Millionaire: 20th Anniversary Show #1 (FIN)

[Twentington]

So yeah, it looks like we're going forward with this.  Rules clarifications worth noting are here.

We'll keep signups open until either tomorrow night or we get six players for Fastest Finger First, whichever happens first. 

So who wants a chance to step into the virtual hot seat for a cool virtual million dollars?

[grapebuy789]

I'll play

[billmcdee]

I'm there!

[Twentington]

So far, so good - that's two in already, four more to get this show on the road.

[koopakid17]

I'm in!

[romnserg]

Let's do this!

[Twentington]

We're filling up the seats fast, just two spots to go...

[mringgenberg]

I'll play.

[Twentington]

One more spot! I think we're on track to start this tomorrow evening.

[Twentington]

(Quick bump - just one more player, please)

[jlastergolf]

I will

[Twentington]

And there's our six! I'm aiming to get the intro and first question up by 9 tonight Central Time. You'll PM me your answer order to the question - fastest correct answer will be first into the Hot Seat.

[romnserg]

Are you doing the same thing as Jeremy Clarkson did on the first episode with the first contestant? Rip-off cheque, because their prize money will be send to their bank account through a special button (the mouse).
PD: If you do. Anyone can feel the presence. Thank you.

[Twentington]

One last note: when you're in the hot seat, please feel free to think through your answers in-thread (especially at the higher levels).  You're under no time pressure or obligation to arrive at an answer in the space of a single post.  Right, let's go...

---

(cue music as a montage of Millionaire moments from around the world plays)

It all started 20 years ago from Great Britain, and from there, it's taken over 100 countries by storm and changed thousands of people's lives.  And now, the game show that redefined game shows is back in primetime all this week with a few new twists.  But it's still the same basic game.  15 questions.  Four lifelines.  One million dollars, just waiting to be won.

From New York, it's the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire!

(cue theme music as an updated version of the 10th anniversary intro with clips from around the world and throughout the show's history plays)

(and then we cut to the set as the famous music plays - cheers and applause as I walk out onto the stage and the music finishes)

Hello, and good evening, everybody!  Can you believe Millionaire is 20 years old?  Unfortunately, we couldn't spring for champagne, the show's not quite at the drinking age yet.  

(a few laughs and groans from the audience)

The world's changed a lot in 20 years - and, to some extent, so has Millionaire.  Just ask Meredith Viera...

But we've been there through two whole decades, and we're hoping to celebrate our 20th anniversary in style!  People have come here to New York from across the nation and around the world in the hopes of winning life-changing sums of money.  The first six lucky contestants are waiting in the Ring of Fire, and let's not keep them waiting any longer to play.  Let's meet them, they are...

(cue cheers and applause as the contestant music plays)

Frank Sartori!

Bill McDee!

Kevin Kolsen!

Sergio Roman Rodriguez!

Matt Ringgenberg!

and Jonathan Laster!

(and the music concludes - but cue more music - loop the first twenty seconds or so as needed)

Now, you all want to get in the hot seat, and you know that if you want to do that, you have to come out on top in Fastest Finger!  We're playing tonight by international rules.

...the international rules are, of course, the same as the American rules, except that it's called Fastest Finger First.  You know how it works - you'll see a question and four answers.  Put those answers in the correct order and in the fastest time and you could be sitting across from me in a minute or so playing for one million dollars.

Well, that's all the preamble we need, I think, so here we go, here's the first Fastest Finger First question of the night.  

(cue :23 on the above music clip)

Put the following poker hands in order of their rank, starting with the highest.

(ba-ba-BA! - cue :32 on the same clip)

A. Straight	B. Four of a kind
C. Flush	D. Full house

(contestants, you have 24 hours to PM your answers to me)

[Twentington]

(BANG!)

Alright, that seemed pretty quick - let's see how you all got on with that one. 

(cue the music)

Right, starting with the highest ranked, first we have...

B. Four of a kind

(bang!)

...a very good hand in poker, for sure, and next is...

D. Full house

(bang!)

...and then this is where it's a bit more tricky, I think. After that is...

C. Flush

(bang!)

...which leaves, of course...

A. Straight

(bang!)

There we are, and here we go, let's see who got it right and who among those got it the fastest.

(doo-doo-doo!)

Frank Sartori
Bill McDee
Kevin Kolsen	(2 hours)
Sergio Roman Rodriguez
Matt Ringgenberg
Jonathan Laster	(2 minutes)

...and the winner, in lightning fast time, is Jonathan Laster!

(win cue, cheers and applause as Jonathan walks to center stage)

Congratulations!  Jonathan, you want to go for a million dollars?  Let's go for a million dollars!

(More music, more cheers and applause as we walk to the Hot Seat, which is now in its place at center stage)

(the lights go down for the first time)

Jonathan Laster goes in the game show history books as the first contestant on this anniversary week.  Jonathan, would you care to tell us a bit more about yourself?

[jlastergolf]

Yes. I am a huge game show fan and an avid poker player so tat question was right up my alley

[Twentington]

So you play poker... do you see yourself gambling at all as you're working through the questions tonight?

[jlastergolf]

Just online as I only play for fun but if I have a strong feeling I may just gamble

[Twentington]

Well, I suppose we'll see what happens as the night goes on. Let's go ahead and talk about the game, shall we?


(rules cue plays)

Jonathan, you know as well as anyone else in this studio that you're now just 15 questions away from one million dollars...

[50:50][PaF][AtA][StQ]
15 $1 MILLION
14 $500,000
13 $250,000
12 $125,000
11 $64,000
10 $32,000
9   $16,000
8   $8,000
7   $4,000
6   $2,000
5   $1,000
4   $500
3   $300
2   $200
1   $100

Obviously, the more questions you get right, the more money you win. If you get a question wrong, you'll drop down the ladder to your last safe point.  Your first one comes at question 5 - get that right, you're guaranteed $1,000.  But you'll notice there's not one set at $32,000 like there would normally be.  That's because you're going to get to choose where to set that second safe point.  You could set it at $2,000, you could set it at $32,000, you could even set it at $500,000.  You'll get a chance to set it before you see each question, and obviously, you'll have to get the question right to guarantee yourself the money.

Now, you know we want you to win a lot of money, so we're helping you all we can.  There's 50:50...

(ping!)

You can Ask the Audience...

(ping!)

And, of course, you can Phone a Friend...

(ping!)

And for this special anniversary week, you'll also have a Switch on hand...

(ping!)

...which means you can swap any one question out for another one at the same value - you won't get any lifelines you used on the first one back, though, so play wisely.

Are you ready to play, Jonathan?

[jlastergolf]

Let’s do this!

[Twentington]

Then let's play Who Wants to Be a Millionaire!

(cue the music, cheers and applause as the lights go down)

Here comes the first five - the easy ones, the fun ones.  First question is for $100...

($100-$1,000 music plays)

How many years old does Who Wants to be a Millionaire turn this fall?

A. 10	B. 15
C. 20	D. 250

(the audience laughs at D)

[jlastergolf]

Oh boy I wish there was an answer plastered around the set 20 million times...

C. 20 final answer

[Twentington]

That's the easiest hundred dollars you'll ever make in your life!

$100

(correct answer sound, light applause)

Let's double that up to $200...

Which of these punctuation marks cannot be used to end a sentence?

A. Question mark	B. Period
C. Exclamation mark	D. Comma

[jlastergolf]

D. Comma final

[Twentington]

So far, so good!

$200

(correct answer sound, some applause)

You can add another hundred bucks to that with question number three...

Which of these expressions loosely means “I don't want to discuss it”?

A. Don't go there	B. It's go time
C. You go, girl	D. Going, going, gone

[jlastergolf]

Well, let’s not go here. A final

[Twentington]

Right again!

$300

(correct answer sound, some applause)

*Going* on to $500...

(a few people in the audience groan)

How many days are in the month of March?

A. 28	B. 29
C. 30	D. 31

[jlastergolf]

D 31 final

[Twentington]

And just like that, you've got $500!

$500

(correct answer sound, some applause)

Alright, question number 5 now, get this right, you'll have a grand in the hand no matter what.

What term indicates an unforeseen natural event, beyond human control?

A. Fait accompli	B. Act of god
C. Writ	D. Decree absolute

[jlastergolf]

B final