John Carpenter made Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? history almost 25 years ago when he used a lifeline on the final question to deliver one of the coldest moments in TV history.
The contestant made his way onto the US version of the iconic game show in a season one episode in November, 1999.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? aired until 2019 before being cancelled in the US. ABC later renewed the show for a 21st season, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel with celebrity contestants, which went on to be a success when it premiered in 2020 and was renewed for another season.
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Though the classic UK version is still running and is now hosted by Jeremy Clarkson.
At the time of Carpenter's episode, the late Regis Philbin was host, with the quiz show famously including three 'lifeline' options to help contestants if they ever got stuck on harder questions, with the most popular one being 'phone-a-friend'.
Carpenter, an IRS tax agent, made it through all 14 of the previous questions without using any lifelines, which alone is already an achievement in itself, but he chose to break that trend when he got to the final, million dollar question.
The contestant was asked to name which US president made an appearance on sketch comedy TV series Laugh-In.
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He was presented with the four options: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.
To everyone's surprise, Carpenter used a lifeline, but it wasn't in the way that you may have expected.
In a move that exuded nothing but confidence, Carpenter called his dad who answered the phone and was shocked to hear what his son had to say.
Carpenter, who was all smiles, teased: “I don’t really need your help. I just wanted to let you know that I’m gonna win the million dollars.”
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Talk about dropping your own spoiler alert!
The live audience reacted with laughter and applause and the whole scene was a sight to behold.
When you watch the clip closely, you can actually see the exact moment the contestant knew he had won the game - and therefore becoming the first US contestant to do so - and it happens before the four options are shown.
Most of us probably don’t know the answer to the million dollar question, so, in case you were wondering, it’s Richard Nixon.
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Carpenter obviously chose the right man and bagged the million dollar prize.
His winning moment recently resurfaced on TikTok, with many users calling him a ‘living legend’ and ‘iconic’.
One TikTok user commented: “Coldest sentence ever spoken.”
While another wrote: “What a flex.”
A third user added: “Bro just smiled."
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And a fourth penned: “You can tell exactly when he realised he was going to win.”
Well done John, wherever you are now!
Topics: TV and Film, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Money
Joshua Nair