Norman Gene "Norm" Macdonald (October 17, 1959 – September 14, 2021), from Quebec, Canada, was a celebrity contestant on the U.S. version of the show on November 19th, 2000. He walked away with $500,000 for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. Norm was best known for his role as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1993-1998.
WWTBAM Run[]
Fastest Finger Question[]
Norm answers the Fastest Finger question.
| Fastest Finger Question | |
| Put the following letters in order to spell a popular man's name. | |
| ⬥ A: N | ⬥ B: O |
| ⬥ C: R | ⬥ D: M |
| The question was given to Norm, who was the last remaining celebrity, as a gag (he got it right in 5.02 seconds). |
Norm's Run to the Million[]
| $100 (1 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Inexperienced typists are said to use what technique when typing on a keyboard? | |
| ⬥ A: Stop-and-go | ⬥ B: Hunt-and-peck |
| ⬥ C: Jolt-and-bolt | ⬥ D: Crunch-and-munch |
| $200 (2 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| A majorette would most likely carry which of the following? | |
| ⬥ A: Guitar | ⬥ B: Baton |
| ⬥ C: Hockey stick | ⬥ D: Crowbar |
| $300 (3 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Where does a rider normally put his feet while riding a saddled horse? | |
| ⬥ A: Bit | ⬥ B: Harness |
| ⬥ C: Stirrups | ⬥ D: Manure |
| $500 (4 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What part of the human body is often described as being "innie" or "outie"? | |
| ⬥ A: Bellybutton | ⬥ B: Earlobe |
| ⬥ C: Nostril | ⬥ D: Elbow |
| "Oh my God, good lord!" - Norm before the answers show up. |
| $1,000 (5 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| If someone has a "six-figure income," what is the minimum amount that he makes in one year? | |
| ⬥ A: $1,000 | ⬥ B: $600,000 |
| ⬥ C: $1,000,000 | ⬥ D: $100,000 |
| $2,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| "Larry King Live" currently airs on what TV channel? | |
| ⬥ A: MSNBC | ⬥ B: CNN |
| ⬥ C: ESPN | ⬥ D: The WB |
| $4,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What Alice Walker novel was made into a Steven Spielberg film? | |
| ⬥ A: Amistad | ⬥ B: Hook |
| ⬥ C: The Color Purple | ⬥ D: Beloved |
| $8,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which of these ancient peoples built their cities in Mexico? | |
| ⬥ A: Hittites | ⬥ B: Philistines |
| ⬥ C: Aztecs | ⬥ D: Romans |
| $16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which one of the following foods is not a type of fish? | |
| ⬥ A: Sorrel | ⬥ B: Scrod |
| ⬥ C: Sole | ⬥ D: Skate |
| Norm - "I guess Sorrel"
Regis - "Why do you guess that?" Norm - "I mean, aren't Scrod, Sole & Skate all fish? [audience laughs]" Regis - "Wouldn't it be funny if Norm Macdonald won the million dollars!?" |
| $32,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| As seen in the 1996 movie "Fargo," a large statue of what folk hero stands in Brainerd, MN? | |
| ⬥ A: Johnny Appleseed | ⬥ B: Paul Bunyan |
| ⬥ C: Lone Ranger | ⬥ D: Crazy Horse |
| Norm starts messing with Regis by dragging his answer out. |
Norm's $64,000 question.
| $64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| In 1999, who raised more than $5 million for charity by auctioning off 100 of his guitars? 'Ask the Audience' lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: George Harrison | ⬥ B: Bob Dylan |
| ⬥ C: Neil Young | ⬥ D: Eric Clapton |
| Ask the Audience Results: A: 9% ⬥ B: 6% ⬥ C: 0% ⬥ D: 85% | |
| Norm - "Now I don't know anything about music, but I imagine it'd be a guitarist [audience laughs]."
Norm, operating under the false impression that Regis knows the answers, starts trying to read him (as if he's playing poker) for clues (which'll matter later) |
| $125,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Sailors in the Southern Hemisphere use what feature in the night sky to aid in navigation? 'Phone-a-Friend' lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Carpenter's Square | ⬥ B: Southern Cross |
| ⬥ C: Southern lights | ⬥ D: Betelgeuse |
| Norm thinks it's B, but again looks towards Regis for a signal (believing he knows the answers). When he fails to pick up anything, he starts to doubt himself and thinks he's on the wrong track, so he calls his friend Sam Simon, who is 100% sure it's indeed B: The Southern cross. Annoyed at himself for wasting the lifeline, Norm locks in B & wins $125,000. |
Norm's $250,000 question.
| $250,000 (13 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| The Reina Sofia Art Center is located in what European city? '50:50' lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Madrid | ⬥ B: Lisbon |
| ⬥ C: Rome | ⬥ D: Vienna |
| Norm thinks it's Madrid. Then, in a classic sequence-
Norm - "Hey, lemme ask you something, if I say 'Hey, I think it may be Madrid or Lisbon' and then I use the 50:50, it's not gonna say Madrid & Lisbon is it?" Regis - "You don't know. But it may not be the two you're thinking of." Norm - "Ok, but there's not a dude in the back, or anything?" [Audience laughs] Regis - "Noooooo, these've been locked in for months" Norm then uses the 50:50, which of course, leave A & B. He glares at Regis (while the audience erupts in laughter) before making A his final answer and winning $250,000. |
Norm's $500,000 question.
| $500,000 (14 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What Broadway musical features material written by Samuel Beckett and John Lennon? | |
| ⬥ A: Hair | ⬥ B: Godspell |
| ⬥ C: Cabaret | ⬥ D: Oh! Calcutta! |
| Norm - "Well, I'm not gay, so don't know much about Broadway musicals…" [audience laughs]
Norm has no idea, but is very familiar with Samuel Beckett, and thinks that the only one he would've contributed to would be Oh! Calcutta! He makes D his final answer and wins $500,000. |
Norm's $1,000,000 question.
| $1,000,000 (15 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| During the Cold War, the U.S. government built a bunker to house Congress under what golf resort? | |
| ⬥ A: The Breakers | ⬥ B: The Greenbrier |
| ⬥ C: Pinehurst | ⬥ D: The Broadmoor |
| After mulling it over, Norm thinks it's B, and is about to make it his final answer before Regis nervously asks him if he's sure.
Believing that Regis knows the answer, and is trying to talk him out of losing $468,000, Norm backs off and decides to take the money. It turns out that Regis had no idea and was just nervous in the big moment, as Norm was 100% correct. The answer was indeed B: The Greenbrier. Total Prize Money: $500,000 |
Trivia[]
- According to a pop up version of the show, Norm's phone a friend knew the answer to the million dollar question.
- Throughout the game, Norm was operating under the premise that Regis had the answers on his screen and knew which one was correct (when in fact the host doesn't know the answer until the contestant says "final answer"), and could be read for clues, which is why he burned a lifeline on $125k and ultimately decided to walk away when Regis became nervous on the million dollar question.
- Norm vaguely recalled a segment on 60 Minutes about the Greenbrier, which is how he knew the million dollar question.
Sources[]
Norm recounts his experience on Millionaire - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVCBLX0ksz8
| Preceded by Joy Behar |
U.S. Contestant (2nd Celebrity Week) Norm Macdonald |
Succeeded by None |