Featured Image Credit: YouTube / Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
Observing someone emerge victorious on a game show is consistently a captivating spectacle, especially considering that a majority of contestants fall short of securing the coveted prize.
Yet, a singular individual managed to depart with the ultimate prize on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in the most remarkable manner imaginable.
In November 1999, John Carpenter, an IRS tax agent, participated as a contestant on the US edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Remarkably, he navigated through the questions, reaching the ultimate round without tapping into any of his available lifelines.
The show offers three lifelines: 50:50, Phone-a-Friend, and Ask the Audience.
Hosted at that time by the late Regis Philbin, he presented the final question of the night: “Which of these U.S Presidents appeared on the television series ‘Laugh-In?'”
The available options were Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald Ford.
Carpenter exuded confidence the moment the answers were announced, a self-assured smirk adorning his face.
Although he appeared certain of the answer, Carpenter surprised the audience by opting to call his father, leaving them astonished that he had finally chosen to utilize a lifeline.
However, this assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.
John Carpenter knew the answer from the beginning, but answered the question in cool fashion. Credit: YouTube / Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
The moment his father answered the phone, Carpenter stated, “I don’t really need your help; I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to win the million dollars.” His composed remark was met with a wave of applause and cheers from the enthusiastic crowd.
In hindsight, when contemplating his victory years later, Carpenter explained, “I would have felt like a fraud if I used a lifeline for those things, but I said to myself that I was going to use a lifeline no matter what on the last question, because I didn’t want to be thought of as that guy.”
“But when I saw the question, I thought, ‘My father is going to know I know this.’ So, I’m a bit of a smart ass, and it came to me to just tell him I was going to win.”
The outcome made him the inaugural winner of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in any country or edition of the show.
Since his victory, Carpenter had the opportunity to appear on SNL, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and even reunited with Philbin on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.
In what can be considered one of the most confident—some might say cocky—moves in game show history, Carpenter undoubtedly emerged victorious.
