It’s Been Quite a Week for “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”

I don’t know if you watched Who Wants to be a Millionaire? at all this week, but it’s been a very interesting, big money week which is raising some questions about the use of the clock.  First off, if you’ve followed this site at all, you’ve heard about Carlos Giron.  He walked out earlier this week with $250,000.  He walked away after three lifelines for the half million dollar question; all but Double Dip.  Both Ask the Expert and Ask the Audience pointed to one certain answer (though neither was a certainty).  Phone A Friend didn’t yield any help.

Some commenters did post about a new Millionaire spoiler video on the site which we’ve become used to with contestant Jim Batts.  He also walked away with $250,000 with no lifelines available for both the $100,000 and $250,000.  So now we know, readers.  If ABC posts a video on their site that shows someone winning $100,000; odds are they are going to win $250,000.  They may want to mix it up next time.  We’ve had an ungodly amount of quarter millionaires this season.  It’s leading to an interesting observation about the new game clock.

I often get emails about the extreme difficulty of the show.  I get them more this season than ever.  I usually shrug them off, since the daily version of Millionaire can’t be giving away huge money regularly.  What the emails usually boils down to is after six or so years without a millionaire, it seems next to impossible to win.  I have to tell you, I let you a huge sigh and thought, “It’s never going to happen again, is it?” when Carlos Giron couldn’t pull the trigger with all signs pointing to the right answer.  I think it can be done but it’s going to be difficult directly because the clock.

Why will it be more difficult?  I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the clock has barely affected the game at all from the $100 to the $250,000 questions, and most likely going for $1,000,000 (though we haven’t seen it yet).  It doesn’t do much of anything there.  I actually think it helps give away more money than usual.  It starts to become a giant problem going for $500,000 and that’s the only question I ever see it affecting.  Again, why?  Because no one can make a calculated gamble for $500,000 in 45 seconds unless you’re 100% certain, which is a lucky fluke, or you’re a crazy gambler who deserves to be on Deal or No Deal.

I know that the show’s job isn’t to give away money.  That would be dumb if it was.  We all know that.  But how are you supposed to make a calculated decision on a question you aren’t sure of, with $225,000 on the line, with 45 seconds on the clock?  At least you have the time bank going for $1,000,000.  You’re shit out of luck going for $500,000 unless you’re a psycho.  You wouldn’t have had two of the most memorable moments in the show’s history, Jeff Gross’s and Ogi Ogas’s $500,000 wins, with the clocks.

What to do about it?  I doubt they’ll do anything about it.  I suggest bringing the million dollar time bank through the entire game.  Any unused time from the previous question goes on to the next question.  But will it happen?  I highly doubt it.  But hey, wishful thinking.

Photo courtesy of Valleycrest Productions Ltd.