Günther Jauch is the guarantor of success

Ideally, you could become a millionaire in a quarter of an hour on your show: with these words, presenter Günther Jauch advertised the new quiz show in the first episode of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” on September 3, 1999. The candidates only had to answer 15 questions correctly to win the million-dollar sum.

The concept of the show is simple, but the path to the main prize is difficult. In each show, six candidates take part in a selection round. The person who gives the correct answer the quickest is allowed to sit in the middle of the studio opposite presenter Jauch. From then on, the candidates win money for every question they answer correctly. The level of difficulty increases with each question.

Each participant has three jokers at their disposal. If a candidate drops out during the game, they win the winnings they have won so far. If a participant answers a question incorrectly, they lose the money – the winnings go to the next security level, which is usually 500 euros. Little has changed in this regard in 25 years.

“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” was not a new invention when it premiered in 1999. The format was a British adaptation and one of many quiz shows that dominated TV evenings in the 1980s and 1990s. But while other quizzes quickly disappeared, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” is still on the weekly TV schedule today. The broadcaster RTL is currently celebrating the show's 25th anniversary.

Show causes quiz boom

The show is a long-running hit thanks to presenter Günther Jauch. At the premiere in 1999, he was 43 years old and had previously presented the “aktuelle Sportstudio” for ZDF and commented on Champions League games. He didn't really want to present a quiz show, as he once told “Bild”. But after watching four cassettes with recordings of the British original, he agreed.

And so on September 3, 1999, Jauch stands in the studio in Cologne, greeting the audience and making light-hearted jokes. He plays with opposites. “Here, notorious school dropouts are given the chance to make a brilliant comeback and Einstein's descendants can fail terribly.” In the first few minutes, the quizmaster makes it clear: the show is unpredictable, but offers every social class the chance to get rich quickly. That is what makes the show successful.

Jauch likes to lose himself in conversations with his candidates. This makes the show longer, but it also makes for suspense. He can work on a question for a quarter of an hour, he once said in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. In the good moments of the show, you learn more about the world and life. “When a tax official sits opposite me and we talk about taxes, you sometimes learn more than in an hour of political talk.”

2800 candidates in 25 years

Over the past 25 years, more than 2,800 candidates have sat opposite Jauch on the “hot seat,” answered questions and philosophized with the moderator about life. Doctor's assistant Tanja Ortmann started things off. Her first question was to conclude with a proverb: “A bird in the hand is better than a pigeon in the sky?” The possible answers were: A: sofa / B: toilet / C: grill / D: roof. Ortmann then answered seven questions correctly and went home with a win of 8,000 marks.

It took almost a year until the first million-dollar winner was announced. History professor Eckhard Freise was the first to answer the 15th question in December 2000. “Who did Edmund Hillary stand with on the summit of Mount Everest in 1953?” was the question. Freise correctly answered Tenzing Norgay and secured one million marks. But the winnings were quickly gone. Freie used the money to pay off his semi-detached house and donated the rest of the money. Today he is a popular guest on various TV quiz shows and is considered a luminary for all kinds of trivia questions.

Freise was followed by 15 other candidates who were able to answer the million dollar question. Among them are Oliver Pocher, Thomas Gottschalk and Barbara Schönenberger, three celebrities who won the main prize in celebrity specials. They donated the money to charity.

Still a stable market share in 2024

The show brought record ratings for the RTL channel. One year after the premiere, an average of ten million viewers tuned in – per show. The show was initially broadcast three times a week and then twice a week.

Since 2015, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” has only been broadcast on Monday evenings. But even in 2024, it still has a stable market share of over ten percent. Günther Jauch asks his questions, and the Germans watch.

The format is not successful in Switzerland

The success of the German version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” is unique. The format started in 1998 in Great Britain under the title “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and was then adapted in over a hundred countries. In many of them, the show was canceled after just a few seasons. This includes Switzerland.

The cabaret artist René Rindlisbacher hosted the show on TV3 from March 2000. When the channel was shut down in December 2001, the show disappeared from the schedule. Ten years later, it made a comeback on channel 3+ – but was canceled after just three shows due to high costs.