'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Is Getting an Extensive Makeover

[Brian Damage]

The 11-year old game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" is getting a facelift for its next season, including a new lifeline and the elimination of the "hot seat," reports the New York Post.

Host Meredith Vieira and contestants will be made to stand during the entire show, the story says. The new lifeline is called "jump the question" and will allow players two free passes, although the show is nixing two other lifelines, "ask the expert" and "double dip," the story says.

The show will keep "ask the audience" as a lifeline, it adds. The format is also getting a tweak: instead of a 15-question route to win $1 million, the game will consist of two rounds.

The first round includes 10 questions and prizes worth as much as $25,000, but the prizes and level of difficulty of the questions will be shuffled.

According to the article, "The result: the first question could be a softball worth $25,000. But there is a catch.

"Players are penalized for quitting early -- with half of their winnings returned to the bank.
In the second round, contestants only have to answer four questions to reach the $1 million.

"The shorter path to the grand prize is coupled with a guarantee. If a player walks away from round two, they are allowed to keep all of their accumulated winnings."

http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/

[howilu]

I think this is deifinitely a sign that Millionaire is getting old and tired. Eliminating the Hot Seat takes away one of the noticeable features of the long-running game show. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the show's last season.

[Impressions]

Millionaire is starting to sound more like The Weakest Link...

[Rezny@gmail.com]

Why don't they just leave well enough alone?Obviously,the producers are following Fremantle's example of butchering up game shows by ignoring the old saying "if it ain't broke,don't fix it".In short,"Who Wants to Be A Millionaire"DID NOT need to be fixed.So why did they?

[howilu]

Originally Posted by rrezny@usnetizen

Why don't they just leave well enough alone?Obviously,the producers are following Fremantle's example of butchering up game shows by ignoring the old saying "if it ain't broke,don't fix it".In short,"Who Wants to Be A Millionaire"DID NOT need to be fixed.So why did they?

I very strongly agree. Millionaire was a very successful format, even when Regis hosted and now it's going to become a lot different from when it first appeared in prime time.

[BillCullen1]

They started taping this week. I've inquired about tickets, since I live in NYC. I want to see this revamped format in person.

[Pavan]

The Game Show BuzzerBlog is at a taping today and he is loving the new format. I think it will work. I like all aspects of it but skeptical about no hot-seat. We'll see how it is in September. Unless I go to a taping before that.

[ryan423]

Originally Posted by Pavan

The Game Show BuzzerBlog is at a taping today and he is loving the new format. I think it will work. I like all aspects of it but skeptical about no hot-seat. We'll see how it is in September. Unless I go to a taping before that.

I was at the taping yesterday (they filmed episodes 1-3 in the morning, and 4-5 in the afternoon). I went to the afternoon taping and was first row.

I absolutely LOVED the new format. I went last year when Regis did the 10th anniversary tapings, but I think I enjoyed it even more this time around!

Meredith was so nice. Being first row, we ended up chatting for a couple of minutes before the show began. The only part of the show that the audience and Meredith weren't liking was that she and the contestant stood now rather than sitting in the hot seat, but with the way the show works now, the hot seat would make absolutely ZERO sense.

If you guys have any questions about the taping I attended, I'll be glad to answer!

[DSfan]

Originally Posted by ryan423

I was at the taping yesterday (they filmed episodes 1-3 in the morning, and 4-5 in the afternoon). I went to the afternoon taping and was first row.

I absolutely LOVED the new format. I went last year when Regis did the 10th anniversary tapings, but I think I enjoyed it even more this time around!

Meredith was so nice. Being first row, we ended up chatting for a couple of minutes before the show began. The only part of the show that the audience and Meredith weren't liking was that she and the contestant stood now rather than sitting in the hot seat, but with the way the show works now, the hot seat would make absolutely ZERO sense.

If you guys have any questions about the taping I attended, I'll be glad to answer!

Yeah, I don't get why it doesn't make sense for them to sit in the hot seat? And could you just, in your own words, explain how this new version works?

I thought when it said the first 10 questions for the first round that the first one could one worth, let's say, $25,000 but does that mean the level of the question is like the regular hundred dollar one but instead you're earning $25k or do you become unlucky and get a tougher question to start off with?

I was reading on Wikipedia about the new format, and what is this about the earnings adding up? It made it sound like you add (going from the old format) 100 + 200 + 300 + 500 + 1000 if you get the first 5 right instead of just ending up with $1000 the Wikipedia article made it sound like it was being "banked" so-to-speak and the contestant would really have cash amounting to $2100. Is that what's happening in this version?

Thanks for the help and please clear up anything else I didn't mention that you may have found confusing or weren't sure of in the beginning also.

Can't wait to see the new version!

[ryan423]

Originally Posted by DSfan

Yeah, I don't get why it doesn't make sense for them to sit in the hot seat? And could you just, in your own words, explain how this new version works?

I thought when it said the first 10 questions for the first round that the first one could one worth, let's say, $25,000 but does that mean the level of the question is like the regular hundred dollar one but instead you're earning $25k or do you become unlucky and get a tougher question to start off with?

I was reading on Wikipedia about the new format, and what is this about the earnings adding up? It made it sound like you add (going from the old format) 100 + 200 + 300 + 500 + 1000 if you get the first 5 right instead of just ending up with $1000 the Wikipedia article made it sound like it was being "banked" so-to-speak and the contestant would really have cash amounting to $2100. Is that what's happening in this version?

Thanks for the help and please clear up anything else I didn't mention that you may have found confusing or weren't sure of in the beginning also.

Can't wait to see the new version!

I'll try.

First off, the set got a little bit of a makeover... so where Meredith has always come out at the beginning of the show is where (above that) they have placed a huge new Widescreen monitor which is what Meredith and the contestant are facing to see each and every question.

Once a question is answered correctly, Meredith says "And let's see how much that question was worth"... and then the amount is revealed.

Note: Unlike when the show used to start with the 3-5 easy questions, now those questions are all randomized along with the amounts up for play. So... for example, you're on your 6th question and it's an easy one, it might be worth 25,000 dollars!

There are technically 2 lifelines... 1 of them is offered twice.

1) Ask the Audience (Same as before)
2) Jump the Question
3) Jump the Question

For "Jump the Question", the contestant asks that the question at hand be eliminated from play and skip to the next question. Once the question is jumped, they show the contestant and the audience the right answer, and then it is revealed how much money that question was worth. Once the "jump" has been made, one cannot play for the amount that was at hand again during the game. So... for example, if you jump a question that is worth $15,000, you will never answer a question that is worth $15,000 again.

All money is cumulative in the first round... so each amount you win all add up. Since a contestant never made it past the first round at the taping I attended, I am not sure if all money remains cumulative in Round 2. If I had to guess, if you get the $100,000 right (the first in round 2), then the previous accumulation is exempt and your total earnings simply become $100,000 dollars.

If a contestant walks away, they take home half of what they have won... and there are no safe havens in the first round.

I hope this helped some of you. Please ask if you need me to explain anymore.

P.S. My episodes air on the 16th and 17th of September.

[JulieSomoski]

I'm still not sure why no hot seat would not work. I mean, the hot seat has been a staple of Millionaire since the beginning, and it's the only part of the new format I absolutely dislike.

[DSfan]

Originally Posted by ryan423

I'll try.

First off, the set got a little bit of a makeover... so where Meredith has always come out at the beginning of the show is where (above that) they have placed a huge new Widescreen monitor which is what Meredith and the contestant are facing to see each and every question.

Once a question is answered correctly, Meredith says "And let's see how much that question was worth"... and then the amount is revealed.

Note: Unlike when the show used to start with the 3-5 easy questions, now those questions are all randomized along with the amounts up for play. So... for example, you're on your 6th question and it's an easy one, it might be worth 25,000 dollars!

There are technically 2 lifelines... 1 of them is offered twice.

1) Ask the Audience (Same as before)
2) Jump the Question
3) Jump the Question

For "Jump the Question", the contestant asks that the question at hand be eliminated from play and skip to the next question. Once the question is jumped, they show the contestant and the audience the right answer, and then it is revealed how much money that question was worth. Once the "jump" has been made, one cannot play for the amount that was at hand again during the game. So... for example, if you jump a question that is worth $15,000, you will never answer a question that is worth $15,000 again.

All money is cumulative in the first round... so each amount you win all add up. Since a contestant never made it past the first round at the taping I attended, I am not sure if all money remains cumulative in Round 2. If I had to guess, if you get the $100,000 right (the first in round 2), then the previous accumulation is exempt and your total earnings simply become $100,000 dollars.

If a contestant walks away, they take home half of what they have won... and there are no safe havens in the first round.

I hope this helped some of you. Please ask if you need me to explain anymore.

P.S. My episodes air on the 16th and 17th of September.

Thanks a lot for the help. I'm thinking, though, wasn't the whole point of this new format to make it easier for people to win the million?

I was surprised when you said nobody got past the first round.

One small question: you know how in the original version if you got 32,000 (let's say you used your last lifeline on that) you could just take a guess at the 64,000 question if you had no idea? Is there anything similar like that in the new version. Sorry if I missed something.