David Chang (Korean: Chang Seok-ho 장석호; born August 5, 1977) is an American restaurateur, author, and television personality.
He appeared on the USA version of Millionaire in November 2020, and made history by winning $1,000,000. He is the first Top Prize Winner in the USA version since Sam Murray in 2009, the first winner to be crowned by Jimmy Kimmel, and the first celebrity top prize winner in the United States. His Phone-a-Friend lifeline, ESPN analyst Mina Kimes, also became notable for helping him on the $1,000,000 question.
WWTBAM Run[]
David Chang's Run to Million[]
$100 (1 of 15) - Not Timed | |
What common physical trait takes is name from a bible story set in the Garden of Eden? | |
⬥ A: Widow's peak | ⬥ B: Adam's apple |
⬥ C: Pigeon-toed | ⬥ D: Noah's armpit |
$200 (2 of 15) - Not Timed | |
When typed into your Web browser, which of these URLs will re-route you to the Clorox website? | |
⬥ A: www.beds.com | ⬥ B: www.bleach.com |
⬥ C: www.books.com | ⬥ D: www.bread.com |
$300 (3 of 15) - Not Timed | |
Which of these animals cannot jump? | |
⬥ A: Kangaroo | ⬥ B: Rabbit |
⬥ C: Elephant | ⬥ D: Frog |
$500 (4 of 15) - Not Timed | |
At a state fair when she was ten years old, what did Amelia Earhart ironically dismiss as "not at all interesting"? | |
⬥ A: Automobile | ⬥ B: Tractor |
⬥ C: Bicycle | ⬥ D: Airplane |
$1,000 (5 of 15) - Not Timed | |
Children who eat their entire dinner are said to belong to what exclusive "organization"? | |
⬥ A: The Clean Plate Club | ⬥ B: The Silver Spoon Society |
⬥ C: The Order of the Fork | ⬥ D: The Butter Knife League |
$2,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed | |
Cindy Crawford once said, "If I was designing my face from scratch I don't know if I would have designed it with the" what? | |
⬥ A: Cleft Chin | ⬥ B: Unibrow |
⬥ C: Mole | ⬥ D: Buck teeth |
$4,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed | |
According to Travel+Leisure magazine, what is "the only state in the U.S. where seeing the northern lights is highly likely"? | |
⬥ A: Florida | ⬥ B: Alaska |
⬥ C: Rhode Island | ⬥ D: Nevada |
$8,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed | |
Which of these movies is a sequel? | |
⬥ A: The Sixth Sense | ⬥ B: 8 Mile |
⬥ C: 102 Dalmatians | ⬥ D: Apollo 13 |
David asks Alan, who says "it's the sequel to '101 Dalmatians'". David went with C: 102 Dalmations and won $8,000. The klaxon then called time and David will return for the next episode with all 3 lifelines intact. |
$16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed | |
Used in a famous psychological test, klecksography is the art of making images from what? | |
⬥ A: Chorcoal | ⬥ B: Pieces of glass |
⬥ C: Letters of the alphabet | ⬥ D: Inkblots |
David asks Alan, who says that he believes klecksography refers to the Rorschach inkblot tests. David went with D: Inkblots and won $16,000. |
$32,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed | |
If you're willing to spend a few Emirati dirhams, you can go to the observation deck of what world landmark? | |
⬥ A: Leaning Tower of Pisa | ⬥ B: Shanghai Tower |
⬥ C: Burj Khalifa | ⬥ D: Taj Mahal |
$64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed | |
A 2019 online article titled "Who's Highest-Paid in Your State?" revealed that the highest-paid public employee in forty states has what job title? | |
⬥ A: Superintendent | ⬥ B: Judge |
⬥ C: Governor | ⬥ D: Coach |
$125,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed | |
In a historic 2020 splashdown, astronauts returned safely to Earth in a reusable SpaceX capsule named for what Peter, Paul & Mary song? "Ask the Host" lifeline used. | |
⬥ A: Puff the Magic Dragon | ⬥ B: If I Had a Hammer |
⬥ C: This Land Is Your Land | ⬥ D: The Marvelous Toy |
David decided to ask the host Jimmy Kimmel, since he knew about Kimmel's knowledge in music. He stated that he knew for sure that Puff the Magic Dragon was a Peter, Paul & Mary song, This Land Is Your Land was not, however he was not sure about If I Had A Hammer and The Marvelous Toy. Kimmel finally decided that he would feel comfortable in guessing Puff the Magic Dragon. David Chang trusted Jimmy and went with Puff the Magic Dragon, winning $125,000. |
$250,000 (13 of 15) - Not Timed | |
A nationwide tradition that started in 1974, millions of people in Japan celebrate Christmas by eating from what U.S. restaurant chain? | |
⬥ A: Pizza Hut | ⬥ B: Denny's |
⬥ C: KFC | ⬥ D: Red Lobster |
David instantly remembered the answer, referencing the time when he lived in Japan (specifically Tokyo), and ate KFC during the holidays. He went with KFC and won $250,000. |
$500,000 (14 of 15) - Not Timed | |
Auctioned for over $3 million in 2014, the most valuable comic book ever sold features Superman on its cover doing what? "Ask the Guest" lifeline used. | |
⬥ A: Saluting the American flag | ⬥ B: Breaking free from chains |
⬥ C: Lifting a car over his head | ⬥ D: Sitting on the Moon |
David decides to ask Alan for help one more time. Alan believes the comic book in question is issue #1, and says he isn't 100% sure, but he pictures Superman lifting a car over his head. David couldn't picture Superman Saluting the American flag or Sitting on the Moon on the cover, and is left with deciding between Breaking free from chains or Lifting a car over his head. After thinking it over, using his logic about lifting a car being seeing as a great feat of strength, and explaining how much the money would benefit the Southern Smoke Foundation, he decides to agree with Alan and goes with Lifting a car over his head, and wins $500,000. |
$1,000,000 (15 of 15) - Not Timed | |
Although he and his wife never touched a light switch for fear of being shocked, who was the first president to have electricity in the White House? "Phone-a-Friend" lifeline used. | |
⬥ A: Ulysses S. Grant | ⬥ B: Benjamin Harrison |
⬥ C: Chester A. Arthur | ⬥ D: Andrew Johnson |
David didn't know the answer, so he used his last lifeline, Phone-a-Friend, to call his friend, ESPN analyst Mina Kimes, who told him that it was "probably Harrison" right before the 30-second phone call cut her off.
After the phone call ended, David reviewed Mina's answer, and decided whether or not to go for it. Jimmy Kimmel reminded David that no celebrity contestant had ever won $1,000,000, and that Norm Macdonald would have won $1,000,000 if Regis Philbin hadn't talked him out of risking $468,000. David then decided which would he regret more: walking away and finding out that Mina was right all along, and thus ending up like Norm Macdonald, or going for it and losing $468,000 (and ending up like Ken Basin, whom Jimmy Kimmel made no mention of at all, in order to not discourage David from going for it, although Jimmy nonetheless reminded David that he would lose $468,000 if he got it wrong). Ultimately, David decided that the hospitality industry is in such bad shape that $500,000 simply wasn't enough (and neither was $1,000,000, because it will take a much bigger government bailout to save many restaurants and other hospitality and tourism industries from going out of business), and decided to go for Mina's answer, B: Benjamin Harrison, as his final answer. Jimmy Kimmel proceeded to tell David that he was no Norm Macdonald, and he, Jimmy, was no Regis, but that David's "metallic testicles" just won $1,000,000 for his charity. Total Charity Winnings: $1 Million Explanation: Electricity was first installed in the White House in 1891. After winning $1,000,000, David and Jimmy decide to call Mina again in order to break the news to her. When Jimmy asked her to guess if David had gone for it or not, Mina told them that she was not confident at all in her answer, and only looked it up after the phone call was disconnected, and that she was also going to say "or [Grover] Cleveland" right after the phone call cut her off, an answer that was not even on the list. When David revealed to her that he had won $1,000,000, she screamed and reacted by saying, "Finally, my college education is justified!"; she graduated summa cum laude from Yale University. For his part, David Chang, who joked that he was a "terrible student, which is why [he] became a chef", isn't exactly as terrible of a student as he claims; he graduated from Trinity College, although he made the majority of his fortune in the culinary arts (his net worth is estimated at around $60 million), rather than through academics, and traveling around the world also made him knowledgeable about international cultures. |
Trivia and notes[]
- In an interview after the show, David revealed that he viewed the situation as a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation; if he went for it and got it wrong, he would have lost $468,000, and thus ended up like Ken Basin; however, if he didn't go for it, the restaurant industry wouldn't get the bailout it needed, as many restaurants, as well as other small businesses, were forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and if they didn't get a bailout, then they would go out of business.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- David Chang's Run on WWTBAM Bored (Part 1)
- David Chang's Run on WWTBAM Bored (Part 2)
David Chang's run to the million
Preceded by Rorri Burton |
U.S. Contestant (2020-21 Season) David Chang |
Succeeded by J.D. Barton |
Preceded by Sam Murray (Syndicated) |
U.S. Top Prize Winners David Chang |
Succeeded by Ike and Alan Barinholtz |