John Carpenter (game show contestant)

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John Carpenter
Born(1967-12-24)December 24, 1967
Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materRutgers University
OccupationTax collector
Known forFirst top prize winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

John Carpenter (born December 24, 1967

Twenty One.[2]

On the November 19, 1999 episode of Millionaire, Carpenter proceeded to advance to the million-dollar question without using any

lifelines
. He then used his Phone-a-Friend to call his father, not for help, but rather to tell him he was going to win the game. Carpenter answered the question correctly and became the show's first millionaire. His win gave him national recognition and led to multiple talk show appearances, as well as subsequent appearances on Millionaire.

Career and family

Carpenter was born in

New Haven. They married in August 1998.[3] At the time of his appearance on Millionaire, he was 31 years old.[5] When he revealed his profession as an IRS officer on Millionaire, Carpenter was playfully booed by the audience.[6]

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

$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 was originally uninterested in Millionaire but eventually tuned in one night after dinner while having friends over at his house. When he found the show's higher-tier questions no more difficult than the lower-tier ones, he decided to call in to the show's hotline for a chance to become a contestant.[7] Carpenter answered all of the hotline questions correctly and was on the show within two days.[7]

Host

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.[8] Carpenter used his Phone-A-Friend lifeline to call his father not for help, but rather to inform him that he was going to win the million dollars. Carpenter later said, "I thought I'd look so cocky if I didn't use any lifelines, so I faked it."[8]

With his win, Carpenter became the first contestant in the worldwide Millionaire franchise to win the show's top prize.[9] 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."[10] Carpenter also described the fame as having a bigger impact on his life than the money, later stating: "The money doesn't change your life. What happens afterwards might."[11]

Later work

Shortly after winning on Millionaire, Carpenter played himself in a

Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.[11][12]

Carpenter appeared as himself in the second half of the fourth season of Oz.[11] 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 and Didi Conn as celebrity participants.[13]

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.[14]

Other game show appearances

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 of their additional winnings from the Champions Edition going to a charity of their choice.

Grand Slam.[19]

Carpenter appeared on the August 16, 2009 episode of Millionaire in prime time for its tenth anniversary.[20] In the audience with him were his father, his wife, and his son.[21] He was also the first expert in the "Ask the Expert" lifeline for the eighth season of the syndicated series in September 2009.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Người lập kỉ lục "Ai là triệu phú" với 22 tỉ đồng bây giờ ra sao?"". Your Adventure Now (in Vietnamese). Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  2. ^ Petrozello, Donna (February 3, 2000). "Million-plu$ reply an educated guess". New York Daily News. p. 101.
  3. ^ a b c Jerome, Jim (December 6, 1999). "Many Happy Returns". People. Vol. 52, no. 22. Time Inc. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  4. ^
    Chicago Sun Times
    . p. 30.
  5. ^ Taylor, Frances Grandy (November 20, 1999). "Final answer? Quiz show: a million to 1 taxman". Hartford Courant. p. A1.
  6. ^ Bianculli, David (November 22, 1999). "Cool million makes red-hot TV". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". Gameshow Hall of Fame. January 21, 2007. GSN.
  8. ^
    Gannett Company
    . p. 1D.
  9. ^ "Taxman scoops a million". BBC News. November 21, 1999. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  10. ^ Davis, Kristin (November 2000). "I'm Rich! (Now what?)". Kiplinger's Personal Finance. pp. 93–94.
  11. ^
    Huffington Post. Archived from the original
    on August 22, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  12. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (November 23, 1999). "Drab 'Millionaire' Winner Emerges as a Media Animal". The Washington Post. p. C07.
  13. The San Diego Union Tribune
    . p. E6.
  14. The Book Depository. Archived from the original
    on October 25, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  15. St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original
    on April 5, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  16. ^ Bracht, Mel (May 26, 2000). "Money isn't the root of happiness: Tulsan has more fun in 2nd Millionaire gig". NewsOK. Oklahoma Publishing Company. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  17. ^ Super Millionaire. Season 1. Episode 2. February 23, 2004. ABC.
  18. 1 vs. 100
    . Season 1. Episode 3. October 27, 2006. NBC.
  19. ^ Owen, Rob (August 2, 2007). "Dennis Miller rallies around game show all-stars". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. WE-33.
  20. About.com. About Entertainment. Archived from the original
    on August 2, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  21. ^ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: 10th Anniversary Celebration. Episode 6. August 16, 2009. ABC.
  22. ^ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Season 8. Episode 1. September 7, 2009. Syndicated.

External links

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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