 (February 16, 2005)
 * Dante Constable - $250,000 (September 19, 2006)
 * Jeff Jones - $250,000 (February 22, 2007)
 * Tom Merlino - $250,000 (November 13, 2007)
 * Brianne Sherman - $250,000 (November 11, 2008)
 * Jim, Tracy, Conner Lawler - $250,000 (November 21, 2008)
 * Roger Storm - $250,000 (February 24, 2009)
 * Carlos Giron - $250,000 (March 11, 2009)
 * Jim Batts - $250,000 (March 13, 2009)
 * Jehan Shamsid-Deen - $250,000 (October 12, 2009)
 * Kimberly Collins - $250,000 (October 18, 2010)
 * Alfred Guy - $250,000 (February 15, 2011)
 * Anthony Anderson - $250,000 (September 23, 2011)
 * Noam Osband - $250,000 (October 5, 2011)
 * Jeremy Blais - $250,000 (February 8, 2012)
 * Ron Freshour - $250,000 (October 24, 2012)
 * Dan DeLisio - $250,000 (December 7, 2012)
 * Finola Hughes - $250,000 (April 2, 2013)
 * Dr. Oz - $250,000 (October 18, 2013)
 * Patrick Hackett - $250,000 (November 1, 2013)
 * Adam Clark - $250,000 (February 7, 2014)
 * Steve Kaltenbaugh - $250,000 (February 13, 2014)
 * Sharon Diamond - $250,000 (February 24, 2015)
 * Tony Hightower - $250,000 (September 16, 2015)
 * Joe MacLeod - $250,000 (September 22, 2015)
 * Bill Matheny - $250,000 (September 29, 2016)
 * Alek Scarlatos, Spencer Stone, &amp; Anthony Sadler - $250,000 (November 1, 2016)
 * Sojas Wagle - $250,000 (November 15, 2016)
 * Beau Henson - $250,000 (February 24, 2017)
 * Raj Dhuwalia - $250,000 (November 3, 2017)
 * Shiva Oswal - $250,000 (November 15, 2017)
 * Greg Peterson - $250,000 (December 7, 2017)

Primetime

 * Ken Basin - $25,000 (August 23, 2009) ($1,000,000 question wrong; lost $475,000)

Syndicated

 * Josina Reaves - $25,000 (September 25, 2013) ($1,000,000 question wrong; lost $75,000)

Primetime

 * Mark McDermott - $32,000 (January 13, 2000) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $218,000)
 * Lawrence Caplan - $32,000 (January 15, 2000) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $218,000)
 * Rudy Reber - $32,000 (February 24, 2000) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $218,000)
 * Richard Klimkiewicz - $32,000 (March 2, 2000) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $218,000)
 * David Duchovny - $32,000 (May 5, 2000) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $218,000)
 * Kati Knudsen - $32,000 (July 30, 2000) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $218,000)
 * Nick Meyer - $32,000 (August 17, 2000) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $218,000)
 * Raymelle Greening - $32,000 (January 28, 2001) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $218,000)

Syndicated

 * Bob Edgeworth - $32,000 (October 25, 2002) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $218,000)
 * Rod Martin - $32,000 (June 16, 2003) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $218,000)
 * Ava Johnson - $25,000 (December 2, 2004) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $225,000)
 * Chris Ngoon - $25,000 (October 30, 2013) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $225,000)
 * Justin Peters - $25,000 (February 2, 2015) ($500,000 question wrong; lost $225,000)

Primetime
Note: This list only contains contestants who won nothing by giving a wrong answer to questions 1-5. It does not contain other contestants who left with nothing because they failed to win the Fastest Finger First rounds, and therefore failed to get into the hot seat at all.


 * Robby Roseman - $0 (August 22, 1999) (1st question wrong)
 * Brian Fodera - $0 (January 20, 2000) (1st question wrong)
 * David Gold - $0 (February 10, 2000) (5th question wrong)
 * Steve Fayne - $0 (February 22, 2000) (4th question wrong)
 * Jon Futrell - $0 (March 26, 2000) (2nd question wrong)
 * Allen Kong - $0 (April 6, 2000) (3rd question wrong)
 * Martin Poteralski - $0 (April 30, 2000) (5th question wrong)
 * Jeremy Conklin - $0 (May 11, 2000) (5th question wrong)
 * Karla Robinson - $0 (July 20, 2000) (4th question wrong)
 * Sal Mecca - $0 (January 19, 2001) (5th question wrong)
 * Chris Goldschmidt - $0 (January 25, 2001) (5th question wrong)
 * Stan Wu - $0 (February 21, 2001) (5th question wrong)
 * James Dinan - $0 (April 5, 2001) (4th question wrong)
 * Debby Mittleman - $0 (July 12, 2001) (4th question wrong)
 * Eric Mason - $0 (November 11, 2001) (5th question wrong)
 * Jennifer Starks - $0 (March 7, 2002) (3rd question wrong)
 * Dede Bradley - $0 (February 23-24, 2004) (5th question wrong)
 * Ellen Gaines - $0 (August 16, 2009) (5th question wrong)

Syndicated
Note: Contestants from the shuffle format from 2010-2015 leave with $1,000 after answering incorrectly on any of the first ten questions, even if they had less than that amount on their bank upon answering incorrectly. Contestants from Season 14 onwards who answered incorrectly any of the first five questions are still listed below, despite winning a $1,000 consolation prize which is not mentioned on the show (see section above).
 * Shannon Ross - $0 (September 18, 2002) (4th question wrong)
 * Jana LaSorte - $0 (September 27, 2002) (4th question wrong)
 * Jamie Schuler - $0 (October 4, 2002) (?)
 * Walter Pasuco - $0 (October 10, 2002) (?)
 * Penny Vahsen - $0 (October 10, 2002) (?)
 * Scott Humphrey - $0 (October 16, 2002) (5th question wrong)
 * Jennifer Cook - $0 (November 4, 2002) (5th question wrong)
 * Kathy Hempel - $0 (November 25, 2002) (5th question wrong)
 * John Corbett - $0 (January 9, 2003) (4th question wrong)
 * Ann Bock - $0 (February 13, 2003) (5th question wrong)
 * Margaret and Marie Wade - $0 (February 20, 2003) (5th question wrong)
 * Jackie Aaron - $0 (February 24, 2003) (4th question wrong)
 * Eric Cates - $0 (March 11, 2003) (5th question wrong)
 * Lisa Achinstein - $0 (April 2, 2003) (1st question wrong)
 * Paul Moore - $0 (April 3, 2003) (?)
 * Debbie Wilson - $0 (May 5, 2003) (?)
 * Dariece Oki - $0 (July 16, 2003) (5th question wrong)
 * Justin Kerr - $0 (September 17, 2003) (2nd question wrong)
 * Sarah Seo - $0 (October 10, 2003) (5th question wrong)
 * Cathy Donley - $0 (October 10, 2003) (5th question wrong)
 * Amanda Rising - $0 (October 20, 2003) (2nd question wrong)
 * (Anonymous Contestant) - $0 (October 27, 2003) (4th question wrong)
 * Dennis Evenson - $0 (November 6, 2003) (5th question wrong)
 * Robert Ryan - $0 (December 3, 2003) (3rd question wrong)
 * Greg Lee - $0 (January 5, 2004) (1st question wrong)
 * Thomas Kole - $0 (January 14, 2004) (4th question wrong)
 * Naeemah Leonard - $0 (April 5, 2004) (3rd question wrong)
 * Fran Barksdale - $0 (April 7, 2004) (5th question wrong)
 * Jackie Jane - $0 (May 19, 2004) (5th question wrong)
 * Jennyfer Wilson - $0 (May 24, 2004) (3rd question wrong)
 * RaQuel Garner - $0 (June 22, 2004) (2nd question wrong)
 * Michael Ridenour - $0 (June 23, 2004) (2nd question wrong)
 * Janie Westfield-McGivney - $0 (September 23, 2004) (5th question wrong)
 * Pete Tittl - $0 (October 8, 2004) (4th question wrong)
 * Dan Metko - $0 (November 30, 2004) (5th question wrong)
 * Tenisha Cornick - $0 (January 21, 2005) (1st question wrong)
 * Molly Sanford - $0 (January 26, 2005) (2nd question wrong)
 * Carol Hess - $0 (April 14, 2005) (5th question wrong)
 * Lynn Eden - $0 (April 21, 2005) (3rd question wrong)
 * Kate Flynn - $0 (May 9, 2005) (4th question wrong)
 * Kevin Mack - $0 (July 7, 2005) (5th question wrong)
 * Drew McCarsky - $0 (October 3, 2005) (4th question wrong)
 * Paul Aquavia - $0 (October 11, 2005) (5th question wrong)
 * Jen Vine - $0 (December 13, 2005) (4th question wrong)
 * Paul Weir Galm - $0 (January 23, 2006) (1st question wrong)
 * Ian Yanong - $0 (February 22, 2006) (3rd question wrong)
 * Chase Sampson - $0 (October 27, 2006) (1st question wrong)
 * Amy Reuther - $0 (December 4, 2006) (5th question wrong)
 * Brian Davis - $0 (December 5, 2006) (5th question wrong)
 * Lorraine Puleo - $0 (January 19, 2007) (2nd question wrong)
 * Phillis Straka - $0 (April 23, 2007) (5th question wrong)
 * Alex Saggiomo - $0 (May 24, 2007) (5th question wrong)
 * Kasey Miklik - $0 (October 12, 2007) (5th question wrong)
 * Frank Lockwood - $0 (November 15, 2007) (3rd question wrong)
 * Phil McQuade - $0 (January 8, 2008) (5th question wrong)
 * Scott Babbidge - $0 (January 21, 2008) (4th question wrong)
 * Mary Weimer (January 21, 2008) (4th question wrong)
 * Linda Cohen-Schofield - $0 (April 14, 2008) (3rd question wrong)
 * John Petrick - $0 (April 17, 2008) (4th question wrong)
 * Heidi Zimmermann - $0 (May 1, 2008) (4th question wrong)
 * Natalie Habig - $0 (September 22, 2008) (5th question wrong)
 * Barbara Mayhall Hunter - $0 (September 24, 2008) (4th or 5th question wrong)
 * Kevin Baker - $0 (March 3, 2009) (3rd question wrong)
 * Rich Gangel - $0 (March 17, 2009) (3rd question wrong)
 * John-Anthony Cavanagh - $0 (April 14, 2009) (4th question wrong)
 * Stefanie Payne - $0 (May 15, 2009) (3rd question wrong)
 * Debbie Price - $0 (October 12, 2009) (5th question wrong)
 * Tom George - $0 (November 18, 2009) (3rd question wrong)
 * Kevin Brown - $0 (December 7, 2009) (2nd question wrong)
 * Chris Mazza - $0 (December 7, 2009) (1st question wrong)
 * Brandon Adoni - $0 (December 8, 2009) (5th question wrong)
 * John B. Quinn - $0 (December 18, 2009) (5th question wrong)
 * Lovi Yu - $0 (January 19, 2010) (1st question wrong)
 * Sara Bytheway - $0 (January 22, 2010) (3rd question wrong)
 * Nate Jonaitis - $0 (February 4, 2010) (5th question wrong)
 * Jane Dare - $0 (February 11, 2010) (5th question wrong)
 * Chris Ader - $0 (June 21, 2010) (3rd question wrong)
 * Brenton Andreasik - $0 (October 14, 2015) (1st question wrong)
 * Kevin Hyzak - $0 (November 17, 2015) (4th question wrong)
 * Layne Agee - $0 (November 20, 2015) (4th question wrong)
 * Greg Galiazzi - $0 (December 15, 2015) (4th question wrong)
 * Emily Querna - $0 (December 28, 2015) (5th question wrong)
 * Jim Meyer - $0 (December 29, 2015) (5th question wrong)
 * Marvin Forte - $0 (January 8, 2016) (5th question wrong)
 * Michael Parker - $0 (January 29, 2016) (4th question wrong)
 * Carrie Wisehart - $0 (March 3, 2016) (4th question wrong)
 * Jenn Romash - $0 (March 4, 2016) (4th question wrong)
 * Erica Rehbock - $0 (March 17, 2016) (5th question wrong)
 * Kerri Sohn - $0 (April 14, 2016) (2nd question wrong)
 * Scott Moyer - $0 (April 15, 2016) (3rd question wrong)
 * Elle Rose - $0 (April 26, 2016) (4th question wrong)
 * Megan Cox - $0 (September 21, 2016) (5th question wrong)
 * Dave Mundy - $0 (January 19, 2017) (5th question wrong)
 * Gretchen Day - $0 (January 30, 2017) (2nd question wrong)
 * Dante Swinton - $0 (January 31, 2017) (5th question wrong)
 * Scott Sexton - $0 (March 9, 2017) (4th question wrong)
 * Sean Shah - $0 (April 17, 2017) (5th question wrong)
 * Amy Ryan - $0 (May 3, 2017) (4th question wrong)
 * Katrina Ross - $0 (May 10, 2017) (5th question wrong)
 * Lou Castaneda - $0 (May 29, 2017) (5th question wrong)
 * Gili Ronen - $0 (September 25, 2017) (3rd question wrong)
 * Roy Green - $0 (October 23, 2017) (5th question wrong)
 * Aaron Gold - $0 (November 1, 2017) (4th question wrong)
 * Olivia Kaufman - $0 (November 13, 2017) (5th question wrong)
 * Amanda Wylie - $0 (November 17, 2017) (5th question wrong)
 * Evan Bosaczyk - $0 (December 8, 2017) (4th question wrong)
 * Preston Ellis - $0 (February 9, 2018) (5th question wrong)
 * Brett Murray - $0 (March 9, 2018) (5th question wrong)
 * Keith Moser - $0 (May 1, 2018) (5th question wrong)
 * Carin House - $0 (May 4, 2018) (5th question wrong)
 * Todd Morgan - $0 (May 4, 2018) (2nd question wrong)
 * Wyatt Evans - $0 (May 9, 2018) (5th question wrong)
 * Bailey Vogt - $0 (May 11, 2018) (4th question wrong)
 * Margaret Schugt - $0 (May 25, 2018) (5th question wrong)
 * Ellen Portilla - $0 (May 29, 2018) (4th question wrong)
 * Sarah Sanders - $0 (September 11, 2018) (4th question wrong)
 * Sarah Arora - $0 (October 3, 2018) (1st question wrong)
 * Claudia Perry - $0 (October 25, 2018) (4th question wrong)
 * Ben Parker - $0 (November 23, 2018) (5th question wrong)
 * Cameron Russell - $0 (November 26, 2018) (4th question wrong)
 * Tom Pack - $0 (December 3, 2018) (5th question wrong)
 * Jay Malarcher - $0 (December 27, 2018) (5th question wrong)
 * Greg Anderson - $0 (January 9, 2019) (5th question wrong)
 * Brittany Grier - $0 (January 30, 2019) (4th question wrong)
 * Sophia and Casey Quinn - $0 (February 14, 2019) (5th question wrong)

Behind the Scenes (syndication)
The director's panel in the syndicated version has great differences, unlike the classical version:
 * On the top left is HOST CHEAT. In the upper right corner is a screen named PROGRAM that displays the image of the host with the camera opposite it. In the lower left corner is the PROMPTER's screen with the "Let's play Who Wants to be a Millionaire!" phrase and in brackets "Read Question" is written. On the bottom right is a screen named GAME BOARD with a logo.

Studio

 * In the studio on the right is the cameraman (he is filming the "walking in" scene), on the top there is host's screen, under a prompter, small screens, contestants, host and audience.

Host's Screen

 * The White box is next question shown (question 3, $2,000).
 * At the bottom of the panel, a current question with the answer options is displayed (question 2, $1,000).
 * The White Rectangle shows the number of the next question and the value of it.
 * And because D is highlighted with green, can say that this scene where host said "Let's play Who Wants to be a Millionaire!" is after this question.
 * Every money value (14 questions) from $500 up to $1,000,000 is shown. The orange rectangles show the thresholds/milestones. The yellow rectangle at $1,000 shows the current question. The grey-yellow box at $500 shows that this question has been answered.
 * The lifelines (3 or 4) are shown above the question layout.
 * The Yellow Box on the top-left with the coins symbol is representing the Players Bank (the contestant answered the 2nd question, so they have $1,000 in the bank).
 * Below it in the Black Box the text "Walk = $1,000" gives information about what the contestants will win if they decide to walk away at this point. Walk = Player's Bank.
 * Below this is a Red Box. It shows the amount of money the contestants will win if they give a wrong answer (Money Value = Last Threshold). And the Black Box below shows the difference between "Player's Bank" and the money of the "Last Threshold".
 * The Blue Box shows the amount of remaining questions on his/her way to the $1,000,000 Top Prize.
 * The Violet Box shows the amount of remaining questions to the next threshold: Threshold = 5 and current question = 2, and 5 - 2 = 3 questions.
 * Above Bank there are informations about the contestants (pre-name, name, info about Plus One, origin).

Trivia

 * John Carpenter, David Goodman, and Steve Perry are three contestants, who retained three lifelines to the 15th question.
 * Bob Edgeworth is the first contestant in syndicated version (October 25, 2002 aired), who answered the penultimate question wrong, Rod Martin is second (June 16, 2003 aired), and Ava Johnson is third contestant (December 2, 2004 aired).
 * Kym Amesquita (December 16, 2002 aired) is first contestant, who used three lifelines on 2nd and 3rd questions. On May 2005 Michelle Glover also used three lifelines until 5th question. Also Michelle become first contestant in American version's history, who took $300 and walked away.
 * On April 26, 2005 in hot seat the 1,000th contestant appeared.
 * On February 1, 2007 Donna Lumb become the 500th contestant, who won $1,000.
 * On February 28, 2007 Frank LaSpina become 300th contestant to win the 10th question prize ($25,000).
 * Robby Roseman and Brian Fodera (primetime), Lisa Achinstein, Greg Lee, Tenisha Cornick, Paul Weir Galm, Chase Sampson, Chris Mazza, Brenton Andreasik and Sarah Arora (syndicated) are contestants to answer the 1st question wrong.