John Carpenter, a resident of Hamden, Connecticut, was more known as the very first top prize winner in the worldwide history of WWTBAM. He was also famous for winning $250,000 for his charity during the Tournament of Champions episodes. His appearances were on November 18-19, 1999, and May 24-25, 2000. Here is how John made a grand total of $1,250,000.
Fastest Finger First[]
| Fastest Finger First | |
| Put the following races in order according to their length, from the shortest to the longest. | |
| • A: Iditarod Dog Sled Race | • B: Tour de France |
| • C: London Marathon | • D: Indianapolis 500 |
From the 8 contestants, 3 got the right order, which was C-A-D-B, but John, with a time of 5.42 seconds, got the fastest out of the contestants, making it into the Hot Seat.
John's First Run to the Million[]
| $100 (1 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| In the "Road Runner and Coyote" cartoons, what famous sound does the Road Runner make? | |
| • A: Ping! Ping! | • B: Beep! Beep! |
| • C: Aooga! Aooga! | • D: Vroom! Vroom! |
| $200 (2 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Where should choking victims place their hands to indicate to others that they need help? | |
| • A: Over the eyes | • B: On the knees |
| • C: Around the throat | • D: On their hips |
| $300 (3 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which of these dance names is used to describe a fashionable dot? | |
| • A: Hora | • B: Swing |
| • C: Lambada | • D: Polka |
| $500 (4 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| In what "language" would you say "ello-hay" to greet your friends? | |
| • A: Bull Latin | • B: Duck Latin |
| • C: Dog Latin | • D: Pig Latin |
| $1,000 (5 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What part of a chicken is commonly called the "drumstick?" | |
| • A: Breast | • B: Wing |
| • C: Leg | • D: Gizzard |
| $2,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What is the only position on a football team that can be "sacked?" | |
| • A: Center | • B: Tight end |
| • C: Wide receiver | • D: Quarterback |
| $4,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What god of love is often depicted as a chubby winged infant with a bow and arrow? | |
| • A: Zeus | • B: Mercury |
| • C: Cupid | • D: Poseidon |
| $8,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What Steven Spielberg film climaxes at a place called Devil's Tower? | |
| • A: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial | • B: Jurassic Park |
| • C: Raiders of the Lost Ark | • D: Close Encounters of the Third Kind |
| $16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| In what U.S. town did the famous 1881 shoot-out at the O.K. Corral take place? | |
| • A: Laramie | • B: Tombstone |
| • C: El Paso | • D: Dodge City |
| $32,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which of the following months has no U.S. federal holiday? | |
| • A: August | • B: February |
| • C: September | • D: November |
| $64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What mythological beast is reborn from its own ashes? | |
| • A: Phoenix | • B: Dragon |
| • C: Minotaur | • D: Golem |
| $125,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Who developed the first effective vaccine against polio? | |
| • A: Albert Sabin | • B: Niels Bohr |
| • C: Louis Pasteur | • D: Jonas Salk |
| $250,000 (13 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which of the following is not a monotheistic religion? | |
| • A: Islam | • B: Judaism |
| • C: Hinduism | • D: Christianity |
| $500,000 (14 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What architect designed the glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre? | |
| • A: Philip Johnson | • B: Le Corbusier |
| • C: Frank Gehry | • D: I.M. Pei |
| At this point, John still had all three lifelines intact. | |
| $1,000,000 (15 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which of these U.S. Presidents appeared on the television series "Laugh-In?" 'Phone a Friend' lifeline used | |
| • A: Lyndon Johnson | • B: Richard Nixon |
| • C: Jimmy Carter | • D: Gerald Ford |
| The following does not count as a lifeline use: John used his Phone-a-Friend lifeline to call his dad, Tom, just to tell him he's about to win $1,000,000 as John knew the answer. With 5 seconds left, John said B: Richard Nixon as his final answer and won the jackpot. Coming up next is John's second runthrough to $250,000 during the Tournament of Champions. | |