John Carpenter (game show contestant)
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John Carpenter (born 24 December 1967) was the first millionaire on the United States version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The historic event occurred on November 19, 1999. He held the record for the largest single win in United States game show history, until it was broken by Rahim Oberholtzer on another U.S. quiz show, Twenty One. John was also the first millionaire (or top prize winner) across all international versions of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire series (and the only one to win the grand prize on any version of Millionaire during the 1990s).
Carpenter is from Hamden, Connecticut. He graduated from Rutgers University in 1990 with a degree in economics. Prior to his appearance on Millionaire he was a collections agent (Revenue Officer) for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
When he revealed his profession as an IRS officer on Millionaire, Carpenter was booed playfully by the audience.
While only one other contestant had reached the final question even with the use of three lifelines, Carpenter proceeded to reach the final question without using one. This was only on the twelfth episode of the first series. The $1,000,000 question was "Which of these former U.S. presidents appeared on the television series "Laugh-In?" The choices, in order, were: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon (correct answer), Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. Carpenter used his Phone-A-Friend lifeline to call his father with the following conversation:
| “ | Regis: ...John you've got thirty seconds, starts right now.
John: Hi, Dad. Tom: Hi! John: Um...I don't really need your help, I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna win the million dollars..." (crowd laughs, cheers) John: [with 7 seconds remaining] ...because the U.S. President that appeared on 'Laugh-In' is Richard Nixon and that's my final answer. Regis: Well, my gosh. What can I say except: Debbie [Carpenter's wife], you're going to Paris, and this is the final answer heard all around the world, he's won a million dollars! (crowd cheers wildly)[1] |
” |
Contents |
[edit] John Carpenter's way to million
Fastest Finger First
| Put the following races in order according to their length, from the shortest to the longest: | |
| • A: Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race | • B: Tour De France |
| • C: London Marathon | • D: Indianapolis 500 |
| Correct order: C D A B
Fastest contestant: John Carpenter (5.42 sec) |
1 • 100$
| In the "Road Runner and the Coyote" cartoons, what famous sound does the Road Runner make? | |
| • A: Ping! Ping! | • B: Beep! Beep! |
| • C: Aooga! Aooga! | • D: Vroom! Vroom! |
2 • 200$
| Where should choking victims place their hands to indicate to others that they need help? | |
| • A: Over eyes | • B: On knees |
| • C: Around throat | • D: On hip |
3 • 300$
| Which of these dance names is used to describe a fashionable dot? | |
| • A: Hora | • B: Swing |
| • C: Lambada | • D: Polka |
4 • 500$
| In what "language" would you say "ello-hay" to greet your friends? | |
| • A: Bull Latin | • B: Dog Latin |
| • C: Duck Latin | • D: Pig Latin |
5 • 1.000$
| What part of a chicken is commonly called the "drumstick"? | |
| • A: Breast | • B: Wing |
| • C: Leg | • D: Gizzard |
6 • 2.000$
| What is the only position on a football team that can be "sacked"? | |
| • A: Central | • B: Forward |
| • C: Closing | • D: Quarterback |
7 • 4.000$
| What god of love is often depicted as a chubby winged infant with a bow and arrow? | |
| • A: Zeus | • B: Mercury |
| • C: Cupid | • D: Poseidon |
8 • 8.000$
| What Steven Spielberg film climaxes at a place called Devil's Tower? | |
| • A: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | • B: Jurassic Park |
| • C: Raiders of the Lost Ark | • D: Close Encounters of the Third Kind |
9 • 16.000$
| In what U.S. town did the famous 1881 shoot-out at the O.K. Corral take place? | |
| • A: Laramie | • B: Tombstone |
| • C: El Paso | • D: Dodge City |
10 • 32.000$
| Which of the following months has no U.S. federal holiday? | |
| • A: August | • B: February |
| • C: September | • D: November |
11 • 64.000$
| What mythological beast is reborn from its own ashes? | |
| • A: Phoenix | • B: Minotaur |
| • C: Dragon | • D: Golem |
12 • 125.000$
| Who developed the first effective vaccine against polio? | |
| • A: Albert Sabin | • B: Niels Bohr |
| • C: Louis Pasteur | • D: Jonas Salk |
13 • 250.000$
| Which of the following is not a monotheistic religion? | |
| • A: Islam | • B: Judaism |
| • C: Hinduism | • D: Christianity |
14 • 500.000$
| What architect designed the glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre? | |
| • A: Philip Johnson | • B: Le Corbusier |
| • C: Frank Gehry | • D: I.M. Pei |
15 • 1.000.000$
| Which of these former U.S. presidents appeared on the television series "Laugh-In" | |
| • A: Lyndon Johnson | • B: Richard Nixon |
| • C: Jimmy Carter | • D: Gerald Ford |
[edit] Follow-ups
| Grand Slam History | |
| First appearance: | 2007 Grand Slam* |
|---|---|
| *first Grand Slam | |
Carpenter took part in Millionaire''s "Champions Week," where he won $250,000 for himself and his charity.
He appears as himself in an episode of Oz (Season 4, Episode 9, "Medium Rare"), original air date January 7, 2001. He plays a contestant in a fictional TV game show called "Up Your Ante" that the prisoners in Em City are watching. The show within the show is hosted by Gordon Elliott, with Eartha Kitt appearing as a celebrity participant. He loses on the million dollar question, though, mistaking the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, as "Ouagagougou."
In 2004, he participated in Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire, as one of the "three wise men."
He also made an appearance in a SNL skit where he spoofed himself. Donald Trump, played by Darrell Hammond, called Carpenter to tell him that he came off as rather arrogant, referring to the time Carpenter called his father during the real quiz show.
More recently, he appeared as part of the Mob (seat #16) on NBC's 1 vs. 100 on October 27, 2006. He was singled out by the first contestant for help with $51,800 at stake on the question "Which of the following is not a real person to have a salad named after him: Bob Cobb, Caesar Cardini, or François Niçoise ?" Carpenter answered "Bob Cobb", which Carpenter correctly recognized as The Maestro of Seinfeld fame; the contestant agreed but the Cobb salad was indeed named after a Robert Cobb. (The correct answer was François Niçoise.)
John was a contestant on the GSN Game Show, Grand Slam where he lost in the quarterfinals to Michelle Kitt.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- News report of Carpenter's win on the BBC
| Preceded by Michael Shutterly |
All-time American game show winnings leader 1999-2000 |
Succeeded by Rahim Oberholtzer |
