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

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Australian TV series)
Company type	Television program
Industry	Television entertainment
Founded	April 18, 1999; 27 years ago
Headquarters	Australia
Products	Television quiz show

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is an Australian television quiz program that awards a grand prize of $1,000,000 to contestants who correctly answer 15 progressively challenging multiple-choice questions. The format closely mirrors the original UK version and is part of the international Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise.

History

The Australian edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? debuted on 18 April 1999 on the Nine Network, with Eddie McGuire as host. Initially, the show featured an eleven-question format beginning with a $1,000 question but later transitioned to the conventional 15-question structure culminating in a $1 million jackpot. In 2007, the top prize was temporarily increased to $5 million before reverting back to $1 million in 2010. From its inception until 2006, the program aired on Monday evenings at 8:30 pm, except for a brief two-week experiment in 2004 when it was moved to a half-hour slot at 5:30 pm in an attempt to compete with Seven’s Deal or No Deal. This scheduling adjustment proved unsuccessful and lasted only one week.

Australia pioneered the introduction of a fastest-finger round where two contestants competed simultaneously, requiring additional tiebreaker questions if necessary. To minimize guessing, the format evolved to demand that players correctly sequence multiple answers.

In earlier seasons, some answers included humorous options—such as nods to Eddie McGuire’s presidency of the Collingwood Football Club—and the Fastest Finger First round initially required quick correct responses before shifting in 2004 to ordering four choices.

The episode aired on 11 March 2002 attracted a nationwide audience of 1.51 million viewers, outperforming rival specials. In April 2003, Nine Network broadcast the British cheating scandal episode featuring Charles Ingram, drawing over two million viewers. By this point, two contestants had won the grand prize on the Australian version. Additionally, a 2001 episode featuring Survivor champion Richard Hatch was also shown in the United States.

On 9 February 2006, McGuire was appointed CEO of Nine Network, succeeding David Gyngell, which led to his departure from hosting duties on Millionaire. Unlike other programs where replacements were found, Nine Network was unable to identify a suitable new host for this show. The final episode aired on 3 April 2006, with the last contestant winning $32,000.

Spin-offs

On 29 January 2007, McGuire returned as host of the Australian quiz program 1 vs. 100. On 18 May 2007, he announced his resignation as CEO of Nine Network to concentrate on programming and on-screen roles. His resignation became effective on 30 June 2007; he continued hosting 1 vs. 100 until low ratings prompted its suspension in October.

On 20 August, Nine Network revealed that the nightly quiz show Temptation would be paused for the year and replaced by half-hour episodes of Millionaire airing from 7:00 to 7:30 pm. However, following David Gyngell’s return as CEO in September, he reinstated a live, 90-minute edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on Mondays at 7:00 pm, while Temptation resumed airing Tuesday through Friday at the same timeslot.

2007 format

This edition largely retained the initial structure but introduced a new lifeline called "Switch the Question" (also known as "Flip"), which becomes available once contestants reach the $32,000 guaranteed level. This lifeline permits players to discard the current question—after revealing its answer—and receive a replacement question of identical value; however, any lifelines already utilized on the original question are not reinstated.

Originating from the UK’s celebrity versions and later incorporated into the US series between 2004 and 2008, this feature drew inspiration from the British program The People Versus.

A significant enhancement was the addition of a 16th bonus question with a $5 million prize—the largest top reward ever offered on Australian television game shows. After successfully answering question 15, contestants have the option to attempt this bonus question; a correct answer awards $5 million, whereas an incorrect one reduces their winnings to $32,000, creating a $968,000 difference in potential earnings.

To ensure fairness during live broadcasts, friends chosen for the Phone a Friend lifeline were sequestered in a separate studio without access to questions or answers, effectively preventing any external help such as internet searches.

Because of the live nature of the show, if a contestant takes excessive time to respond, a 60-second countdown may be enforced; failure to answer within this timeframe results in forfeiting the chance to continue and leaving with their current winnings. This contrasts with earlier pre-recorded editions where editing allowed for more flexible timing. Unlike the US version’s tiered time limits introduced in 2008, this countdown was controlled solely by the host.

The preliminary Fastest Finger First segment was eliminated; instead, host Eddie McGuire directly invited contestants to occupy the hot seat without competing among a group of ten players.

The season broadcast its six planned episodes from 22 October through 26 November 2007.

2010 specials

On 27 February 2010, a primetime special titled Whizz Kids: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? aired, featuring teams of students competing to win up to $1,000,000 for their respective schools. A follow-up episode was broadcast on 6 March 2010.

This special maintained the original format but adjusted lifelines: Phone a Friend became Phone the Teacher, allowing contestants to call an isolated teacher who had no access to questions or answers to prevent cheating. Ask the Audience was renamed Ask the School, enabling students from the contestant’s school to vote electronically during filming. The Switch the Question lifeline was omitted.

Three schools—Engadine High School (NSW), Blackburn High School (Victoria), and Frankston High School (Victoria)—collectively won $258,000 ($125,000 each for Engadine and Blackburn; Frankston earned $8,000). Some questions included humorous answer options designed for entertainment purposes.

2021 specials

The series returned on 25 January 2021 with four primetime specials entitled Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Special Events. The premiere episode featured frontline workers competing for the $1 million prize; subsequent installments showcased celebrities and sports figures playing for charitable causes.

These specials revived aspects of the original format with updates: Fastest Finger First made its comeback after nearly fifteen years but featured six contestants instead of ten. The Switch the Question lifeline replaced Phone a Friend, and Ask the Audience was substituted with Ask the Host.

For the first time in gameplay history, two distinct musical themes were employed: Ramon Covalo’s composition accompanied the first ten questions, while Keith & Matthew Strachan’s score underscored the final five questions.

Network 10 specials

On 18 March 2025, it was revealed that the program would be making a comeback with new primetime specials on Network 10. Specifics are still scarce, including whether Eddie McGuire will return as host.

Payout structure

Throughout its run, the show has utilized three distinct payout frameworks:

Payout structure
Question number	Question value
	(Yellow zones denote guaranteed amounts)
	1999–2000	2000–2006; 2010; 2021	2007
1	$1,000	$100
2	$2,000	$200
3	$4,000	$300
4	$8,000	$500
5	$16,000	$1,000
6	$32,000	$2,000
7	$64,000	$4,000
8	$125,000	$8,000
9	$250,000	$16,000
10	$500,000	$32,000
11	Template:Big	$64,000

12 || $125,000 || 13 || $250,000 || 14 || $500,000 || 15 || Template:Big || $1,000,000 16 || || Template:Big

Question number	Question value (2000–2006; 2010)	Question value (2007)

Lifelines

Participants can rely on lifelines to help answer questions, each available for a single use:

50:50: Eliminates two wrong options (used during 1999–2006, 2007, 2010, and 2021).
Phone a Friend: Allows a 30-second call to a pre-selected contact for guidance (available in 1999–2006, 2007, and 2010).
Ask the Audience: The studio audience votes using keypads, displaying the percentage for each answer choice (offered in 1999–2006, 2007, and 2010).
Switch: Substitutes the current question with another of equal difficulty. In 2007, this lifeline was unlocked after reaching the $32,000 question; in 2021, it was accessible from the beginning.
Ask the Host: Added during the 2021 special episodes, this lifeline permits contestants to request the host’s input on a particular question.

Hot Seat (2009–2023)

The condensed format titled Millionaire Hot Seat was broadcast on weeknights from April 2009 through November 2023. Eddie McGuire served as host throughout its run, maintaining continuity with the original Millionaire series.

Celebrities

On 17 July 2000, six celebrities took part in a live edition of Millionaire: swimmer Nicole Livingstone, actress Rachel Griffiths, television presenter Kerri-Anne Kennerley, musician Red Symons (who missed the $500,000 question), comedian Jimeoin, and former AFL player and commentator Sam Newman. Half of their combined winnings were donated to charity while the other half was shared among six viewers at home, generating a total of $286,000. This event marked the first-ever live episode of Millionaire worldwide.

Additional celebrity participants included:

Millionaires

To date, only four individuals have secured the $1 million jackpot: two winners emerged from the regular series and two from Millionaire Hot Seat.

Regular series

Rob "Coach" Fulton: Achieved on 17 October 2005

Martin Flood: Claimed on 14 November 2005, utilizing the 50:50 lifeline on the final question

Hot Seat series

Edwin Daly: Won on 29 August 2016; he was the third Australian to win overall, the first since Martin Flood in 2005, and the inaugural winner on the Hot Seat format.

Antony McManus: Secured victory on 25 November 2021, becoming the fourth Australian millionaire and second Hot Seat champion after Edwin Daly.

Incorrect answers on $1 million question

Seven contestants have failed to answer correctly when attempting the million-dollar question, all within the Millionaire Hot Seat version:

Barry Soraghan: Missed on 8 June 2009

Jeff Tarr: Missed on 28 September 2009

Paul Wolfenden: Missed on 14 June 2010

Jim Graham: Missed on 20 June 2011

Alan Edwards: Missed on 16 April 2012

Kevin Short: Missed on 13 May 2013

Craig Anderson: Missed on 1 October 2018

Incorrect answers on the $500,000 question

Red Symons: 17 July 2000

Mickey Pragnell: 2004

Incorrect answers on the $250,000 question

Stephen ?: 20 April 1999

Michael O’Conner: 12 November 2007

Winners of $500,000

Trevor Sauer: 4 September 2000

William Laing: 16 October 2000

Dave and Denise Moser: 4 June 2001 (Relied on the 50–50 and Phone a Friend lifelines during the final question)

Maria McCabe: 8 April 2002 (Utilized the 50–50 and Ask the Audience lifelines in the concluding question)

Molly Meldrum: 28 April 2003

Andrew Lockett: 8 September 2003 (Used the Phone a Friend lifeline on the last question)

Scott Smith: 4 October 2004

Shane Warne and Trevor Sauer: 14 February 2005 (Phone a Friend lifeline employed for the final question)

Clifford Plumpton: 27 June 2005

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

Notes

a Would have earned $1,000,000 if they had decided to answer.

Winners of $250,000

Paddy Spooner: 28 April 1999 (Also appeared on the UK edition winning an equivalent sum in pounds and on the Irish edition winning €1,000)

Spooner elected not to answer, securing $250,000.

Brett McDonald: 3 July 2000

McDonald chose to walk away with $250,000. Tragically, he passed away in a car accident five months later.

Rob & Loretta Valenda: 12 March 2001

The Valendas opted out, taking home $250,000.

Bruce Mump: November 2001

Christopher Fare: 13 May 2002

Fare decided against answering, guaranteeing $250,000 but forfeiting a chance at the million.

Bill Copland: 10 June 2002 (Also competed on the UK version where he did not win)

Copland declined to respond, securing $250,000 though could have risked playing for one million.

Tony Barber: 12 August 2002 (Celebrity event "Battle of the Game Show Hosts" broadcast live)

Barber took home $250,000 by choosing not to answer.

Jonathan Evans: 26 May 2003

Evans opted out with $250,000 despite having an opportunity to pursue the million.

Tim Serisier: 2 June 2003

Serisier walked away with $250,000 by declining to answer.

David Morgan: 8 March 2004

Morgan secured $250,000 after deciding not to respond.

Rowan McGillicuddy: 28 June 2004

Template:WWTBAM question McGillicuddy chose not to answer and took home $250,000.

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 episode featuring standard format)

Kiss secured $250,000 by opting out.

Noteworthy controversies and significant moments

In the year 2000, Richard Hatch became the first participant in the Australian edition to leave without any winnings after missing his fourth question. He also holds the distinction as the first celebrity contestant worldwide within the Millionaire franchise to depart empty-handed.

Paddy Spooner, who won $250,000 in Australia in 1999, also obtained an identical amount on the UK version in the year 2000. Subsequently, he led a group reportedly manipulating contestant selection by gaining access to tie-breaker questions and distributing potential answers in exchange for a share of their winnings.

Allegations of Cheating Involving Martin Flood

In November 2005, Martin Flood secured the position of the program’s second contestant to win the grand prize. Subsequently, accusations emerged suggesting he might have engaged in dishonest conduct during his debut appearance, drawing parallels to British participant Charles Ingram. Flood reportedly became aware of these suspicions only after achieving his jackpot victory. The inquiry conducted by A Current Affair led to increased viewership for the episode showcasing his win; however, the Nine Network ultimately found no evidence of misconduct on his part.

DVD

An interactive multiplayer DVD game for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was launched on 27 October 2004. A subsequent edition featuring images was released in 2005, incorporating question sets tailored for both adults and children.

External links

Australian Game Shows