Ask the Audience



Ask the Audience is a lifeline in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? game. When a contestant uses this lifeline, usually the host will re-read the question and the 4 possible answers (2 if a 50:50 was used), and then the audience members will answer the question using an electronic keypad provided by the show with buttons A, B, C, and D.

After 20 seconds (usually edited out in many versions), a graph displaying the percentage of people who voted for each answer is shown in the contestant and host's monitor. After a brief explanation by the host, the contestant can choose to go with the audience or not, and if to use another lifeline.

This lifeline is notorious for its accuracy, even Regis Philbin once stated that the Audience is right 95% of the time.

Usage
The lifeline was one of the original three lifelines of the show (along with 50:50 and Phone a Friend) introduced by the United Kingdom in its debut. This lifeline, along with the other two, were rapidly adopted by the other versions.

Notoriously, this lifeline is the only lifeline that has appeared in all seasons of the U.S. version

Variations
There are variations of the Ask the Audience lifeline used in some versions of the show, some as stand-alone lifelines, and some as replacements for it. These include:


 * Ask One of the Audience: Used in the German version when a contestant plays in Risk Mode (known as 'Zusatzjoker'), and in the Costa Rican version, where it is unlocked after reaching the first milestone (known as 'El Público Habla') . When used, audience members who think they know the answer stand up, and the contestant must pick one of them by looks only, and then discuss with him/her about the question. He may or may not choose any answer after that. If he chooses the suggested answer and it proves to be correct, the audience member will also receive a prize of €500.


 * Three of the Audience: Used on the Chilean version in 2007 (known as 'Tres del Público'). It has the same functionality as Ask One of the Audience, but instead of the contestant picking one person, he gets to pick three.


 * People Speak: Used on the Philippine version version since 2011, it has the same functionality as Three of the Audience, but the audience members who are correct will recieve a share of a prize of P20,000. It replaced the Ask the Audience lifeline.

AOL
From 2004-2006 on the syndicated U.S. version, the question was also asked through AOL Instant Messenger to those who had signed up to answer questions for this lifeline. The contestant saw the studio-audience and AOL responses displayed separately. The AOL tie-in was discontinued beginning with the 2006-2007 season.