Indonesia's 'Millionaire' falls short of entertaining

Indonesia's 'Millionaire' falls short of entertaining

JAKARTA (JP): The rhetorical British quiz show that has become
a worldwide phenomenon has arrived on these shores, adding one
more country to its long list of conquests. Yes, Who Wants to be
a Millionaire? is here and will air every Saturday from 7 p.m. to
8 p.m. on RCTI.

This is just the latest entry in the emerging trend of
Indonesian quiz shows offering big cash prizes and good clean
fun, apparently in an attempt to help us forget about the never-
ending economic crisis.

The show is hosted by emcee extraordinaire Tantowi Yahya and
is all dressed up with an extravagant set that cost RCTI Rp 500
million for the stage and Rp 6 billion for the technology. Yet
despite throwing all that money at the show, there is really
nothing entertaining there.

Or, perhaps, the best is yet to come.

If you don't already know, this is how the game is played here
in Indonesia and in the 71 other countries where Millionaire
appears.

The game starts with 10 contestants, who are given a fairly
simple question. The person who answers correctly in the least
amount of time moves on, and only has to answer 15 more questions
to become an instant millionaire.

The questions are general knowledge and are divided into three
levels of difficulty. Some of the early questions are so simple
that elementary students would probably roll their eyes at them.
The further you get the more difficult the questions, and by the
end you need some pretty good encyclopedic knowledge to get by.

At any point during the game, contestants can get help from
three so-called lifelines: the "50:50", "Phone-a-Friend" and "Ask
the Audience". Of course the lifelines carry risks, and you have
to ask yourself just how smart is your friend or those people in
the audience. Contestants are allowed to quit at anytime and walk
away with their rupiah, even after hearing the question.

Winners can earn prize money ranging from Rp 50,000 (US$5.50)
to Rp 1 billion.

So where's the thrill?

In other parts of the world the show appears to be a parade of
celebrities.

The U.S. version of Millionaire aired on ABC involves
celebrities like Rosie O'Donnell and comedian Will Durst.

O'Donnell helped contestant Jerry Halpin win $32,000 when she
told him Diana had lost the title "Her Royal Highness" after her
divorce from Prince Charles. Durst was a lifeline for Virginian
Rudy Reber, but his suggested answer was wrong so Reber fell from
$250,000 to $32,000 (no word on whether Durst made up the money
Reber lost because of his blunder).

Last year, the Russian version of the show featured six
presidential candidates minus Vladimir Putin, who eventually won
the presidential seat (coincidence?).

The Indian version of the quiz is hosted by Bollywood legend
Amitabh Bachchan, who made history by becoming the first Indian
movie star to be immortalized in wax at Madame Tussaud's museum
in London.

India proved that the host can be another attraction to bring
in the viewers. And while the hosts may or may not become
millionaires, the gig certainly has provided many of them with
other rewards.

German host Gunther Jauch picked up the Deutschen
Frensehpreis, The Goldene Henne and Goldene Kamera awards this
year. He also added the Bayerische Fersehpreis award for Male TV
Presenter of the Year to his trophy case.

The U.S. version of Millionaire earned its second Emmy for
Outstanding Game Show and host Regis Philbin won an Emmy for
Outstanding Game Show Host. In Greece, Millionaire grabbed two
awards at the TV ETHNOS awards show.

But do we really need all these distractions? Isn't it enough
just to see the contestants made fools of when they fail to
answer the simplest of questions? (ivy)