Al Schaeffer, a lawyer and former drummer from North Potomac, Maryland, appeared on the U.S. version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on March 14-16, 2000. He walked away with $250,000.
Al would later return for the Champions Edition on May 25, 2000, where half of his winnings went to charity. He played for the Oncology Department at the Children's Hospital in Washington D.C. and won $125,000.
Put these Eastern European capital cities in geographical order, starting with the northernmost.
⬥ A: Riga
⬥ B: Budapest
⬥ C: Athens
⬥ D: Warsaw
Out of 9 remaining contestants, 3 contestants got it right, but Al (with a time of 4.20 seconds) was the fastest to correctly answer A-D-B-C, making it to the hot seat.
Al's Run to the Million[]
$100 (1 of 15) - Not Timed
According to folklore, what animals should you count if you are having trouble falling asleep?
⬥ A: Sheep
⬥ B: Mice
⬥ C: Frogs
⬥ D: Owls
$200 (2 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of the following, when added at the end of the word "cheap", describes a miserly person?
⬥ A: Board
⬥ B: Skate
⬥ C: Wheel
⬥ D: Knee pad
$300 (3 of 15) - Not Timed
On what piece of household furniture would one be most likely to find a duvet? "Ask the Audience" lifeline used
Al didn't do too well in Shakespeare class in high school, so he decided to ask the audience. With their vote almost evenly spread and Al still didn't have any inclination, he decided to call Forrest, a fellow attorney. Forrest said 100% sure D: Oberon. Al decided to go with him and won $32,000.
$64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of the following symbols appears on the official flags of Turkey, Pakistan and Tunisia?
⬥ A: Hammer
⬥ B: Crescent moon
⬥ C: Cross
⬥ D: Sun
$125,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed
Who was the first African-American keynote speaker at a Democratic National Convention?
⬥ A: Jesse Jackson
⬥ B: Ron Brown
⬥ C: Andrew Young
⬥ D: Barbara Jordan
$250,000 (13 of 15) - Not Timed
Who wrote the poem recited at the funeral in the 1994 film "Four Weddings and a Funeral"? "50:50" lifeline used
⬥ A: T.S. Eliot
⬥ B: Elizabeth Bishop
⬥ C: W.H. Auden
⬥ D: Rainer Maria Rilke
Al have seen the movie but he absolutely had no clue. So he decided to walk away. He guessed C: W.H. Auden and would've won a quarter million dollars.
Total Prize Money: $125,000
Trivia[]
On Al's first run, he was asked what name Al Hirschfeld hid in his drawings on his $125,000 question. This exact same question was also used at Brad Bianucci's $250,000 question.
