Tony Barber a prophet ?

[J.R.]

Not too long ago, I acquired an episode of Aussie $otC from 1990 with Tony Barber as host and it features someone going for a huge lot (Little over $450,000 Au.) and Tony makes this comment in at the top of the program:

"Who knows ? Perhaps 10 or 20 years from now, million dollar prizes will be the game ?"

Well... 10 years later: Year 2000 had Millionaire, Weakest Link, Twenty-One, Greed and Winning Lines. All shows offering at least $1,000,000 ! (Australia had Millionaire and Greed offering $1M)

Eerie, isn't it ? (I know it's not, but that sounded dramatic)
-Joe R.

[Craig Karlberg]

I guess Tony Barber knew what he was thinking back then.  Although $1 million isn't as eye-catching as it was a few years ago, now it's basically standard procedure to offer big money on game shows.  The only question now is this:  What's the be-all end-all cap for cash prizes?  I'd say $1 billion.

There it is, my 100th post.  YAY!!!

[dickoon]

[quote name=\'Craig Karlberg\' date=\'Mar 5 2004, 11:50 AM\'] The only question now is this:  What's the be-all end-all cap for cash prizes?  I'd say $1 billion. [/quote]
 I respectfully suggest that a far more interesting and important question is what the highest prize actually ever to get paid will be.

For instance, to what extent did (regular) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? suffer after the first million dollars was won? Will Super Millionaire, as a sweeps period staple, ever pay out its ten million? My gut feeling is that it probably eventually will, but not for a couple of years, even assuming that it lasts that long. Heck, the UK's first Millionaire millionaire was long enough in coming, so that doesn't hurt the show. Seeing the show pay out its first $2.5 million will be exciting, then the first $5 million and only eventually the first $10 million. No rigging required, just lots of difficult questions.

Once Super Millionaire pays out its first (and probably only!) $10^7, will there be a Super Duper Millionaire which theoretically offers $10^8? On balance, probably.