Sam Murray

Sam Murray
From	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Appearance	November 6, 2009 (original run) November 9-20, 2009 (Tournament of Ten) November 11, 2009 (million dollar question)
Money won	$50,000 (first) $1,000,000 (Tournament of Ten)

Sam Murray, a bartender from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became the U.S. version's first millionaire since 2003 after winning the Million Dollar Tournament of Ten, and also being the only contestant in the tournament to correctly answer his million dollar question. Coincidentally, he was also the last contestant to play for admittance into the tournament.

His prize was not confirmed until the final contestant on the tournament, Jehan Shamsid-Deen, walked away. He was the last winner of 1 Million on the US series until David Chang in 2020.

Sam's Run to the Million

$500 (1 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit Category: Health
The common infection known as "swimmer's ear" is a result of what getting trapped in the ear canal?
⬥ A: Pollen	⬥ B: Water
⬥ C: Insects	⬥ D: A Black Eyed Peas song

$1,000 (2 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit Category: It's the Law
In the U.S., "right-to-dry" laws protect homeowners who want to hang what outside their homes?
⬥ A: Wind chimes	⬥ B: Clotheslines
⬥ C: Birdfeeders	⬥ D: State flags

$2,000 (3 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit Category: Junk Food
What chocolate snacks were named after the bells heard in Hostess' original TV commercials?
⬥ A: Ho Hos	⬥ B: Kit Kat bars
⬥ C: Nutter Butters	⬥ D: Ding Dongs

$3,000 (4 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit Category: Rock Bands
A tribute band to a popular '70s rock group, Lez Zeppelin features members who are all what?
⬥ A: African-American	⬥ B: Teenage boys
⬥ C: Women	⬥ D: Asian-American

$5,000 (5 of 15) - 0:15 Time Limit States of the Union
The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail commemorates a famous 1965 civil rights march held in what state?
⬥ A: Alabama	⬥ B: Louisiana
⬥ C: North Carolina	⬥ D: Tennessee

$7,500 (6 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit Category: Cartoon Characters
In the cartoons in which he stars, Tweety Bird is often portrayed as the pet of a woman simply referred to by what name?
⬥ A: Auntie	⬥ B: Momma
⬥ C: Granny	⬥ D: Sis

$10,000 (7 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit Category: Celebrities
In 2009, "30 Rock" star Alec Baldwin said he considered moving to what state to run against Joe Lieberman for his U.S. Senate seat?
⬥ A: Maine	⬥ B: Pennsylvania
⬥ C: Rhode Island	⬥ D: Connecticut

$12,500 (8 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit Category: South America
Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego is a national park in what South American country? "Ask the Audience" lifeline used.
⬥ A: Peru	⬥ B: Brazil
⬥ C: Argentina	⬥ D: Venezuela
Ask the Audience Results: A: 14% ⬥ B: 17% ⬥ C: 53% ⬥ D: 16%

$15,000 (9 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit Category: Economics
In a 2007 book, Wall Street guru Nassim Taleb popularized what "animal" term to describe rare and unpredictable events? "Ask the Expert" and "Phone-a-Friend" lifelines used.
⬥ A: Flying pig	⬥ B: Short giraffe
⬥ C: Land whale	⬥ D: Black swan

First, Sam asked the expert, Joel Stein, who was not sure, so Sam phoned his friend, Daulton, who knew the answer.

$25,000 (10 of 15) - 0:30 Time Limit Category: Automobiles
Used to "decommission" automobile engines, sodium silicate is better known to mechanics as "liquid" what? "Double Dip" lifeline used.
⬥ A: Glass	⬥ B: Wood
⬥ C: Steel	⬥ D: Velcro

$50,000 (11 of 15) - 0:45 Time Limit Category: Insects
To defend against predators, certain moth species have organs called "tymbals" that do what?
⬥ A: Make ultrasonic sounds	⬥ B: Absorb heat
⬥ C: Produce dark pigments	⬥ D: Release toxic venom

$100,000 (12 of 15) - 0:45 Time Limit Category: Advertising
Before becoming a bestselling novelist, which of these men came up with the ad slogan "I'm a Toys "R" Us kid!"?
⬥ A: John Grisham	⬥ B: Elmore Leonard
⬥ C: James Patterson	⬥ D: Carl Hiaasen

Sam wasn't sure of the answer, but felt certain he had banked enough time to make it to the tournament, so he decided to walk with $50,000. His guess would have been C: James Patterson, and he would have been correct. He was also right about making it into the Tournament of Ten, as he was placed as the 8th seed. Total Winnings: $50,000

The categories for Sam's $250,000 and $500,000 questions would've been "Literature" and "Broadcast History" respectively.

Million Dollar Question

$1,000,000 (15 of 15) - 3:23 Time Limit Category: Genetics
According to the Population Reference Bureau, what is the approximate number of people who have ever lived on earth?
⬥ A: 50 billion	⬥ B: 100 billion
⬥ C: 1 trillion	⬥ D: 5 trillion

As he only had $50,000 in his bank, and had only $25,000, or exactly 50% of his winnings, to lose, and $950,000 to gain (as opposed to Ken Basin, who wound up losing $475,000, or 95% of his winnings, when he flunked out on his fatal $1 million question), Murray decided to go for it. He calculated the total population of Earth today to be about 6.5 billion people, and out of the four options in front of him, made an educated guess for 100 billion with 1 minute, 40 seconds remaining. For the record, the correct answer was actually 106.5 billion, but it was rounded down to 100 billion for the question. Sam Murray: Tournament Leader All subsequent Million Dollar Tournament of Ten contestants walked away from their $1,000,000 questions, including the final highest-seeded contestant, Jehan Shamsid-Deen, effectively handing Sam Murray the $1,000,000 prize. Sam Murray: Millionaire

Preceded by Nathan Kaplan	U.S. contestnts Sam Murray	Succeeded by Unknown
Preceded by Nancy Christy	U.S. Top Prize Winner Sam Murray	Succeeded by David Chang