20 April 2009(2009-04-20)– 29 November 2023(2023-11-29)
Millionaire Hot Seat, also known as Hot Seat, is an Australian television quiz show. The show was a spin-off of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and began airing on the Nine Network on 20 April 2009. As with the original Australian version of the show, it was hosted by Eddie McGuire and followed a similar format.
Rumours about a new shortened version of Millionaire first began circulating in February 2009[1] and were confirmed when the Nine Network produced a pilot version of the format titled Millionaire: Russian Roulette in March 2009.[2] The official title was announced as Millionaire Hot Seat,[2] but this was later shortened to simply Hot Seat.[3] The new format was originally promoted as a short-run series,[4] with advertisements featuring McGuire exclaiming "20 nights! 20 million dollars!"[4] It was announced on 7 April 2009 that Hot Seat would begin airing on 20 April 2009 in the 5:00 pm–6:00 pm weeknight timeslot[5][6] and would compete against the high-rating game show, Deal or No Deal, on the Seven Network.[5][6] As expected, the show's format was shortened to 30 minutes and given an overhaul of the rules and gameplay, in a system based on the Italian version of the show.
Previously, a half-hour edition of the original version aired for a two-week period in June 2004, aimed at attempting to arrest declining ratings leading into its most-watched news service.[7][8]
The Nine Network commissioned a second series of the show, to begin airing the week after the original 20-episode order had finished airing on 15 May 2009.[9] The second series began airing on 18 May 2009.[9]
A special prime time edition of Hot Seat aired at 8:00 pm on Monday, 8 June 2009,[10] featuring a contestant, Barry Soraghan, playing for the format's first million-dollar question.[11] Ultimately, Soraghan answered the question incorrectly, and won only $1,000.[11] At the completion of the taped episode, Soraghan was visited live on air at his Blackburn home by McGuire,[11] who then awarded him a two-week holiday for him and his family, as well as $5,000 in spending money.[11] The episode achieved a ratings figure of 1,224,000 viewers nationally,[12] and was the eleventh-highest rating program for the night,[12] which was a vast improvement from the 812,000 viewers that Hot Seat managed in its regular timeslot on the same night.[12]
Hot Seat was originally filmed in the Studio 9 at the GTV9 Richmond premises; however, as of February 2011, it has been filmed at GTV9's new home at Docklands Studios Melbourne. The show's 500th episode went to air on 3 August 2011; that day's contestant winning $100,000.
On 15 August 2011 the four remaining couples from the 2011 season of The Block appeared on the show, attempting to win $1,000,000 for charity.[13] But the final couple in the hot seat faltered on the seventh question. The last couple won only $1,000 for their charity.
On 3 October 2011, a The Farmer Wants a Wife special went to air ahead of the final that was to air later that night.[14] Farmer Frank, the last contestant in the Hot Seat, had a chance to win $100,000 for his charity but lost, winning only $1,000 for the Royal Flying Doctors Services.
On 2 June 2014, Hot Seat celebrated its 1,000th episode.[16] In this episode, that day's contestant Janine won $50,000. In addition, McGuire called back all the contestants telling them they each won $1,000 for appearing on its 1,000th episode.
On 16 March 2015 the top prize of $20,000 jackpotted to $541,000 and was won by Gerard Lane from Victoria, Australia.[17]
On 13 April 2015, Hot Seat had its first revamp since it launched in 2009. The intro was slightly changed, a new set with higher resolution LED screens was introduced and new graphics using the Eurostile font. A new lifeline was also added for the final question, the Switch lifeline. The contestant on the final question could use it to change the final question to another one of the same value. This lifeline was dropped after 8 May 2015 episode,[18] but was reinstated for episodes airing between 21 and 25 September of the same year.
The program marked 1,500 episodes on 12 October 2016.[19]
In December 2016, it was announced that Millionaire Hot Seat would extend to one hour from 2017. Having rated strongly since its launch in 2009, which led to Nine News regaining its ratings dominance nationally, the show started to lose ground to rival show The Chase Australia in the last fifteen months.[20] Despite this revamp, Millionaire Hot Seat continues to languish behind The Chase Australia in the ratings, often by an average margin of 100,000 viewers;[21] however, Nine News, which immediately follows Millionaire Hot Seat, has continued to retain its ratings dominance on the east coast.[22][23]
In February 2020, in Adelaide only, the show was moved forward to 4:00pm in order to combat poor ratings for its flagship 6:00pm bulletin.[24] In September 2020, the program temporarily moved production to Queensland, for 7 weeks, following a COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, which resulted in the host Eddie McGuire having to quarantine.[25] In November the same year, the program moved production back to Docklands Studios Melbourne.[26]
From 25 January 2021, the show began airing at 3:00 pm in Perth, swapping slots with Tipping Point.[27]
The game show marked 2,500 episodes on 17 April 2023, on the week the show celebrated its 14 year anniversary.[28] On 4 August 2023, the Nine Network announced the final episodes would be broadcast at the end of January 2024.[29] On 10 August 2023, the network announced the show will be replaced by a local version of Tipping Point in the 5:00 pm time slot, and hosted by Todd Woodbridge.[30] The final newly produced episode aired on 29 November 2023.[31]
On 12 January 2024, Millionaire Hot Seat aired the last repeat episode before Tipping Point Australia took over the time slot on 29 January 2024.[citation needed]
Format
Hot Seat Play
Question
Value
15
$1,000,000
14
$250,000
13
$100,000
12
$50,000
11
$20,000
10
$10,000
9
$6,000
8
$4,000
7
$2,500
6
$1,500
5
$1,000
4
$500
3
$300
2
$200
1
$100
Designed to be a faster-paced format compared to the traditional Millionaire, Hot Seat is basically Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? mixed with elements of roulette and musical chairs, and sees six contestants all playing in a single game. The player in Seat 1 starts as the active player (the one in the “hot seat”) and play rotates around in seat order, with players aiming to be in the “hot seat” for the final question of the game. The game starts with a top prize of $1 million, but as players provide incorrect answers, the top prize moves one step down the money tree to a minimum of $10,000. There is a single safe level set at $1,000 after 5 correct answers, meaning the player in the hot seat for the final question can leave with either $1,000 or the highest remaining prize amount.
Each question is given a time limit: 15 seconds for questions 1-5, 30 seconds for questions 6-10, and 45 seconds for questions 11-15. The timer starts after McGuire reads the question and the four possible answers. Answers are confirmed by saying “lock it in” or “final answer”. Each player has access to only one lifeline: the Pass. When used, the active player moves to the back of the line and the question passes to the next player in line. This player must answer the current question and cannot pass it further. If the timer expires and the player still has their Pass, it is automatically used. If the player answers incorrectly, or the timer expires and they have already used their Pass, the player is eliminated, and the next player becomes the active player, with the top prize moving down the money tree. Unlike the traditional format, there is no option for players to walk away with the current money earned, meaning they must answer every question given.
The game continues until all players have been eliminated, or the final question has been answered. If the active player answers the final question correctly, they win the value of that question. If the final question is incorrectly answered, or the final player is eliminated, the active player wins $1,000, provided they have reached the safe level.[32] Any players who do not get an opportunity to be the active player are invited back to play another game at a later date.
Variations
During the second half of 2011, audio and visual questions were introduced to the format. Either an audio or a visual question would be asked once per episode, usually towards the beginning of the game.
During 2015, the "Switch" lifeline was added for contestants on the final question. This allowed the contestant to switch to a different question if they were unhappy with it. This feature was soon dropped on 8 May 2015, but was brought back for a week of episodes from 21 to 25 September of the same year.
Later in 2015, the "Ask a Friend" lifeline was added in for contestants. Similar to the traditional "Phone a Friend" lifeline, the contestant is able to ask their designated friend or family member in the audience to help them answer the question. Before the player can use the lifeline, they must answer three consecutive questions after the $1000 'safe level'. The feature was added for a week of episodes from 14 to 18 September 2015.
2017–2023
Starting 23 January 2017, In response of the continued strong ratings of Seven's The Chase Australia since 2016, Nine's Millionaire Hot Seat changed its format to mix both the traditional format with the Hot Seat format. In this format, the show was lengthened to a full-hour show as opposed to half an hour show and is divided into two parts: Fastest Finger First and Hot Seat.
In this version of Fastest Finger First, the six contestants are given fifteen questions, aiming to answer as many correctly in the fastest time. The round is played similar to the original format of FFF, where there is a question presented with four possible answers and the contestant must lock in the singular answer to the question. (This is different from the second version of Fastest Finger First where the contestants had to put the four possible choices into a designated order.) Players in this version are only give 10 seconds to lock in an answer compared to 20 seconds in the traditional format. Additionally, there is normally one audio and one visual question within the question set. The winner of this segment is the player with the most correct answers, with ties being broken by the lowest combined time taken to lock in. This player is awarded a cheque for $1,000, which they may keep or cash in during the main game in exchange for a lifeline. The game then moves into the Hot Seat round, beginning with the player in Seat 1 (regardless of performance in Fastest Finger First).
Play in the Hot Seat round proceeds as normal until the winner of Fastest Finger First becomes the active player. In addition to the Pass lifeline, the player may exchange their $1,000 cheque for one of the following lifelines:
50/50 – the computer randomly selects two incorrect answers and removes them from play, leaving the correct answer and one incorrect answer.
Switch – the current question is removed from play and is replaced with a new question of similar difficulty.
Ask a Friend – similar to the traditional Phone a Friend lifeline. The player is able to converse with their in-audience companion (if one is present) and work together to answer the question. When used, the question and the four possible answers are read out by the player, who is not allowed to look at their companion.
Using a lifeline restarts the clock for the question.
In episodes filmed with no studio audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the Ask a Friend lifeline was replaced with Ask the Host. During questions with the player holding the lifeline, the host cannot see the correct answer until the computer reveals it. When used, the player is free to converse with McGuire, who will give guidance on the question. Once McGuire has given his thoughts, the timer restarts.
Top prize winner(s)
Edwin Daly (29 August 2016)
On 29 August 2016, 67-year-old Edwin Daly became the first Australian contestant (and the fourth worldwide) on the Hot Seat (and the third in Australia) to win the top prize of AU$1,000,000.[33]
AU$1,000,000 (15 of 15) – 45 seconds
Commonly known by his nickname, what was the full name of 'Banjo' Paterson?
⬥ A:Albert Burke
⬥ B:Andrew Barton
⬥ C:Adam Beaufort
⬥ D:Adrian Banks
Daly's A$1,000,000 question
Antony McManus (25 November 2021)
On 25 November 2021, Antony McManus became the second and the last Australian contestant on the Hot Seat (and the fourth in Australia) to win the top prize of AU$1,000,000, using the Switch lifeline he won in Fastest Finger First to swap the question.[34]
Original question (Answer was selected after the Switch lifeline was used):
AU$1,000,000 (15 of 15) – 45 seconds
How many Australian prime ministers have been members for electorates in Queensland?
⬥ A:1
⬥ B:2
⬥ C:3
⬥ D:4
McManus' original A$1,000,000 question
Switched question:
AU$1,000,000 (15 of 15) - 45 seconds
Which of these classic literary works was published first?
⬥ A:The Count of Monte Cristo
⬥ B:A Tale of Two Cities
⬥ C:War and Peace
⬥ D:Les Misérables
McManus' switched A$1,000,000 question
Top Prize losers “The Million Dollar Hot Seat Curse”
Occasionally, a contestant will be in the Hot Seat for all the remaining questions after every player before them passed; thus making them eligible to win the $1 million prize. However, since - unlike in the original format - contestants cannot walk away, it is usually worth guessing the question in the hope of the 1-in-4 chance it is correct. This, combined with the contestant only being afforded 45 seconds to answer it, returns a high number of candidates who lose the million.
Barry Soraghan (8 June 2009)
AU$1,000,000 (15 of 15) – 45 seconds
Which of Hollywood's four Warner Brothers died on the eve of their landmark premiere of 'The Jazz Singer'?
⬥ A:Albert
⬥ B:Harry
⬥ C:Jack
⬥ D:Sam
Jeff Tarr (28 September 2009)
AU$1,000,000 (15 of 15) – 45 seconds
Horowitz is the original surname of which American actor?
⬥ A:Matt Damon
⬥ B:Johnny Depp
⬥ C:Julia Roberts
⬥ D:Winona Ryder
Jeff Tarr was the first contestant ever to blaze through the first 14 questions.
Paul Wolfenden (14 June 2010)
AU$1,000,000 (15 of 15) – 45 seconds
Famous for his Chinese Theatre, Sid Grauman had earlier opened which other Hollywood theatre in 1922?
⬥ A:French
⬥ B:Egyptian
⬥ C:Roman
⬥ D:Arabian
Jim Graham (20 June 2011)
AU$1,000,000 (15 of 15) – 45 seconds
On the current flag of the United Nations, which country is shown closest to the top of the flag?
⬥ A:New Zealand
⬥ B:Norway
⬥ C:Chile
⬥ D:Iceland
Alan Edwards (16 April 2012)
AU$1,000,000 (15 of 15) – 45 seconds
In 1935, which of these countries became the first to use an image of the future Queen Elizabeth on a bank note?
⬥ A:Australia
⬥ B:New Zealand
⬥ C:England
⬥ D:Canada
Kevin Short (13 May 2013)
AU$1,000,000 (15 of 15) – 45 seconds
Which of these Gilbert & Sullivan operettas was performed first?
⬥ A:The Gondoliers
⬥ B:The Pirates of Penzance
⬥ C:The Mikado
⬥ D:The Yeomen of the Guard
Craig Anderson (1 October 2018)
AU$1,000,000 (15 of 15) – 45 seconds
How many essential vitamins make up what is known as the 'B-complex' group?
⬥ A:6
⬥ B:8
⬥ C:10
⬥ D:13
Controversy
In one episode, a contestant gave an answer to the final question, but McGuire told the contestant that she had not answered it in time and checked with the producers to see whether this was a "pass" or she was to be awarded $1,000. While the decision was being made, the contestant insisted that she had two seconds left on the clock. In the end, the contestant won $1,000.[35]
Related Research Articles
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television, contestants tackle a series of multiple-choice questions to win large cash prizes in a format that twists on many game show genre conventions – only one contestant plays at a time, similar to radio quizzes; contestants are given the question before deciding whether to answer, and have no time limit to answer questions; and the amount offered increases as they tackle questions that become increasingly difficult. The maximum cash prize offered in most versions of the format is an aspirational value in local currency, such as £1 million in the UK or ₹75 million in India.
Edward Joseph McGuireAM is an Australian television and radio presenter, journalist, Australian Football League commentator and former TV executive. He is also an occasional Herald Sun newspaper columnist. He hosts Channel Nine’s Millionaire Hot Seat, Wednesday night episodes of Footy Classified, and Network 10’s coverage of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Australian Survivor is an Australian adventure reality game show based on the international Survivor format. Following the premise of other versions of the Survivor format, the show features a group of contestants, referred to as "castaways" as they are marooned in an isolated location. The castaways must provide food, water, fire, and shelter for themselves. The contestants compete in various challenges for rewards and immunity from elimination. The contestants are progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted off the island by their fellow castaways. The final castaway remaining is awarded the title of "Sole Survivor" and the grand prize of A$500,000.
Todd Andrew Woodbridge, OAM is an Australian broadcaster and former professional tennis player. During his playing career, he formed multiple Grand-Slam winning doubles partnerships with Mark Woodforde and later Jonas Björkman.
Kaun Banega Crorepati is an Indian Hindi-language television game show. It is the official Hindi adaptation of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise. It is presented by actor Amitabh Bachchan, who has hosted the show for its entire run except for its third season, during which actor Shah Rukh Khan replaced Bachchan. The programme aired on Star Plus for its first three seasons from 2000 to 2007, and was commissioned by the programming team of Sameer Nair. In 2010, it started airing on Sony Entertainment Television and was produced by BIG Synergy from season 1 till season 10. Afterwards, the credited production companies co-producing are Studio NEXT since season 10 and Tree of Knowledge since season 11 respectively.
Deal or No Deal is an Australian game show which originally broadcast on the Seven Network from 13 July 2003 to 4 October 2013, hosted by Andrew O'Keefe. On 29 January 2024, a reboot series premiered on Network 10, hosted by Grant Denyer. It was the first international version of the game show, after the original Miljoenenjacht from the Netherlands. It was the first of the versions to use the Deal or No Deal name.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a British television quiz show, created by David Briggs, Steven Knight and Mike Whitehill for the ITV network. The programme's format has contestants taking on multiple-choice questions based upon general knowledge, winning a cash prize for each question they answer correctly, with the amount offered increasing as they take on more difficult questions. If an incorrect answer is given, the contestant will leave with whatever cash prize is guaranteed by the last safety net they have passed, unless they opt to walk away before answering the next question with the money they had managed to reach. To assist in the quiz, contestants are given a series of "lifelines" to help answer questions.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television game show based on the format of the same-titled British program created by David Briggs, Steven Knight and Mike Whitehill and developed in the United States by Michael Davies. The show features a quiz competition with contestants attempting to win a top prize of $1,000,000 by answering a series of multiple-choice questions, usually of increasing difficulty. The program has endured as one of the longest-running and most successful international variants in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise.
Temptation is an Australian game show which premiered on the Nine Network on 30 May 2005 and aired at 7.00pm. Hosted by Ed Phillips and Livinia Nixon, the show was a remake of Sale of the Century, which aired on Nine in the same timeslot for more than twenty years between 1980 and 2001. Temptation had the same general format of its predecessor, but with several new features and a de-emphasis on the "shopping" aspects of the endgame. The show ran until 30 November 2007, when it was placed on hiatus by the network following strong competition from game show Deal or No Deal on the rival Seven Network; during the hiatus, Nine filled the timeslot with episodes of the American sitcom Two and a Half Men. When Ed Phillips made an appearance on The NRL Footy Show he announced "maybe summer" would be the return of the show. This statement was accurate, as Temptation returned for a shortened fourth series from 1 December 2008 with unaired episodes which were recorded during 2008. During that time, Ed Phillips was dumped by the Nine Network after his contract expired in November, and Temptation never returned to the schedule. After 23 January 2009, when the show's final episode aired, all Temptation websites were removed, and Two and a Half Men returned to Channel Nine's 7:00pm schedule.
Family Feud is an Australian game show based on the American show of the same name. It aired on Network Ten from 14 July 2014 until 22 July 2018 and in August 2020 for a special 10-episode series. The show was hosted by Grant Denyer. This was the fourth Australian version of the format, the previous incarnation being Bert's Family Feud hosted by Bert Newton in 2006. Ten became the third network to adapt the format. From 2016, Ten also screened a celebrity edition titled All Star Family Feud. The show was filmed at Global Television Studios in Southbank, Melbourne from 2014 to 2017 and at Network Ten Studios in Pyrmont, Sydney in 2018 & 2020.
The Weakest Link is an Australian game show based on the UK format, which aired from 5 February 2001 until 22 April 2002 and was originally broadcast on the Seven Network. Presented by Cornelia Frances, the show featured nine contestants competing for a potential prize of $100,000. Airing twice weekly in primetime, on Mondays and Thursdays or Fridays, it received modest ratings until its cancellation in April 2002. The show was produced in the Seven Network's South Melbourne headquarters.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is an Australian television game show which would offer a maximum cash prize of $1,000,000 for answering 15 successive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The show was based on and follows the same general format of the original version of the show from the United Kingdom, and is part of the international Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise.
Power of 10 is a short-lived Australian game show which is based on the original American version created by Michael Davies. The game featured contestants guessing the correct percentage range of answers to polls which have been taken from surveys, for a chance to win a million dollars.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? New Zealand was a New Zealand game show based on the original British format of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show was hosted by Mike Hosking. The main goal of the game was to win one million New Zealand dollars by answering 15 multiple-choice questions correctly. There were four "lifelines". It was broadcast on the TVNZ station TV ONE. The show was taped in Melbourne, Australia on the set of the Australian version of the show.
من سيربح المليون is a pan-Arab game show, part of the international Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise. Its host for much of its inception was George Kurdahi. The show's prize was SR 1,000,000. It aired on pan-Arab television channel MBC1 from 27 November 2000 until May 2004, and was later revived by MBC as من سيربح 2 مليون, with an increased top prize of SR 2,000,000.
Michael "Wippa" Wipfli is an Australian radio presenter and comedian who is a co-host on the Nova 96.9 breakfast show Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie alongside Ryan Fitzgerald and Kate Ritchie.
Tipping Point is a British quiz show that aired on ITV since 2 July 2012. The show also airs repeats on U&W which is owned by the UKTV network, and Really which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The programme is presented by Ben Shephard and features three players answering questions on the subject of general knowledge in order to win counters, which they use on a large coin pusher arcade-style machine, that represent (mainly) cash prizes.
Have You Been Paying Attention? is an Australian panel game television quiz show on Network 10. The series, which is produced by Working Dog Productions, is a mix of news and comedy which sees host Tom Gleisner quiz five guests on the week's top news stories.
Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu, previously known as Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu, is an Indian Telugu-language television game show. It is the official Telugu adaptation of Britain's game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. It was produced by BIG Synergy for its first four seasons and was aired on Star Maa. The first three seasons were hosted by actor Nagarjuna with the fourth being hosted by actor Chiranjeevi.
The Chase Australia is an Australian television quiz show based on the British program of the same name. It is broadcast on the Seven Network and premiered on 14 September 2015. Four contestants play against an opponent, known as the "chaser", who plays for the bank. The show was originally hosted by Andrew O'Keefe until July 2021, when he was replaced by Larry Emdur. The series began with Brydon Coverdale, Anne Hegerty, Matt Parkinson and Issa Schultz as chasers, with Mark Labbett joining in 2016. Shaun Wallace appeared as a guest chaser in 2018, and Cheryl Toh has appeared as a chaser since 2019. Mara Lejins joined as a chaser in 2022, and David Poltorak joined in 2024. Brandon Blackwell also appeared as a guest in 2024.
↑ "WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE – HOT SEAT ("THE PROGRAM")"(PDF). Nine Network Australia. Archived from the original(PDF) on 6 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016. The Contestant that occupies the Hot Seat for the fifteenth question will win the money available to be won at the level of that question (as determined by the number of preceding incorrect answers) if they provide the Correct Answer to the question and will win $1,000 if they provide the Incorrect Answer to the question.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
