Television

‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ returns to prime time for 20th anniversary

The edge-of-your-seat quiz show that riveted audiences two decades ago returns to Channel 9.

“Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” airs Wednesday at 10 p.m., bringing the iconic game show back to prime time.

Here are 9 things you should know about its return, and its history:

1. This marks the 20th anniversary of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” which debuted in January 2000.

2. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel will host the prime time event.

3. This special run of episodes will include celebrity contestants playing for charity. Among them are Anderson Cooper, Eric Stonestreet and Jane Fonda.

4. Viewers at home can play along with a new interactive game.

5. “Who Wants To Be Millionaire” has crowned 12 grand-prize winners. Will one of the celebrities be lucky number 13?

See some of the winners’ big moments in the video below:

6. The show led the charge of reality TV as becoming the first network game show in the country to offer a $1 million grand prize.

7. The show is a spin-off of the original version in the U.K.

8. The earliest version of the show was hosted by Regis Philbin. Other famous names who have sat across the hot seat to host include Meredith Viera, Cedric the Entertainer and Terry Crews.

9. At one point, there was a “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire” attraction at Walt Disney World. It was replaced with Toy Story Mania.

Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.