Robert Alan "Bob-O" Essig (April 28, 1970 - February 3, 2019), from Ashtabula, Ohio, was a contestant on Super Millionaire on February 22-23, 2004. He walked away with $1,000,000.
Robert passed away Sunday, February 3, 2019, at Select Specialty Regency Hospital in Warrensville Heights. He was 48 years old.
Put these "one hit wonder" songs in the order they were first released, starting with the earliest.
⬥ A: I'm Too Sexy
⬥ B: Come on Eileen
⬥ C: Don't Worry Be Happy
⬥ D: Tubthumping
From the 9 contestants, 2 got it right, but Robert (with a time of 5.55 seconds) was the fastest to correctly answer B-C-A-D, making it into the Hot Seat.
Robert's Run to $10,000,000[]
$1,000 (1 of 15) - Not Timed
In a 2000 hit song, the Baha Men ask the now-famous question "Who let the" what "out"?
⬥ A: Boys
⬥ B: Noise
⬥ C: Dogs
⬥ D: Hilton sisters
$2,000 (2 of 15) - Not Timed
In February 2004, who quit her job at NBC News to focus on her duties as first lady of California?
⬥ A: Ann Curry
⬥ B: Jane Pauley
⬥ C: Andrea Mitchell
⬥ D: Maria Shriver
$3,000 (3 of 15) - Not Timed
"Picking up a 7-10 split" is considered the most difficult shot in what sport?
⬥ A: Billiards
⬥ B: Archery
⬥ C: Darts
⬥ D: Bowling
$4,000 (4 of 15) - Not Timed
What term, coined in the '90s, is often used by the media to refer to chic, well-groomed men?
⬥ A: Metrosexual
⬥ B: Machosexual
⬥ C: Androsexual
⬥ D: Demisexual
$5,000 (5 of 15) - Not Timed
The subject of a famous Revolutionary War poem, the 'shot heard round the world' was fired in what U.S. state? "Ask the Audience" lifeline used.
Bob-O used the Ask the Audience lifeline just to make sure he was correct. The choice that won the poll, D, was his guess too, and he went for it and it was right.
$10,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed
While hosting the 1995 Oscars, who made the infamous introduction "Uma, Oprah, Oprah, Uma"?
⬥ A: Steve Martin
⬥ B: David Letterman
⬥ C: Whoopi Goldberg
⬥ D: Billy Crystal
$20,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed
What does the "C" stand for in the medical term "CAT scan"?
⬥ A: Collected
⬥ B: Computerized
⬥ C: Cardiac
⬥ D: Cranial
The klaxon called time, and Robert would return on $20,000 with 2 lifelines still available
$30,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed
What movie's title character claims to "have a head for business and a bod for sin"?
⬥ A: Working Girl
⬥ B: Tootsie
⬥ C: Pretty Woman
⬥ D: Mrs. Doubtfire
$50,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed
In the Chinese calendar, January 22, 2004 marked the first day of the Year of the what? "Phone-a-Friend" lifeline used.
⬥ A: Rabbit
⬥ B: Dragon
⬥ C: Tiger
⬥ D: Monkey
Robert didn't know, so he decided to phone his father-in-law Mike, who said D and was 100% sure of it. Then, Robert made the infamous line "I'm gonna trust you dad. If you're wrong, I know where you live and I have your wife," and went with him. He got it right, and won $50,000.
$100,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of the following is not one of England's famous literary Brontë sisters? "50:50" lifeline used.
⬥ A: Catherine
⬥ B: Anne
⬥ C: Emily
⬥ D: Charlotte
Robert knew C and D were Brontë sisters, and after pondering some time, decided to use his 50:50, which left A and C. Therefore, he went with A and won $100,000.
$500,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed
In the 120-count box of Crayola crayons, which of the following is not the name of a crayon color? "Three Wise Men" lifeline used.
⬥ A: Fuzzy wuzzy brown
⬥ B: Mauvelous
⬥ C: Asparagus
⬥ D: Gray matter
Robert didn't know, so he decided to ask the Three Wise Men: Dr. Abbie Salny, Drew Pinsky and John Carpenter, who said they would go on D in the nick of time, but they weren't so sure about it. He went with them, and got it right, winning $500,000.
Robert winning $1,000,000.
$1,000,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed
What scientist first determined that human sight results from images projected onto the retina? "Double Dip" lifeline used.
⬥ A: Galileo
⬥ B: Copernicus
⬥ C: Johannes Kepler
⬥ D: Isaac Newton
Johannes Kepler made the most sense to Robert, but he was not quite sure. Despite the risk of losing $400,000, he decided to use his Double Dip and made C: Johannes Kepler his first guess, which turned out to be correct.
Robert's $2,500,000 question.
$2,500,000 (13 of 15) - Not Timed
The last known sighting of labor leader Jimmy Hoffa was on July 30, 1975 at what Michigan restaurant's parking lot?
⬥ A: Machus Red Fox
⬥ B: Big Daddy's Parthenon
⬥ C: Beau Jacks Restaurant
⬥ D: Salvatore Scallopini
Robert had seen the movie about it, but he had no idea what the name of the restaurant was, so he decided to walk away with $1,000,000. He would have guessed C, but the correct answer was A: Machus Red Fox.
Total Prize Money: $1,000,000
Trivia[]
Robert appeared on the 10th anniversary celebration of the show, along with other previous Million Dollar Winners. Regis Philbin could not remember that he liked to be called Bob-O, instead incorrectly referring to him as "Bobo".
Robert is the only person, to date, to win a million dollars on the show, but not be a top prize winner, since the $1,000,000 question was question 12 on the Money Tree instead of question 15. Because of this, at the end of his run, he did not receive the million pound win cue or the confetti drop that typically accompanies winning the million, and when he walked away, the screen stated, "Total Prize Money: $1,000,000," instead of, "Robert Essig: Millionaire."
