# A Guy On "1 vs. 100" actually won the million bucks. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 5, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374 "2008-01-05T04:42:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/21 "2008-01-05T16:48:21Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] I think it’s the the biggest holiday for long-distance calls, and from my years of working in restaurants I know that it is the busiest day for brunch of the year. 🙂 [/QUOTE] I was thinking the same thing – there was some category in which Mother’s Day was #1, and that may have led to confusion. Everyone has a mom, but most people under age 18 don’t buy cards (they make them in school, if at all) and people over 50 may not have one living and receiving cards. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/22 "2008-01-05T17:36:01Z")
I would be uncertain as to the meaning of “Greeting Cards.” This term is rather new to me. I’ve been using _Christmas_ Cards long before I ever heard the term greeting card, which I think was created by Hallmark, along with Mother’s Day and Santa Claus. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/23 "2008-01-05T18:10:54Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] On a related note, a woman actually won the $.01 prize on _Deal or No Deal_. [/QUOTE] Did they make her spin that wheel to double it, triple it, or get half the winnings? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/24 "2008-01-05T18:24:56Z")
I wonder if the question counted generic “Happy Holidays” and “Seasons Greetings” cards as “Christmas” cards ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/25 "2008-01-05T18:58:48Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] Did they make her spin that wheel to double it, triple it, or get half the winnings? [/QUOTE] Nope, that’s all she got. The funny thing was, she held out for the case she had on the lectern; it had the $.01 ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/26 "2008-01-05T19:12:25Z")
[QUOTE=Sarahfeena] I thought that was bizarre…how did all 15 of the remaining mob get that question wrong? It seemed so obvious…it was almost like they threw the game. [/QUOTE] The mob only gets ten seconds to answer, so it’s really an instinctual thing. The contestant has all the time he or she wants. [Here’s part of a report by a mob participant.](http://tomthedog.blogspot.com/2007/01/1-vs-100-post-game-report.html) Check out his whole saga by checking out the links in the sidebar. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/27 "2008-01-05T19:19:58Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] I think it’s the the biggest holiday for long-distance calls, and from my years of working in restaurants I know that it is the busiest day for brunch of the year. 🙂 [/QUOTE] I’ve heard that Mother’s Day is the biggest for directory assistance calls. That seemed sad to me, since there’s only one call you have to make that day, and you really should know your mother’s phone number. (Realistically, if it is a big day for directory assistance calls, it’s because of people calling restaurants for brunch reservations.) ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/28 "2008-01-05T19:29:27Z")
Some other show had Mother’s Day as the answer to the biggest eating-out day. I said Mothers Day on this one quickly, then “wait a second” whe I thought about the shher volume of Christmas cards. Had I been in the mob I may have messed it up. At least now the winner can buy that girlfriend, like he said. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/29 "2008-01-05T19:58:57Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] The mob only gets ten seconds to answer, so it’s really an instinctual thing. The contestant has all the time he or she wants. [/QUOTE] I didn’t think of that…it makes it make a little more sense. But my instinctive response was Christmas, and so was my husband’s, so I’m surprised that NO ONE in the mob went that way. It just seems odd. Maybe I was biased by the fact that I just sent out 60 Christmas cards! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/30 "2008-01-05T20:38:31Z")
[QUOTE=smiling bandit] I would be uncertain as to the meaning of “Greeting Cards.” This term is rather new to me. I’ve been using _Christmas_ Cards long before I ever heard the term greeting card, which I think was created by Hallmark, along with Mother’s Day and Santa Claus. [/QUOTE] I think “greeting cards” includes everything on that rack in the grocery store: birthday, anniversary, sympathy, congratulations, and specific holidays. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/31 "2008-01-06T01:20:34Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] It’s still kind of flukey that NOBODY in the mob guessed Christmas, but it takes a fluke for someone to win that game. [/QUOTE] To me that raises another question: one of the “saves” the contestant has is the ability to talk to two mob members, one who answered correctly, one who answered wrong (personally, if I was a mob member asked, I’d give the vaguest, emptiest justification for my answer possible - without appearing to do so deliberately - since I have no incentive to help the contestant in any way). The kid had blown this save on an earlier, easier question, but what if he’d had and used it here? There wasn’t any mob member who’d answered correctly. What would they do? ---
**Author:** ![Intelligently\_Designed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intelligently_designed/32/20957_2.png) [@Intelligently\_Designed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intelligently_Designed)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/32 "2008-01-06T02:07:35Z")
[Clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSqZyE99yJg) of the 1 vs 100 guy who won a million bucks. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/33 "2008-01-06T03:09:08Z")
[QUOTE=Mahaloth] Not everyone knows what a prime number is? [/QUOTE] After I saw that I called up my sister, who is bright but the least mathematically inclined adult I know. When I called her she was half asleep. She responded with, “Eleven, of course.” **Bryan Ekers** , that’s a good question. I have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/34 "2008-01-06T03:35:20Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] I wanted him to make pelvic thrusts toward the defeated 100 (all women) yelling “Suck it, bitches!” [/QUOTE] Is the money his god now? And [here’s another mob member](http://ken-jennings.com/blog/?p=212)’s comments on appearing on the show’s very first episode. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374/35 "2008-01-06T13:43:51Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] After I saw that I called up my sister, who is bright but the least mathematically inclined adult I know. When I called her she was half asleep. She responded with, “Eleven, of course.” [/QUOTE] The prime number woman seemed totally zombied out by the stress. She started out saying something like "This is grade two math, but… " Then she gave an explanation of what a prime number is and isn’t that, while not correct, was close enough for network TV. She lost it when she used the help. The guy who had the correct answer gave her some bullshit about gut feeling, which is what the correct people always say on that show, since you have no incentive to help the player. The guy with the wrong answer also gave her bullshit, but in a strong, intimidating tone, suggesting that she was stupid. As so often happens under stress, she went with the the person who was wrong but sounded confident. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-guy-on-1-vs-100-actually-won-the-million-bucks/432374.md?page=1)