New Millionaire Format Officially Revealed

[LastMinuteRequest]

Why do you think TPTB would care about you getting the right answer for the contestant, if doing so required you slow down this fresh, fast, exciting new format?

Here's my guess about TPTB's expert towards the time that experts take -- though this is purely a guess, and I also know that TPTB are definitely rethinking their approach to the Experts (they've already begun a different screening process for Experts).

I think most contestants use Experts -- and all the lifelines -- in the lower tier questions. I think TPTB don't really want to dawdle on a $2000 or $4000 question, and so would prefer that Experts get through them as snappily as possible. But my impression from my own experience is that TPTB definitely want Experts to help contestants get big money questions right, and so might not mind so much if an Expert kind of talks his way around a $100,000 question; and I bet they wouldn't place any restrictions if someone ever asked an Expert on a million dollar question, but I bet TPTB are probably feeling their way around this stuff, too. It's all new.

Incidentally, I didn't mention this before when I related Michael Davies' thoughts about the changes, but since Davies put it into the recently published article about the changes, I wanted to address Meredith's indirect role in the changes. Davies told me that while Meredith is really great at contestant interviews and empathizing with contestants, she's not as good as Regis was when it comes to keeping things moving when contestants are burning up time figuring out questions. Regis would push things along, goad contestants, and generally handle contestants better during the actual questions themselves. Davies figured that putting on the clocks would make it easier for Meredith to focus on those hosting qualities she's best at--empathizing and connecting--and move contestants along so she wouldn't have to.

[kusch]

So, do the 15 "Millionaire Menu" categories change each show? (I assume they do)

Do they have 15 different questions ready to go for all 15 $$ levels in each category? So for my first question, if I pick "sports" from the menu for $100 am I getting the $100 sports question or could I get the $1,000,000 question that they had planned for my "stack"?


My intial reaction is that the clock is a little "fast". 15 seconds goes quick. So does 30.

[gsabc]

So, do the 15 "Millionaire Menu" categories change each show? (I assume they do)

Do they have 15 different questions ready to go for all 15 $$ levels in each category? So for my first question, if I pick "sports" from the menu for $100 am I getting the $100 sports question or could I get the $1,000,000 question that they had planned for my "stack"?


My intial reaction is that the clock is a little "fast". 15 seconds goes quick. So does 30.

I don't think you get to choose which category you get at each level. My impression was that it's just the list of the ones you'd have.

I'm unclear on whether the list is in order, or random, though. Randomness gives the element of chance - you could get a lucky softball with an early question in a weak category, or need to tough out some questions low in the stack to try and save a lifeline for the really tough category when it shows up later. If you know the order, you can plan your lifeline use better.

[TheConfessor]

So, do the 15 "Millionaire Menu" categories change each show? (I assume they do)

Do they have 15 different questions ready to go for all 15 $$ levels in each category? So for my first question, if I pick "sports" from the menu for $100 am I getting the $100 sports question or could I get the $1,000,000 question that they had planned for my "stack"?


My intial reaction is that the clock is a little "fast". 15 seconds goes quick. So does 30.

I don't think you get to choose which category you get at each level. My impression was that it's just the list of the ones you'd have.

I'm unclear on whether the list is in order, or random, though. Randomness gives the element of chance - you could get a lucky softball with an early question in a weak category, or need to tough out some questions low in the stack to try and save a lifeline for the really tough category when it shows up later. If you know the order, you can plan your lifeline use better.

I was under the impression that the categories are shown in order, so you know as soon as you sit in the hot seat what the subject of your $1 million question will be. If so, this will give us some insight into the question writing process. I have heard reports that each stack of 15 questions is prepared without including any unused leftovers from previous stacks. I was always a little skeptical of that. It would mean that many thousands of great unseen questions, including at least a thousand $1 million questions have simply been discarded as unusable, if they were ever part of a stack. That would seem extremely wasteful and frustrating for the writers. I've often suspected that some of the unused questions may eventually find their way into another stack, but that's pure speculation on my part. If that's not the case, WWTBAM should publish a book with all the unused questions. It would be especially interesting if they provided information about which contestants would have seen each question, had they continued. Then every former contestant would buy the book, just to see what might have been. I'd love to see my stack of questions that followed the original glowing spud question. To this day, I'm not sure if they used my original stack or prepared a new stack for my return appearance.

Seeing the menu in advance for each contestant will tend to confirm whether or not they ever recycle unused questions.

[Bob Juch]

So, do the 15 "Millionaire Menu" categories change each show? (I assume they do)

Do they have 15 different questions ready to go for all 15 $$ levels in each category? So for my first question, if I pick "sports" from the menu for $100 am I getting the $100 sports question or could I get the $1,000,000 question that they had planned for my "stack"?


My intial reaction is that the clock is a little "fast". 15 seconds goes quick. So does 30.

I don't think you get to choose which category you get at each level. My impression was that it's just the list of the ones you'd have.

I'm unclear on whether the list is in order, or random, though. Randomness gives the element of chance - you could get a lucky softball with an early question in a weak category, or need to tough out some questions low in the stack to try and save a lifeline for the really tough category when it shows up later. If you know the order, you can plan your lifeline use better.

You don't get to pick.

The player's display shows the dollar amounts in one column next to the one with the categories. The current level is highlighted.

The categories are not named straightforward. They're not as bad as "Jeopardy!" though. e.g. "Me, Me, Me" was about an autobiography.

[gsabc]

The player's display shows the dollar amounts in one column next to the one with the categories. The current level is highlighted.

Ah, now I see. That board with the categories takes the place of the old one with just the dollar amounts, correct?

I'd be frantically planning lifelines on the one that's posted here. A Simpsons question at $16K would not be the best for me. I haven't watched a total of a half-hour's worth in its 20-whatever years.

[Bob Juch]

The player's display shows the dollar amounts in one column next to the one with the categories. The current level is highlighted.

Ah, now I see. That board with the categories takes the place of the old one with just the dollar amounts, correct?

I'd be frantically planning lifelines on the one that's posted here. A Simpsons question at $16K would not be the best for me. I haven't watched a total of a half-hour's worth in its 20-whatever years.

Yeah, just like my $25,000 "Desperate Housewives" question.

[peacock2121]

I am excited to see the changes in action.

I am avoiding speculating before seeing.