Rob, a research associate for a transit company, reached the main game by way of this question:
| A. Twin Cities | B. Motor City
| C. Emerald City | D. Big Apple
| Correct Order (drag the mouse over the letters): D-B-A-C
| Rob's winning time: 5.38 Competitors: 6/10 | |
Let's watch Rob go for it all!
| 1. A 'breathalyzer' measures which of the following in a person's breath? |    A. Water | B. Chocolate
| C. Alcohol | D. Mint
| Rob chooses C... On the board! $100. | ||||
| 2. What word refers to the color and texture of a person's skin? | | A. Complexion | B. Compunction
| C. Constitution | D. Convection
| Rob takes A... Got it! $200. | ||||
| 3. Which of these years came before the year 200 BC? | | A. 100 BC | B. 300 BC
| C. 100 AD | D. 300 AD
| Rob goes with B... And he's right for $300! | ||||
| 4. Which of these substances is commonly called the 'lead' of a pencil? | | A. Bauxite | B. Coal
| C. Graphite | D. Magnesium
| Rob selects C... Four in a row! $500. | ||||
| 5. On the TV sitcom classic 'The Honeymooners', what was Ralph Kramden's profession? | | A. Bus driver | B. Policeman
| C. Welder | D. Sewer worker
| Rob picks A... And he's locked in the grand!
 | ||||
| 6. Which of the following words precedes 'with Mussolini' in the title of a 1999 movie starring Cher? | | A. Life | B. Afternoons
| C. Conversations | D. Tea
| Rob says it's D... Yes, that's his final answer. Getting hot now! $2000! | ||||
| 7. Sancho Panza is the squire of what literary character? | | A. Robin Hood | B. Sherlock Holmes
| C. Don Quixote | D. Robinson Crusoe
| Recalling the Broadway musical 'Man of La Mancha', Rob knows it's C... Which is his final answer. Nailed it! $4000! | ||||
| 8. Which of the following is commonly used in fire extinguishers? | | A. Flour | B. Baking soda
| C. Baking powder | D. Cornstarch
| Rob has a hunch, but to confirm it he'll ask the audience. A. Flour - 4% | B. Baking soda - 65% |  C. Baking powder - 24% | D. Cornstarch - 7%
| Rob feels confident in the numbers to settle on B... As his final answer. The audience maintains its reputation! $8000! | ||||||||
| 9. What ruler was known as the 'Sun King'? | | A. King Louis XIV | B. King Tutankhamen
| C. Henry V | D. Emperor Hirohito
| Thank goodness there's only one Louis up there, because otherwise Rob wouldn't have known. In any event, Rob goes with A... Which will be his final answer. And Rob keeps rolling on! $16,000! | ||||
| 10. What movie star's role was cut out of 'The Big Chill' two weeks before the film's release? | | A. Christopher Reeve | B. Kevin Costner
| C. Harrison Ford | D. Samuel L. Jackson
| Remembering how some characters in the movie referred to someone who had passed away, Rob thinks it's B... And he'll make that his final answer.
I had no clue about this one.
Good thing Rob did!
 | ||||
| 11. What is the world's longest river? | | A. Amazon | B. Danube
| C. Nile | D. Ganges
| Rob knows it took explorers a long time to find the source of the Nile. On that logic, he'll choose C... And he'll lock it in.
Well, it had to be either the Amazon or the Nile.
But Rob dismissed the Amazon rather quickly.
If he had gone with it instead of C...
He would've been wrong - 'cause it's the Nile!
 | ||||
| 12. Author William Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County is located in which state? | | A. Arkansas | B. Kentucky
| C. Mississippi | D. W. Virginia
| Rob knows that Faulkner lived in Mississippi. It would make sense that his fictional Yoknetewhatever Countywas there as well. So Rob will pick C... And that's his final answer.
It makes sense that Faulkner would put the county in his home state.
Question is, did he actually do so?
He sure did!
 | ||||
| 13. Who was the first woman to serve as a U.S. Cabinet member? | | A. Frances Perkins | B. Pamela Harriman
| C. Jeane Kilpatrick | D. Nellie Taylor Ross
| Rob likes to learn about American history. That's good news. He says that Frances Perkins was Secretary of Labor under Franklin Roosevelt's administration. So he's going to go with A... That'll be his final answer.
January has seen a lot of applicants for the 13 Club.
Rob is hoping there's room for another member.
And his application to the Club...
Is accepted!
 | ||||
Rob has now become the sixth contestant of the month to reach the $250,000 plateau. Of course, two players have fallen from that perch back to the $32,000 guarantee. But Rob has held on to two of his Lifelines, which is certainly a promising statistic. |
| 14. What is the desert home of Luke Skywalker in the movie 'Star Wars'? | | A. Hoth | B. Endor
| C. Dantooine | D. Tatooine
| Rob has seen the movie several times, but this isn't a detail he remembers. So he's going to phone a friend to see if that will help. Rob will call his former college buddy, Jim. Here's the conversation after the question and choices are read:
Rob: "Are you sure?" Jim: "Yup." Rob: "Positive. ...Are you positive?" Jim: "I'm relatively positive." Rob: "Relatively positive." Jim: "Yup." Rob: "Is it worth risking $218,000 on?" Jim: "Tatooine." Rob: "Excuse me?" Jim: "Tatooine is it." Rob: "OK. I'm gonna go then." (Burp burp)  Sounds like we have another confident partner for $500,000. Rob is going to take the advice of Jim and take D... Which he will turn orange.
I've only seen the movie once.
About three years ago.
I'm not a big Star Wars fan, obviously.
But I knew this one.
And I know that Rob's answer of D...
Has just won him FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!!!!!
 | ||||||||||
Well, it's once again come down to this. One question away from a million dollars. Down to one Lifeline, but it's the 50:50 - which IMO is the best one to have at this stage. Still, Rob stands to lose $468,000 if he misses this last question. For the fifth time, let's see the 15th question: |
| 15. In what country are all U.S. Najor League baseballs currently manufactured? | | A. Costa Rica | B. Haiti
| C. Dominican Republic | D. Cuba
| At one time, Rob knew the answer. But they may have changed it since then. Well, he's got his 50:50 left, and there's no point in holding on to it, so he's going to use it now. A. Costa Rica | B. Haiti |  OUT | OUT
| Rob: "Oh, why couldn't they have left Cuba up there?" Rob is 99% sure of the answer, but he wants 100% certainty to go for it with this kind of money behind it. So, with no more Lifelines left, Rob will call it quits.
Rob's free guess would be B...
And we're all glad it was only a guess. A. Costa Rica was the million-dollar answer. | ||||||||
Rob is the second gay contestant to appear on the show, and obviously the first to walk away with a six-digit prize. Ted Patchell was the first gay player; he won $32,000 in November. |
The following space is blank - don't worry about it.