Wer wird Millionär? (German game show)

Wer wird Millionär?
Logo of Wer wird Millionär
Created by	Endemol
Presented by	Günther Jauch
Country of origin	Germany
Production
Running time	about 45 minutes-180 minutes (Celebrity edition)
Release
Original network	RTL
Original release	3 September 1999 – Present
External links
Website

Wer wird Millionär? (English translation: Who will become a millionaire?) is a German game show based on the original British format of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show is hosted by Günther Jauch. The main goal of the game is to win €1 million (earlier 1 million DM) by answering 15 multiple-choice questions correctly. Wer wird Millionär? has been broadcasting from 3 September 1999 until today. It is shown on the German TV station RTL on Mondays and Fridays at 20:15 (UTC+1). If contestants get the fifth question correct, they will leave with at least €500 (earlier 1,000 DM). If they get the tenth question correct, they will leave with at least €16,000 (earlier 32,000 DM).

The game's prizes

In the second (current) version of Wer wird Millionär?, there are fifteen questions with the following prize schedule:

• 1. question • €50
• 2. question • €100
• 3. question • €200
• 4. question • €300
• 5. question • €500 (guaranteed sum)
• 6. question • €1,000
• 7. question • €2,000
• 8. question • €4,000
• 9. question • €8,000
• 10. question • €16,000 (guaranteed sum; not applicable in case of choosing the fourth lifeline) is selected before the beginning
• 11. question • €32,000
• 12. question • €64,000
• 13. question • €125,000
• 14. question • €500,000
• 15. question • €1,000,000

Gamblers' special ("Zocker-Special") version:

In this version, the possible wins are increased significantly. However, if you use a lifeline before the tenth question, all other lifelines will be taken away as well. Also, there is no second guaranteed sum at question ten.

• 1. question • €100
• 2. question • €200
• 3. question • €300
• 4. question • €500
• 5. question • €1,000 (guaranteed sum)
• 6. question • €2,000
• 7. question • €4,000
• 8. question • €8,000
• 9. question • €16,000
• 10. question • €32,000 (from this question one can use all lifelines)
• 11. question • €64,000
• 12. question • €125,000
• 13. question • €250,000
• 14. question • €750,000
• 15. question • €2,000,000

In the first version of Wer wird Millionär?, there were fifteen questions with the following prize schedule:

• 1. question • DM100 (€51)
• 2. question • DM200 (€102)
• 3. question • DM300 (€153)
• 4. question • DM500 (€255)
• 5. question • DM1,000 (€510) (guaranteed sum)
• 6. question • DM2,000 (€1020)
• 7. question • DM4,000 (€2040)
• 8. question • DM8,000 (€4080)
• 9. question • DM16,000 (€8160)
• 10. question • DM32,000 (€16,320) (guaranteed sum)
• 11. question • DM64,000 (€32,640)
• 12. question • DM125,000 (€63,911)
• 13. question • DM250,000 (€127,822)
• 14. question • DM500,000 (€255,644)
• 15. question • DM1,000,000 (€511,288)

Fourth Lifeline (Ask One Of The Audience)

Since 2007, there has been a fourth lifeline, called Zusatzjoker (additional lifeline). It can be added to the three normal lifelines "Ask the Audience" ("Publikumsjoker"), "Fifty-fifty" ("Fünfzig-fünfzig-Joker") and "Phone a Friend" ("Telefonjoker"). When using this lifeline, members of the audience who think to know the answer can stand up and one of them can talk to the contestant after being chosen by them. If the member of the audience gives the right answer, they will win €500. The contestant can follow the chosen person but they don't have to. If the contestant walks away and does not trust the chosen person but the answer is right, the chosen person will nevertheless win €500 because they got the correct answer. The contestant can add this lifeline before the game starts, however, if one does so, there will be no guaranteed prize sum of €16,000 upon getting the 10th question correctly. If a contestant chooses the fourth lifeline, they can also phone a person in Germany selected at random (extended phone-a-friend lifeline). The contestant can say the gender, age and the town of the person which shall be called. Then RTL calls to see if the person picks up (after 30 seconds the phone call will be interrupted.) If the person picks up but does not want to help or cannot help, the phone-a-friend lifeline is considered to be played and is not usable anymore. If the phoned person answers correctly, they will get €500. But the extended phone-a-friend lifeline is only usable with the fourth lifeline. It is an alternative to the normal phone-a-friend lifeline. If a contestant has used the extended phone-a-friend lifeline, they are not allowed to call one of his previously selected three selected friends.

Winners of the biggest prize

These are the questions with which people have won the biggest prize.

• Prof. Dr. Eckhard Freise (2 December 2000) - 1 million DM (€511,288)^[1]

• Marlene Grabherr (20 May 2001) - 1 million DM (€511,288) ^[2]

Marlene Grabherr died in 2013 at the age of 60.

• Gerhard Krammer (18 October 2002) - €1 million^[3]

• Dr. Maria Wienströer (29 March 2004) - €1 million^[4]

• Stefan Lang (9 October 2006) - €1 million^[5]

• Timur Hahn (8 January 2007) - €1 million^[6] With the help of his brother as a phoned friend

• Oliver Pocher (30 May 2008) (celebrity version) - €1 million With the help of 'Ask the Audience'

• Thomas Gottschalk (20 November 2008) (celebrity version) - €1 million With the help of Marcel-Reich Ranicki as a phoned friend

• Ralf Schnoor (26 November 2010) - €1 million^[7] He phoned a friend but he did not need his help. He told him he would win the million euros. His behaviour was similar to John Carpenters', the first ever million winner in the world of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

• Barbara Schöneberger (30 May 2011) (celebrity edition) - €1 million With the help of Pankraz Freiherr von Freyberg as a phoned friend.

• Sebastian Langrock (11 March 2013) - €1 million^[8]

• Thorsten Fischer (17 October 2014) (15th anniversary) - €1 million In the 15th anniversary you could go to the million euro question after reaching question 10 and jump the questions 11 to 14. But if you chose this, you could not opt out of answering the million euro question, including the possibility of dropping to 500 euros. Fischer chose to hear the million euro question after reaching question 10 and answered correctly.

• Nadja Sidikjar (13 November 2015) (2nd Jackpot special) - €1,538,450 In the jackpot special the total number of money increases, with every players' winning total being added to the prize pool. One contestant wins the entire amount; the rest of them go home empty handed. In the 2nd jackpot special there was a head-to-head between two candidates. The first contestant to answer three questions correctly scooped the total prize. Nadja Sidikjar's last question was:

• Leon Windscheid (7 December 2015) - €1 million

• Georges Devalois Yepnang Mouhoutou (17 Octobre 2014) (15th anniversary) - €500 Mouhoutou was the first and currently only contestant in the German version of the show who answered question 15 incorrectly. He also chose going for the million after reaching question 10. As he chose playing with all four lifelines and had to answer, he dropped from 1,000,000 € to 500€. He answered a, but the correct answer is b.

References

1. ↑ „Wer wird Millionär?“: Eckhard Freise schaffte es als Erster Westfälische Nachrichten, 8 December 2010
2. ↑ TV-Millionäre erzählen, wie sie ihr Geld verprassen Welt Online, 22 October 2009
3. ↑ Jauchs erster Euro-Millionär Spiegel Online, 19 October 2002
4. ↑ Still number one after ten years RTL Group, 28 September 2009
5. ↑ Aufzugsmonteur räumt Million ab Stern.de, 9 October 2006
6. ↑ Still number one after ten years RTL Group, 28 September 2009
7. ↑ Millionengewinner spendiert seinen Angestellten Lohnerhöhung Spiegel Online, 27 November 2010
8. ↑ Der erste Millionengewinner seit über zwei Jahren! Bild.de, 11 March 2013