Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Australian game show)

On 29 January 2007, McGuire returned to working in front of the camera, hosting the Australian version of the quiz show, 1 vs. 100. This was followed up with McGuire announcing on 18 May 2007 that he would be resigning as CEO of the Nine Network, and would be taking on a new position in programming services, as well as more on-screen roles.[10] With the resignation officially taking effect on 30 June 2007, McGuire continued hosting 1 vs. 100 until poor ratings forced the hiatus of the program in October 2007.[11]

On 20 August, it was announced that Nine's nightly quiz show Temptation would be rested for the remainder of the year and replaced with nightly half-hour editions of Millionaire to be aired between 7:00 and 7:30 pm[12] However, with the return of David Gyngell to the CEO role in September[13] he immediately announced that a new version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? would be broadcast live to air from 7:00 pm for 90 minutes on Monday night and that Temptation would be run on Tuesday to Friday nights from 7:00 pm.[14]

Contestant (Henry Kiss) and the 16 questions money tree

While this version is very similar to the original, with the program's return comes an additional lifeline which is obtained once a contestant reaches the second safe level of $32,000. The lifeline is called "Switch the Question" (also known as a "Flip"), where the contestant may dismiss the current question, see the answer, and to play a new one worth the same dollar amount. However, they will not have any lifelines used on the discarded question returned to them.

The lifeline first appeared in the UK program in a number of celebrity editions, and most recently in its 300th episode in 2002. It was also used the US version from 2004–2008. The idea was taken from the UK show The People Versus.

The most notable change to the format is the addition of a bonus 16th question, which is worth $5 million. After answering question 15 correctly, they have the option of going for the bonus question. If the contestant gives the correct answer, he or she will win $5 million (the largest top prize in the history of Australian TV game shows). However, if an incorrect answer is given, then his or her winnings will plummet down to only $32,000; a devastating $968,000 loss.

In the past, contestants that use the Phone a Friend lifeline had to give out three phone numbers to choose from. However, in some cases, their friends sometimes were ready to look up the answers (such as asking people around for them, or going online for the answers). In the 2007 version, since the show was live, whenever a contestant was in the studio, their three friends would be seated in another studio room (in a Channel 9 studio in their nearby city) and not see or hear any questions or answers. This prevented any unfair advantage as they can watch the show live and look up the answers online.

Also, if McGuire believes that the contestant is taking too long to make a decision, the contestant may be put on a shot clock of 60 seconds. If the shot clock expires, the contestant is forced to walk away with their current winnings. This rule was introduced because the format was live. The previous format was pre-recorded where the producers could edit the contestant's deliberations in case they were longer than the producers preferred. The host has to make the decision, which is unlike the US version, which adopted a fixed 15 second (first five), 30 seconds (second five), 45 seconds (questions 11–14) and total time saved plus 45 seconds (15th question) clock in 2008.

Another notable change is the elimination of the preliminary Fastest Finger First rounds, similar to the syndicated US show. McGuire simply calls out the contestant's name and he or she comes into the set and immediately sits in the hot seat, as opposed to before when 10 contestants had to answer a question correctly in the fastest time to get into the hot seat.

The series ran for its scheduled 6 episodes from 22 October to 26 November 2007.

On 27 February 2010, a primetime special called Whizz Kids: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was broadcast in which teams of students tried to win up to $1,000,000 for their school. Another episode was broadcast on 6 March 2010.

The special used the original format. Two lifelines also changed slightly. The Phone a Friend lifeline was called Phone the Teacher, students being able to call a teacher from their school. Also, as the show was prerecorded, the teachers had to be in a room where they could not see or hear the questions and answers in the studio to prevent them from looking up the answers through books or online or asking other teachers for the answer. The second lifeline change was that the Ask the Audience lifeline was called Ask the School, in which students from the contestants' school could vote using electronic keypads while they were watching the show being recorded. In addition, the "Switch the Question" lifeline was no longer available.

In total, the three schools, Engadine High School in NSW, Blackburn High School in Victoria and Frankston High School, also in Victoria, won $258,000 (the latter walked away with $8,000 whilst the remaining two schools won $125,000). The answers to the questions in which they walked away wounded up being wrong. Also, joke answers were introduced in these specials (most notably for the D choice), such as in a question about what attracts magnets in the second episode, a D) choice was offered as All the single ladies. For the record, the answer was 'iron' (but only after the Blackburn students asked the school).

Tony and John Koutsonikolas' $125,000 question, 6 March 2010 (used the 50:50 lifeline on the question)

Tony and John Koutsonikolas' $250,000 question

The boys chose not to answer, and left with $125,000, not wanting to risk $93,000.

On 25 January 2021, the series returned for 3 primetime specials called Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Special Events. The first episode featured frontline workers playing for the $1,000,000 prize, while later episodes featured celebrities playing for charity. An episode featuring sports stars playing for charity is expected to air later in the year.[15]

Like the 2010 Whizz Kids specials, these also use the original format. The Fastest Finger First round returns after a nearly 15-year absence, this time with 6 contestants instead of 10. The Switch the Question lifeline returned, replacing Phone a Friend, while Ask the Audience was replaced with Ask the Host.

Six celebrity contestants competed on a live episode of Millionaire on 17 July 2000: swimmer Nicole Livingstone (née Stevenson), actress Rachel Griffiths, television presenter Kerri-Anne Kennerley, English-Australian musician Red Symons (who lost on the $500,000 question), Irish-Australian comedian Jimeoin, and former Geelong AFL player-turned-commentator Sam Newman. On this particular episode, half of the contestants' totals were donated to charity while the other half was given to six at-home players. A total of $286,000 was raised during that episode, which was the first time in history that a live episode of Millionaire had aired anywhere in the world.

Other celebrity contestants to have competed on the show included:

• "Molly" Meldrum
• Shane Warne
• Pauline Hanson
• Alicia Molik
• Murray Cook
• Dame Edna Everage
• Paul "Fatty" Vautin
• Richard Hatch

To date there have only been 3 millionaires, two on the regular version and 1 on Millionaire Hot Seat:

• Rob "Coach" Fulton: 17 October 2005[16]

• Martin Flood: 14 November 2005 (Used the 50–50 lifeline in the final question)[17]

• Edwin Daly: 29 August 2016 (Third Australian Millionaire since Martin Flood won it in 2005, and the first on the Hot Seat version)

To date only seven people have got the million dollar question wrong, all on Millionaire Hot Seat:

• Barry Soraghan: 8 June 2009

• Jeff Tarr: 28 September 2009

• Paul Wolfenden: 14 June 2010

• Jim Graham: 20 June 2011

• Alan Edwards: 16 April 2012

• Kevin Short: 13 May 2013

• Craig Anderson: 1 October 2018

• Red Symons: 17 July 2000

• Mickey Pragnell: 2004 [18]

• Stephen ?: 20 April 1999[19]

• Michael O’Conner: 12 November 2007[20]

• Trevor Sauer: 4 September 2000↑

• William Laing: 16 October 2000↑

• Dave and Denise Moser: 4 June 2001 (Used the 50–50 and Phone a Friend lifelines in the final question)[21]

• Maria McCabe: 8 April 2002 (Used the 50–50 and Ask the Audience lifelines in the final question)↑

• Molly Meldrum: 28 April 2003

• Andrew Lockett: 8 September 2003 (Used the Phone a Friend lifeline in the final question)

• Scott Smith: 4 October 2004

• Shane Warne and Trevor Sauer: 14 February 2005 (Used the Phone a Friend lifeline in the final question)

• Clifford Plumpton: 27 June 2005

• Yael Blinco: 21 November 2005 ("Mummy Wants To Be A Millionaire" special)

↑ Would have won $1,000,000 had they chosen to answer the question.

• Paddy Spooner: 28 April 1999 (also appeared on the British version of the show where he won the same amount in pounds and the Irish version where he only won €1,000)[22]

Spooner chose not to answer, winning $250,000.

• Brett McDonald: 3 July 2000[23]

McDonald chose not to answer, winning $250,000. (He died in a car crash five months later after his appearance)

• Rob & Loretta Valenda: 12 March 2001

The Valendas chose not to answer, winning $250,000.

• Bruce Mump: November 2001
• Christopher Fare: 13 May 2002

Fare chose not to answer, winning $250,000, but had he been brave enough, could have played for the million.

• Bill Copland: 10 June 2002 (also appeared on the British version of the show where he won nothing).

Copland chose not to answer, winning $250,000, but had he been brave enough, could have played for the million.

• Tony Barber: 12 August 2002 (live "Battle of the Game Show Hosts" celebrity special)

Barber chose not to answer, winning $250,000.

• Jonathan Evans: 26 May 2003

Evans chose not to answer, winning $250,000, but had he been brave enough, could have played for the million.

• Tim Serisier: 2 June 2003

Serisier chose not to answer, winning $250,000, but had he been brave enough, could have played for the million.

• David Morgan: 8 March 2004

Morgan chose not to answer, winning $250,000, but had he been brave enough, could have played for the million.

• Rowan McGillicuddy: 28 June 2004

• Alan Tomlinson: 13 September 2004

• Kay Balzer: 2004
• Pauline Hanson and Christopher Fare: 14 February 2005
• Christopher Connolly: 5 September 2005
• Henry Kiss: 26 November 2007 (final ever show featuring the normal format)

Kiss chose not to answer, winning $250,000.

• In 2000, Richard Hatch became the first contestant in the Australian version to win nothing by bombing on his 4th question (see above). He was also the first, and so far only recorded case, of a celebrity contestant of the worldwide Millionaire franchise to win nothing.
• Paddy Spooner, who won $250,000 in 1999, also appeared on the British version of the show, also winning the same amount in pounds in 2000.

He was later the subject of an article in the Northampton Chronicle and Echo. The article stated that a syndicate, understood to have been run by quiz buff Paddy Spooner, aimed to exploit the selection procedure and increase the chances of beating 100,000 others in the race to appear on the show. The Chronicle & Echo had learned the syndicate accused of fast-tracking contestants on to the show managed to get hold of tie-breaker style questions likely to be used on phone lines rung by members of the public. Potential contestants were then told possible answers in return for a percentage of any future cash winnings.[24]

In November 2005, Martin Flood became the show's second jackpot winner. However, it was alleged that he may have cheated in his first appearance of the show (similar to that of British cheat Charles Ingram); a suggestion Flood himself was unaware of until his jackpot win in the following episode. This investigation by A Current Affair helped to boost the ratings for the episode of his top prize win; however, after this, Flood was cleared by the Nine Network of any wrongdoing.