Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: US vs UK and other international versions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Wan....S._game_show)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Wan...(UK_game_show)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Wan...Millionaire%3F
I've watched clips of both the US and the UK versions of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, as well as clips of various other international versions of the show, and I noticed that the US version is very distinct from the other versions of the show around the world. Even from the very beginning, the advertising was different; the introductions were different, and the US online game was different from the European online games. The computer video game adaptations of the show were also different. The US game had a drastically different appearance from the European versions of the game. Generally, the European Millionaire games were not released in the US, and vice versa, until the advent of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Special Editions, which was released around 2012-2013, and was released worldwide. It was based on the original 15-question format, along with the classic three lifelines (50/50, Phone a Friend, and Ask the Audience), and although it was developed in the UK, it was released in the US.
In addition, the current US format of the game is very different from the rest of the world. The current format, called the "shuffle format," involves 14 questions distributed in two rounds. Round 1 consists of 10 questions of random difficulties and random monetary values ranging from $100 to $25,000. In this format, it is possible to get hard questions early worth very little, and easy questions later worth a lot. Correct answers accumulate money into a bank. An incorrect answer in round 1 sends the contestant packing with a $1,000 consolation prize. Round 2 consists of four questions of non-cumulative values, ranging from $100,000 to $1 million; an incorrect answer drops the contestant's winnings down to $25,000. The current lifelines are Ask the Audience, Jump the Question (which skips the question, but forfeits the money value behind it) and Plus One, which brings a friend who sits in the audience down to the podium to help the contestant. Note that the game is played standing up at a podium, and not sitting down in a hot seat like before.
By contrast, the UK version, and most other European versions, use a 12-question format that works much the same as the old 15 question format, only with 12 questions. The first two questions are worth £500 and £1,000. The next five questions range from £2,000 to £50,000. The last five questions range from £75,000 to £1 million. The lifelines are still the classic three lifelines: 50/50, Phone a Friend, and Ask the Audience.
Some versions also use time limits, which was first used by the US version in 2008, but is no longer is use in the US version after 2010. The UK used it starting in 2010, and others have since adopted it.
In addition, the music of the US version of the show is entirely new, and I have to say that I don't really like the new soundtrack, which is entirely different from the original soundtrack. The UK version also adopted a new soundtrack in 2007, but it is closer to the original in that it is a remix. It has an EDM feel to it. Look for the soundtracks for the US and UK versions of Millionaire and tell me what you think. I like the classic soundtrack the best, but I also like the 2007 UK EDM remix soundtrack too.
One of the reasons why I believe that the US version of Millionaire is very different from the other versions around the world is because of the influence of Disney. In the US, Disney owns the rights to the show, whereas internationally, it is owned by 2waytraffic, which is owned by Sony. I do hope that one day, the US version adopts the UK-style format.
Look up the US and UK versions of Millionaire on YouTube and tell me what you think.
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Originally Posted by SuperMillionaire
