Wer wird Millionär? (Germany)

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
Broadcast
Original channel RTL
Original run 3 September 1999 – Present
External links
Website

Wer wird Millionär? (English translation: Who becomes 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.

With whom did Edmund Hillary stand on top of the Mount Everest in 1953?
• A: Nasreddin Hodscha • B: Nursay Pimsorn
• C: Tenzing Norgay • D: Abrindranath Singh
Which both Gibb brothers of the popband The-Bee-Gees are twins?
• A: Robin and Barry • B: Maurice and Robin
• C: Barry and Maurice • D: Andy and Robin

Marlene Grabherr died in 2013 at the age of 60.

Which famous writer, as an architecture graduate, built a pool of water in Zurich?
• A: Joseph Roth • B: Martin Walser
• C: Max Frisch • D: Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954 and Nobel Peace Prize in 1962?
• A: Linus Pauling • B: Otto Hahn
• C: Pearl S. Buck • D: Albert Schweitzer
Which chemical element makes up more than one half of the mass of the human body?
• A: Carbon • B: Calcium
• C: Oxygen • D: Iron
Which sea is named after a mythological king who is said to have plunged in there?
• A: Ionian Sea • B: Aegean Sea
• C: Adriatic Sea • D: Caspian Sea
The Nagel-Schreckenberg Model provides an explanation for the emergence of...?
• A: Desert • B: Traffic congestion
• C: Influenza • D: Stock market crash
What was the name of Franz Kafka's last companion, that he met in 1923, one year before his death?
• A: Dora Diamant • B: Sarah Saphir
• C: Rita Rubin • D: Olga Opal
What is the name of the first German postage stamp, which was published in the kingdom of Bavaria in 1849?
• A: Schwarzer Einser (One kreuzer black) • B: Roter Zweier (Two kreuzer red)
• C: Gelber Dreier (Three kreuzer yellow) • D: Blauer Vierer (Four kreuzer blue)
What is the name of the boy whom Wilhelm Tell shoots the legendary apple from his head?
• A: Fritz • B: Heinrich
• C: Walter • D: August
Who should be familiar with the twenty-past-four position?
• A: Driving instructor • B: Karate master
• C: Waiter • D: Agricultural architect
The distance from the capital Berlin to the center of the earth is approximately as big as between Berlin and...?
• A: Tokyo • B: Cape Town
• C: Moscow • D: New York

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