John Carpenter became the first millionaire on the United States version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on November 19, 1999. He held the record for the largest single win in United States game show history,[1] until it was broken by Rahim Oberholtzer who won $1.12 million on another U.S. quiz show, Twenty One.[2] Carpenter was also the first top prize winner among all international versions of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? series.[3]
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Carpenter is from Hamden, Connecticut. He graduated from Rutgers University in 1990 with a degree in economics.[4] At the time of his appearance on Millionaire, he was 31 years old and worked as a collections agent (revenue officer) for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.[1] When he revealed his profession as an IRS officer on Millionaire, Carpenter was playfully booed by the audience.[5]
| $1 million (15 of 15) - no time limit | |
| Which of these U.S. Presidents appeared on the television series "Laugh-In"? | |
| • A: Lyndon Johnson | • B: Richard Nixon |
| • C: Jimmy Carter | • D: Gerald Ford |
Carpenter proceeded to reach the final question without using any of his lifelines. The $1,000,000 question was, "Which of these U.S. Presidents appeared on the television series 'Laugh-In'?", with the choices being A) Lyndon Johnson, B) Richard Nixon, C) Jimmy Carter, and D) Gerald Ford.[6]
Carpenter used his Phone-A-Friend lifeline to call his father (Tom), and had the following conversation:
| “ | Regis Philbin: ...John you've got thirty seconds, starts right now.
John: Uh...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, then starts cheering) John: (with 8 seconds remaining) Er... because the U.S. President that appeared on 'Laugh-In' is Richard Nixon. 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) |
” |
Carpenter later explained, "I thought I'd look so cocky if I didn't use any lifelines, so I faked it."[6] He said that the only question that had flustered him was one which asked for the location of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Carpenter eventually remembered that the film Tombstone included the gunfight, and he replied correctly with the answer 'Tombstone, Arizona'.[4]
While taking a vacation after his win, Carpenter considered quitting his job with the IRS, but eventually decided against it. He explained to Kiplinger's Personal Finance that "after the taxes, it's not change-your-life kind of money if you want to eat every day".[7]
Exactly a year after his victory, Judith Keppel became the first £1,000,000 winner of the UK version of the show.
Shortly after winning on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Carpenter played himself in a Saturday Night Live skit. Donald Trump, played by Darrell Hammond, announced that Carpenter would be his running-mate in the presidential election. Afterward, Carpenter pretended to call his father, then shouted, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" Carpenter also appeared on Good Morning America, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, and Late Show with David Letterman.[8]
In 2000, Carpenter appeared in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Champions Edition, in which previous contestants who won $250,000–$1,000,000 played again, with half their winnings going to their favorite charities.[9] Carpenter played for the SARA Foundation and won $250,000. $125,000 went to him, making his total Millionaire winnings $1,125,000.
Carpenter appeared as himself in a 2001 episode of Oz (season 4, episode 9, "Medium Rare"). 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.[10]
With Rod L. Evans, Carpenter co-authored a trivia book titled Matching Wits With the Million-Dollar Mind: The World's Hardest Trivia Quizzes From America's First Quiz Show Millionaire. The book was published by Berkley Books in 2002.[11][12]
In 2004, he participated in Super Millionaire, as one of the "Three Wise Men". He was with Dr. Drew on the episode that Robert "Bob-O" Essig won $1,000,000.
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 — Niçoise is the adjective meaning "from the city of Nice in France".)
Carpenter was a contestant on the GSN game show Grand Slam.[13] He faced Tic-Tac-Dough champion Thom McKee in the first round match and won his match but lost in the quarterfinals to The Weakest Link champion Michelle Kitt.
Carpenter appeared on the August 16, 2009 episode of Millionaire in prime time for its tenth anniversary. In the audience with him was his dad, his wife, and their son. Additionally, he was also the first expert in the 'Ask the Expert' lifeline for the eighth season of the syndicated series.
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by First Millionaire |
Top prize winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (U.S.) November 19, 1999 |
Succeeded by Dan Blonsky |
| Preceded by Michael Shutterly |
All-time American game show winnings leader 1999-2000 |
Succeeded by Rahim Oberholtzer |
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