We’ll get to the meat of the post soon, but first I wanted to pass along that Who Wants to be a Millionaire? has started a new giveaway, thanks to Capital One, where each month someone at home will win $1,000.  All you have to do is go to Millionaire’s home page, sign up for the contest.  And hope for the best.  No purchases needed, so be sure to sign up.

OK, now the real reason for the post: new strategies which have been thrown together from many sources.  I’m sure there’s a good chance executive producer Michael Davies will laugh when he reads this, but I just don’t see a half million dollar winner this season, or at least not until the very end.  I can see a few quarter million, but no half million.  And it’s not the fault of the difficulty of the show.  Difficulty is the same, if not maybe a tiny bit easier, this season.  No, I think the real reason we may not see any mammoth winners is because the show is, admittedly, new this season.  When you throw in the clock and two new lifelines, it’ll get people off balance.  So, in case we have any future contestants who read this, here are a few Millionaire strategies the group who considered these found to be somewhat helpful.

People have always been bad with lifeline management, and the substitution this season has made it rougher.  If you get in the hot seat, this should always be your first rule: Only pick Phone a Friends who have the ability to Google answers quickly. Apparently there’s no regulation on this.  We’ve heard loud typing.  Everyone knows someone who has a high speed connection.  Just ask them.  In today’s age, there’s no reason not to have someone with Google ready on the phone.  Back in the ABC days, technology was not nearly as good as it is today.  Phone a Friend should be sponsored by Google.  This is an automatic right answer if you have someone with Google, and who can type quickly.  However, Phone a Friend really is not a good lifeline to stop the clock and gain some thinking time.  You’re on the clock focusing on your friend.

Maybe I’m too cynical, but I just don’t trust the audience past the 10th question.  The first two tiers are fine as far as audience questions because they focus more on pop culture.  However, when the upper tier comes along, the audience seems to get it wrong more often than not, and I can tell you why.  At least at the last taping I was at, the audience members look over shoulders and ask their neighbors what they chose.  So you can get a huge string of wrong answers in a row.  Use that lifeline first if you can.  Again, not a good lifeline to use as a clock stopper.  The process of Ask the Audience is about 30-45 seconds slower than what you see on television than it is in the studio, but hardly enough to make a difference.

I’m mixed about Ask the Expert.  When you get someone great like Ogi Ogas or Bill Nye, the lifeline works great.  When you don’t, it can be really painful and even less help than Switch the Question.  But more than anything, even if you don’t think the Expert knows the answer, use Ask the Expert as a clock stopper.  As long as the Expert is talking, they really won’t kick him or her off for a minute or two.  Use it if you need some time to gain your composure.

The greatest addition this season has been Double Dip.  Note to contestants: the first answer you give when using Double Dip is not timed, or at least if it is we don’t know of it.  If you are getting too stressed, especially in higher levels, and need some thinking time, use Double Dip to stop the clock, gain your composure, and get some more thinking time.  However, if your first answer is wrong, that clock is starting again so be sure to answer really quickly, because if the clock runs out you lose.  The clock running out on Double Dip does not equal a walk away.

The clock is going to definitely divide players into two categories.  If you’re serious about winning the million, you have to answer as fast as humanly possible.  This means you have to do one thing: INTERRUPT MEREDITH AS SHE READS THE ANSWERS.  Yes, you can interrupt her but no one’s done it.  I don’t know if it’s instinct not to do it because of the long history of the show or if they aren’t really told ahead of time, but those first five questions can add some serious time to your million dollar question bank.  If you need to think, do so, but you need as much time as you can to make that huge $475,000 gamble at the very end.  If you aren’t sure of the answer, don’t walk away either.  Just sit there, think, and let the clock run out.  Maybe the answer will pop up suddenly, who knows.  But don’t walk away prematurely.  You’ll walk automatically if the clock hits 0.  But the key to winning this season is clock management.  And the key to having good clock management is learning how the lifelines work and not only using them as devices to get the right answer, but as clock stoppers.

We’d love to hear if you have any advice for future Millionaire contestants and auditioners.  I know we have some past big winners reading too, so any tips that you’ve noticed through the season so far would be greatly appreciated.  It’s been nearly six years and a thousand episodes since the last million dollar winner.  It’s time, and you can do it.  You just have to go in the studio with a game plan.

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