Was there one other $1 million winner on Who Needs to Be a Millionaire? Ken Jennings and Matt Damon left off episode one on the $500,000 query on the sport present. The pair’s episode continued on July 30, the place they tried to win the $1 million. They solely had two questions left to try to win all of it.
With three lifelines left, they struggled on the $500,000 query. “With one other profession path already established, who obtained his first style of the leisure world when he entered a Steve Martin look-alike contest?” the query learn. The choices had been Dr. Oz, Jerry Springer, Invoice Nye, or Anthony Bourdain.
“I’ve straight-up by no means heard of this,” Ken Jennings stated. “They’re all at the very least doable. The pair wound up going with their Ask the Host Lifeline. Jimmy Kimmel knew the reply, which was Invoice Nye, “The Science Man,” who received them $500,000.
Ken Jennings is all too accustomed to a Steve Martin look-alike on Jeopardy!. Fan favourite Sam Buttrey resembles the Solely Murders within the Constructing star in seems to be and voice, however that wasn’t one of many choices, so he needed to ask for assist.
They then moved on to the $1 million query, which they obtained proper, successful $1 million for Matt Damon’s charity, Water.org. The query learn, “Which of those phrases is commonly used to explain probably the most lovely auditory results on Earth: the sound made by the leaves of timber when wind blows by way of them?” The choices had been Apricity, Petrichor, Susurrus, and Eudaemonia.
“You wish to know what’s an excellent signal?” Ken Jennings stated. “Earlier than the choices got here up, I assumed, ‘It’s like suration or one thing earlier than susurrus popped up. I’ve a very good feeling about C.” They went with susurrus after utilizing their 50/50 Lifeline and obtained it proper, successful the $1 million.
Solely two different celebrities have received the $1 million on Millionaire — Chef David Chang with assist from Mina Kimes and Ike Barinholtz together with his father. The Jeopardy! host talked with TV Insider about his time on the sport present, if it’s really simpler than Jeopardy!, and the way he obtained partnered with Matt Damon. Jennings stated at first of his first episode that Millionaire was simpler. See if he nonetheless feels the identical method.
Disney/Christopher Willard
After taking part in Who Needs to Be a Millionaire for the second time, do you continue to suppose that it’s harder than Jeopardy!?
I do. I suppose you may say that we received the million, so clearly, it’s not a Jeopardy!-like crucible, and that’s true. Jeopardy! most likely, objectively, has numerous issues which might be tougher about it, however the factor about Millionaire is it’s like it’s important to swing at each pitch. You can not let a ball go by and say, ‘That’s not my pitch.’ You possibly can’t miss a query. And also you at all times are so conscious of that. It’s such as you’re teetering over an Indiana Jones loss of life pit, as a result of the subsequent query could possibly be it at any level. So it’s tense on the market. I feel Matt felt it too.
Do you suppose it was simpler this time round with a companion?
Completely simpler with a companion. It turned out to be simpler that Jimmy knew the one we didn’t know. We had numerous good Millionaire luck.
What made you decide Matt Damon over going with one other Jeopardy! contestant?
I feel you might need that backward. I feel Matt Damon might need picked me. He might need been prime of the decision sheet. I wish to say what had occurred was that I occurred to be on the identical most cancers fundraiser with Jimmy Kimmel, and he pigeonholed me proper earlier than he was about to go on stage, and stated, ‘Hey, wouldn’t or not it’s humorous if we obtained some actual A-listers to go on Superstar Millionaire? As a result of they knew that you’d be their ringer.’ And I assumed to myself, ‘No, that might not be humorous. That might be very hectic for me.’ As a result of now the strain is on me, and no matter A-lister signed up for this, assuming that I might hook them up and however what I stated was, ‘Oh, that’s a terrific thought, Jimmy,’ and I simply hoped he would neglect about it, however sadly, he remembered, and I used to be tremendous glad when Matt stated sure, as a result of he at all times struck me as a sensible movie star, proper? He’s very sensible in Rounders and The Martian, and Good Will Looking. And I at all times simply thought, ‘I wager that man is secretly sensible in actual life.’ And take a look at this. It turned out he was, he’s.
What was the dynamic like on set between the “rivals” Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel?
I’d seen them try this on TV so many instances, and liked it, however for some cause, I had forgotten it was simply gonna go on in particular person whereas I used to be making an attempt to win on a sport present. So I attempted to get 15 questions proper, and I’m very fearful and careworn about this. After which these two are doing a Friar Membership roast, which was nice. It really ended up type of taking off the strain, as a result of I began actually having fun with seeing it up shut. They’re each tremendous humorous.
Disney/Christopher Willard
How would you say your finding out habits had been totally different between Millionaire and Jeopardy!? If you happen to studied for a Millionaire in any respect?
Oh, I didn’t have time to check. What I did was I watched numerous sport tape. I watched celebrities taking part in Superstar Millionaire. However that truly scared me extra as a result of I used to be like, ‘Oh, the questions are literally actually legit.’ After the primary handful, I watched a clip of Lisa Ann Walter and Rosie O’Donnell having to determine which nation has all 5 vowels as soon as. And I’m watching this at the back of my automotive on the way in which to the airport to play Millionaire. And I’m considering, that is very, very exhausting. After which Lisa Ann Walter simply thinks about it for a minute. She’s like, ‘Oh, Mozambique.’ And initially, approach to go, Lisa Ann Walter of Abbott Elementary and Superstar Jeopardy! fame. But in addition, I used to be considering, ‘Oh, wow, I’m gonna wash out of this factor and be worse than among the comedians.’ They don’t dumb down Superstar Millionaire. We did get a type of simple stack, however these had been actual questions. A few of them had been robust.
Going into the sport, did you are feeling an added strain since you had already performed Millionaire earlier than, and since you’re the Jeopardy! G.O.A.T?
Yeah, that’s the issue. That’s why I don’t go play bar trivia. It’s going to be large information after I lose on considered one of these exhibits. And the final time I bailed on Millionaire, I feel after $100,000 I simply thought, ‘Yeah, this can be a robust present.’ One reality within the flawed place, only one clue you don’t know, and that’ll finish you. Whereas on Jeopardy!, in case you don’t know 20 of the clues, you may do exactly positive. So I actually really feel like I dodged a bullet, however there’s a saying, ‘I really feel like 1,000,000 bucks,’ and that was actually true. I’ve by no means felt that type of aid, as after I realized, ‘Oh, this was actually exhausting, however we obtained away with it.’”
One in every of your questions in the direction of the tip was the Steve Martin look-alike query. Did Sam Buttrey from Jeopardy! run by way of your head in any respect whenever you had been studying these choices?
Yeah, I’m studying the 4 names, and I’m considering, ‘I do know an actual Steve Martin look-alike, and none of those folks would win this contest if Sam Buttrey had been there.’ And it turned out that I had really, watched Invoice Nye on native TV, and right here in Seattle, when he was nonetheless only a sketch comedian, and I actually ought to have recognized that. However fortunately, it’s higher to be fortunate than sensible, proper? What had been the percentages that Jimmy Kimmel additionally would have been a Seattle radio character on the identical time, and knew that one chilly, simply the luck of the draw, he saved our bacon.
Once you noticed the million-dollar query, you had been saying that the reply was one thing with an ‘S.’ And so when you noticed the solutions come up, what went by way of your head whenever you had been like, ‘I obtained this, and we’re going to win the million {dollars}’ since you principally knew the reply?
There’s just a little sport that it’s sensible to play the place, as a result of they reveal the solutions one of many time. In order quickly as I noticed the query, every time, I used to be making an attempt to suppose, with out seeing the alternatives, with out being prejudiced by the alternatives, what would I say right here? And when that query popped up, I assumed, ‘I feel there’s a phrase for this. I feel it’s like serration.’ After which, as quickly as a type of that phrase popped up. That was a tremendous feeling of aid, as a result of I didn’t actually suppose, I assumed we’d do properly for Matt’s charity, however I didn’t suppose we had been going to win the million, actually, as a result of I do know the questions get very exhausting on the finish.
Who Needs to Be a Millionaire?, Wednesdays, 8/7c, ABC