Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Wiki

Jehan Shamsid-Deen, from Concord, NC was a contestant on the U.S. version of the show on October 9-12, 2009 and walked away with $250,000.

She reappeared on the Million Dollar Tournament of Ten on November 20, 2009.

Jehan's Run to the Million[]

$500 (1 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit
Category: Areas of Study
By definition, which of the following would a "UFOlogist" be most interested in studying?
⬥ A: Flying saucers ⬥ B: Human behavior
⬥ C: Postage stamps ⬥ D: Larry King
$1,000 (2 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit
Category: Animals
Long legs and large, symmetrical humps are two things judges look for at an annual Middle East "beauty pageant" for what animals?
⬥ A: Pigs ⬥ B: Elephants
⬥ C: Sheep ⬥ D: Camels
$2,000 (3 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit
Category: On the Menu
In 1943, a Chicago restaurant claims to have invented the "deep dish" version of what popular food?
⬥ A: Hamburger ⬥ B: Pizza
⬥ C: Fried chicken ⬥ D: Meatloaf
$3,000 (4 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit
Category: The Oscars
In its credits, what Academy Award winner for Best Picture lists a dog named "Butkus Stallone"?
"Ask the Audience" lifeline used.
⬥ A: Rocky ⬥ B: Rain Man
⬥ C: The Sound of Music ⬥ D: Forrest Gump
Ask the Audience Results: A: 93% ⬥ B: 4% ⬥ C: 1% ⬥ D: 3%
After the correct answer was revealed, she can be heard saying: "I wasn't going to take the chance".
$5,000 (5 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit
Category: Drugs
In 2009, an FDA advisory panel recommended a ban on Percocet and Vicodin, two best-selling prescription what?
⬥ A: Antibiotics ⬥ B: Sleep Aids
⬥ C: Painkillers ⬥ D: Decongestants
$7,500 (6 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit
Category: Words & Phrases
A thin, flaky pastry used for desserts in its native cuisine, phyllo means "leaf" in what language?
⬥ A: French ⬥ B: Greek
⬥ C: Italian ⬥ D: Japanese
$10,000 (7 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit
Category: Video Games
What football icon lends his name to one of the top-selling video game franchises of all time, with over seventy million copies sold?
⬥ A: John Madden ⬥ B: Joe Montana
⬥ C: Joe Namath ⬥ D: Vince Lombardi
Jehan had obviously known the past few questions with ease, and was smiling and chuckling. "I want to be a nerd!" says Meredith.

"You can join us anytime," is Jehan's response.

$12,500 (8 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit
Category: Same Name
A U.S. president and an actress from the TV series "The Golden Girls" share what surname?
⬥ A: Getty ⬥ B: Van Buren
⬥ C: Arthur ⬥ D: Harding
$15,000 (9 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit
Category: At the Bookstore
What reality TV star topped the bestseller lists in 2009 with "L.A. Candy," her young-adult novel about a girl on a reality show?
⬥ A: Kate Gosselin ⬥ B: Brooke Hogan
⬥ C: Kim Kardashian ⬥ D: Lauren Conrad
$25,000 (10 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit
Category: The Internet
YouTube sensation Tay Zonday is better known by which of these nicknames?
⬥ A: "Evolution of Dance" guy ⬥ B: "Chocolate Rain" guy
⬥ C: "Numa Numa" guy ⬥ D: "Leave Britney Alone!" guy
$50,000 (11 of 15) - 0:45 Time Limit
Category: What is it?
What is a dugong?
⬥ A: Manatee-like sea mammal ⬥ B: Cleaver-like Asian knife
⬥ C: Spear-like African weapon ⬥ D: Kiwi-like tropical fruit
Jehan was chuckling before the options came up, as she already knew the answer.
$100,000 (12 of 15) - 0:45 Time Limit
Category: Weights & Measures
Hospital MRI machines are calibrated by their magnetic flux density, which is measured in units named for what scientist?
"Phone a friend" lifeline used.
⬥ A: Paul Dirac ⬥ B: Niels Bohr
⬥ C: Nikola Tesla ⬥ D: Max Planck
Jehan decided to call her friend Edward. She asked the question within 6 seconds, but Edward was unable to give an answer. She decided to take a guess at C. and was correct.
$250,000 (13 of 15) - 0:45 Time Limit
Category: Classic Liteature
Which of these classic novels was written after the author's brother bet him he couldn't write a better-selling novel than "Treasure Island"?
"Ask the Expert" and "Double Dip" lifelines used.
⬥ A: The Black Corsair ⬥ B: King Solomon's Mines
⬥ C: The Scarlet Pimpernel ⬥ D: Journey to the Center of the Earth
Jehan decided to ask the expert, Rene Syler, who shook her head after reading the question, saying that "Nothing is popping out at me". When she asked Jehan what she thought, Jehan admitted to considering B or D. Rene then said she had no idea and apologized. Jehan then used her double dip to guess both her answers, with B turning out to be correct. The klaxon then sounds, and Jehan returns on October 12th for the $500,000 question.
$500,000 (14 of 15) - 0:45 Time Limit
Category: The Medal of Honor
The only woman ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor received it for her service in what war?
⬥ A: Iraq War ⬥ B: Vietnam War
⬥ C: World War I ⬥ D: U.S. Civil War
Jehan did not answer her question because the time expired. She thought it was either the World War I or U.S. Civil War, and guessed World War I. The right answer was D: U.S. Civil War. Jehan will return to the Million Dollar Tournament of Ten finale to see her final question. The original category for it was "Obituaries".
$1,000,000 (15 of 15) - 4:36 Time Limit
A rare example of a word that rhymes with "orange," the Blorenge is a what?
⬥ A: River in Ireland ⬥ B: Forest in Scotland
⬥ C: Mountain in Wales ⬥ D: Desert in Australia
Jehan was not sure, but had a feeling the correct answer was C: Mountain in Wales. Not wanting to lose $225,000, she walked away. The correct answer was indeed C: Mountain in Wales.

When Jehan walked away, Sam Murray was crowned the winner of the Tournament of Ten, becoming the last millionaire on the U.S. show until David Chang in 2020.

Trivia[]

  • Jehan was the last contestant to win $250,000 before the introduction of the Shuffle Format in September 2010.
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