All right, the road show component of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" is over. Producers were in KC Monday to hold tryouts for the 10th anniversary return of "Millionaire" (and Regis) to prime time in August. Now comes the part you — by which I mean all "Millionaire" geeks everywhere — have been waiting for: the phone qualifier!
Where you see italics, I am quoting the release sent to me by ABC.
First things first: No former “Hot Seat” players are eligible, and you must be at least 18 years old, a legal U.S. resident and meet all eligibility requirements.
Starting July 6th, you can call 1-800-999-7878 between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. ET (apparently ABC is afraid of stressing the phone system during peak usage hours). Call the 800 number and attempt to answer general knowledge questions by putting the 4 answer choices in correct order. People who correctly answer all 5 questions will select one of the 6 available tape dates. A random drawing will be held from among all the people who selected the same tape date to receive an eligibility call to qualify to become a finalist on the program. ... One call per person per contest day.
It's just that simple.
But wait! There's also a video qualifier. Effective immediately, up until 3 a.m. ET on July 16, people can submit a 2-minute video explaining why they would make a good contestant and what they would do with the $1 million.
Good luck.
Previously on TVB, I covered the "Millionaire" phenomenon in 1999 and put it in context of the great all-time quiz shows. In 2001, I looked into attempts to redress the show's heavy reliance on white male contestants.
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