Jeff Birt, a firefighter from Louisville, Kentucky, was a contestant on the 8th season of the syndicated U.S. version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on September 16, 2009. He walked away with $100,000. He was previously a Fastest Finger First contestant on the second episode of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? 10th Anniversary Primetime Celebration but did not make it to the Hot Seat.
He reappeared on the Million Dollar Tournament of Ten as the 3rd seed, on November 18, 2009.
WWTBAM Run[]
Jeff's Run to the Million[]
| $500 (1 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit Category: Customs | |
| What occasion inspired a Hallmark card that reads, "Sometimes when we're lying in bed, I look over at you and think, "I am so lucky"? | |
| ⬥ A: College graduation | ⬥ B: Bar mitzvah |
| ⬥ C: Wedding anniversary | ⬥ D: Shark Week |
| $1,000 (2 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit Category: Year in Review | |
| A single white, crystal-covered glove figured prominently in memorials to what late entertainer? | |
| ⬥ A: Ed McMahon | ⬥ B: David Carradine |
| ⬥ C: Farrah Fawcett | ⬥ D: Michael Jackson |
| $2,000 (3 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit Category: Slang | |
| Merck, Eli Lilly, and AstraZeneca are three companies in an industry slangily referred to as what? | |
| ⬥ A: Big Oil | ⬥ B: Big Tobacco |
| ⬥ C: Big Steel | ⬥ D: Big Pharma |
| $3,000 (4 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit Category: Cartoons | |
| Introduced in the cartoon "Mr. Duck Steps Out," who is Donald Duck's longtime girlfriend? | |
| ⬥ A: Daisy Duck | ⬥ B: Dorothy Duck |
| ⬥ C: Dixie Duck | ⬥ D: Debbie Duck |
| $5,000 (5 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit Category: Architecture | |
| What signature architectural feature of its dine-in restaurants is prominently included in the logo for Pizza Hut? | |
| ⬥ A: Yellow turret | ⬥ B: Blue door |
| ⬥ C: Red roof | ⬥ D: Green arch |
| $7,500 (6 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit Category: Show Business | |
| Which of these well-known singers was most commonly referred to as the "hardest working man in show business"? | |
| ⬥ A: Perry Como | ⬥ B: James Brown |
| ⬥ C: Sam Cooke | ⬥ D: John Denver |
| $10,000 (7 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit Category: Literature | |
| "The Moneypenny Diaries" is a series of novels about a personal secretary who works with what fictional character? | |
| ⬥ A: James Bond | ⬥ B: Sherlock Holmes |
| ⬥ C: Jack Ryan | ⬥ D: Jason Bourne |
| $12,500 (8 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit Category: Useful Devices | |
| The L-shaped device known as a "croupier's rake" is designed to move what? | |
| ⬥ A: Fireplace embers and ashes | ⬥ B: Billiard balls |
| ⬥ C: Masonry cement | ⬥ D: Casino chips and dice |
| $15,000 (9 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit Category: Current Events | |
| In April 2009, the U.S. Navy rescued Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama from pirates off the coast of what nation? | |
| ⬥ A: Somalia | ⬥ B: Egypt |
| ⬥ C: Tanzania | ⬥ D: Libya |
| $25,000 (10 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit Category: Pop Music | |
| The musical duo 3OH!3 takes its name from the area code where the group first formed, encompassing what U.S. City? 'Ask the Audience' and 'Phone-a-Friend' lifelines used | |
| ⬥ A: Cleveland, OH | ⬥ B: Tucson, AZ |
| ⬥ C: Boulder, CO | ⬥ D: Austin, TX |
| Ask the Audience Results: A: 50% ⬥ B: 3% ⬥ C: 30% ⬥ D: 17% | |
| Jeff is skeptical of the audience ("I had an inkling of my own") and with 9 seconds remaining, he decides to call his friend Charlie.
Jeff rephrases the question to "I need to know what city has the area code 3-zero-3" and provides the choices within the first 9 seconds. With 10 seconds left, Charlie says Boulder. Jeff went with him and it won him $25,000. |
| $50,000 (11 of 15) - 0:45 Time Limit Category: Sizes and Shapes | |
| Which of these snack foods are common examples of hyberbolic paraboloids, a type of mathematical shape? | |
| ⬥ A: Funyuns | ⬥ B: Bugles |
| ⬥ C: Pringles | ⬥ D: Combos |
| $100,000 (12 of 15) - 0:45 Time Limit Category: Elected Officials | |
| Like Barack Obama, which of these men was elected president while he was a sitting U.S. Senator? 'Double Dip' lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Harry Truman | ⬥ B: Warren Harding |
| ⬥ C: Andrew Johnson | ⬥ D: Benjamin Harrison |
| With 27 seconds, Jeff decides to Double Dip. Jeff's first response is Warren Harding and it was right. |
| $250,000 (13 of 15) - 0:45 Time Limit Category: Numbers Game | |
| Approximately how many Social Security numbers have been issued since the first one was assigned in 1936? 'Ask the Expert' lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: 450 million | ⬥ B: 517 million |
| ⬥ C: 575 million | ⬥ D: 631 million |
| Correct Answer: A: 450 million |
Jeff Birt as a contestant on the 10th Anniversary series
Million Dollar Question - Tournament of Ten[]
| $1,000,000 (15 of 15) - 4:07 Time Limit | |
| "Nephelococcygia" is the practice of doing what? | |
| ⬥ A: Finding shapes in clouds | ⬥ B: Sleeping with your eyes open |
| ⬥ C: Breaking glass with your voice | ⬥ D: Swimming in freezing water |
| Jeff had a hunch that the correct answer was A: Finding shapes in clouds. However, deciding not to risk losing $75,000, he walked away. The correct answer was indeed A: Finding shapes in clouds. |
Sources[]
| Million Dollar Tournament of Ten contestants | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. Alex Ortiz 9. Tony Westmoreland 8. Sam Murray 7. Robin Schwartz 6. Ralph Cambeis |
5. Tim Janus 4. Matt Schultz 3. Jeff Birt 2. Keilani Goggins 1. Jehan Shamsid-Deen | ||