Celebrating a Quarter-Century of 'Millionaire Challenge': Who Wants to Earn a Million Dollars? - Here we have the "WWM" wealthy individuals.
Günther Jauch (68) kicked off "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" on September 3, 1999 (RTL, also on RTL+). This game show became a massive hit, still captivating audiences on their screens after 25 years. Currently, participants in the "3-Million-Euro-Week" special have another shot at the major prize. Over the years, who managed to answer all questions perfectly and walked away with a million?
The latest champion, Ronald Tenholte
Ronald Tenholte, a Cologne-dwelling juice bar owner, was the latest millionaire champion. He clinched the million on March 24, 2020, nailing the question about how many boards make up a "classic, standardized European EPAL 1 pallet." Tenholte joins the 10-strong roster of regular millionaires, excluding special editions. His recipe for success? "First, good preparation. Second, sometimes you gotta take a chance. That's me too," Tenholte shared in a RTL interview post-win. Lastly, a hint of luck played its part. "Some questions truly suited me, like the final question about Europallets. I encounter them everyday in my store," Tenholte pointed out, also demonstrating resilience: he reached the selection round in 2016 and 2018 but fell short of the chair. In 2019, another millionaire emerged ...
Jan Stroh and Leon Windscheid
Jan Stroh, a full-fledged jurist from Hamburg, struck gold in the "Anniversary Special" for the show's 20th birthday. He knew that Grimm's fairy tale "Hans in Luck" starts not with "Once upon a time ..." Mid-May 2020 saw him return as a Joker, but he didn't bring fortune to contestant Melanie Schulz and made the wrong pick. Stroh's predecessor was Leon Windscheid (35), who became his own boss in event management in 2007 and earned a Ph.D. in psychology. He knew that the classic Rubik's Cube, invented by Erno Rubik, consists of 26 pieces. Since then, Stroh has penned "The Secret of the Psyche - How to Win a Million with Günther Jauch and Other Ways to Keep Your Nerves" and has featured in podcasts and stage shows.**
Nadja Sidikjar and Thorsten Fischer
In 2015, Nadja Sidikjar won more than a million, specifically 1,538,450 euros. In the Jackpot Special, all players' seat earnings contribute to a jackpot, and only the contestant with the most correct answers at the end takes it all, leaving others empty-handed. Sidikjar reacted faster than her opponents and succeeded. In 2014, Fischer, an independent restaurateur from Hameln, bagged the million in the anniversary show commemorating WWM's 15th birthday. He knew that the distance from Berlin's capital to the Earth's center is roughly equivalent to the distance between Berlin and New York.**
Sebastian Langrock and Ralf Schnoor
In March 2013, Sebastian Langrock emerged as the first millionaire with the risk variant, answering correctly. A professional poker player from Munich, Langrock has participated in live tournaments since 2012. "Mr. Langrock is the first person to win over a million with us in almost two and a half years," Jauch told Langrock's phone joker, who he called just to impart the good news. A similar occurrence happened in 2010 with café owner Ralf Schnoor. Despite already knowing the million-dollar question answer, "What was the first German postage stamp issued in Bavaria in 1849? A: Black Oneer", Schnoor called his phone joker.
Timur Hahn and Stefan Lang
Back then, Stefan Lang, an elevator installer, followed suit as a millionaire in 2006. He answered that oxygen is the element with the highest mass fraction in the human body. With his winnings, Lang embarked on a family trip to India, paid off an apartment, purchased a VW Beetle for his wife, and realized his professional dream of building motorhomes. Timur Hahn, an English student, triumphed in 2007. Hahn, a native of Bendorf near Koblenz, used his winnings to fund his studies and cover his parents' wedding costs.
The Celebrity Millionaires
Celebrities have also celebrated taking the million in the celebrity special, which they often donated to charities. In May 2008, comedian Oliver Pocher (46) correctly answered the final question "The Nagel-Schreckenberg model describes how..." with "traffic congestion". In the same year, Thomas Gottschalk (74) also celebrated. He answered the million-dollar question "What was Franz Kafka's final love, whom he met in 1923, a year before his demise?" with "Dora Diamant". Barbara Schöneberger (50) became the first and currently only female celebrity millionaire. In 2011, she guessed the final question "What is the name of the boy that Wilhelm Tell shoots the famous apple off the head of?" as "Walter".
Maria Wienstroer and Gerhard Krammer
In October 2002, the inaugural Euro millionaire was announced: Gerhard Krammer. The philosophy and music enthusiast nailed the final question, identifying correctly that "C: Max Frisch" was the famous writer who constructed a public pool in Zurich as a licensed architect. Medical assistant Maria Wienstroer, in 2004, was aware that Linus Pauling clinched the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954 and again in the Peace category in 1962. With her winnings, she realized her dream of launching her personal medical practice.
Marlene Grabherr and Eckhard Freise
The grand prize was handed out in German marks on two different occasions: in May 2001, Marlene Grabherr, an office worker hailing from Gottmadingen, recognized that Robin and Barry Gibb, the twins from the pop sensation The Bee Gees, shared the same birthdate. Eckhard Freise (79) pocketed the million for the first time on December 2, 2000. The history scholar recognized that Edmund Hillary summited Mount Everest alongside Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Post his victory, he has graced various quiz shows and is now a part of the prestigious panel in the ARD show "Quizduell - Der Olymp", competing against well-known celebrities.
In the context of the game show's history, Eckhard Freise became a millionaire on a special edition of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" before Marlene Grabherr, achieving this feat on December 2, 2000. Freise, a history scholar from Germany, joined the ranks of the show's millionaire winners.
After his millionaire victory, Freise gained popularity and was invited to participate in various quiz shows. He eventually became a regular panelist in the ARD show "Quizduell - Der Olymp," competing against well-known celebrities.
