Line #22 Series/MillionDollarMoneyDrop


1	[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4326bdeef0cec385b376e91526711ec2.jpg]]
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3	A Creator/{{FOX}} GameShow hosted by Kevin Pollak based on the British original, ''Series/TheMillionPoundDrop''. In a game whose title [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin adequately explained what was going on]], a couple was assigned $1,000,000 cash, divided into 50 bundles of $20,000, to bet on the answers of multiple-choice questions. Each answer choice was paired to a different trapdoor or "drop," and the contestants could hedge their bets by spreading the money over two or more answers. Any money they put on wrong answers was dumped down a chute and out of play, and at least one answer per question had to be left empty (i.e., no money placed on it). This continued for six questions, all with varying time limits and numbers of possible answers, until the seventh and final question (if they even ''got'' that far) — an all-or-nothing gamble on a question with two possible answers.
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5	The show premiered on December 20, 2010 as four specials to favorable ratings and a controversy involving one particular question, then returned on January 4, 2011 as a regular series until February 1. FOX entertainment chief Kevin Reilly announced the show's death on August 5.
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8	!!GameShowTropes in use:
9	* AllOrNothing: Good luck trying to walk away with ''anything'' on the final question!
10	* GoldenSnitch: About as extreme as they get. The last question's no different than the others in terms of basic rules -- you have to risk all of your money, but leave one answer open. Problem is, there's [[AllOrNothing only two answers]]. And the question is arguably [[HarderThanHard the hardest in the game]]. And the "hint" they gave you was [[PowerupLetdown absolutely worthless]]. And you ''[[FakeDifficulty couldn't opt out of it]]''. It was even worse [[ShootTheShaggyDog if you did awesomely on the first six questions.]]
11	** Asking who was more trusted between a respected anchorman and Jon Stewart just ''reeked'' of "trick question", and it's relatively common knowledge that Jon Stewart hates his status as America's most trusted news anchor.
12	* {{Lifelines}}: Quick Change, not present on the British version, allowed an additional 30 seconds for deliberation and wagering.
13	* Personnel:
14	** GameShowHost: Kevin Pollak, a comedian who had previously hosted FOX's quiz show ''Series/OurLittleGenius''... which was pulled before its debut due to allegations of rigging.
15	** LovelyAssistant: The US version somehow featured two ladies[[note]]Kristen Dalton and Tami Farrell[[/note]], whose only job was to rearrange the money after every question. (In the Australian version, two male guards had the job. Contrast to the UK version, where the players would do it themselves.)
16	** StudioAudience
17	* {{Whammy}}: Nothing's more straightforward than losing all the money you put on a wrong answer.
18	* WhoWantsToBeWhoWantsToBeAMillionaire: Epic music, epic set, epic padding, and literally stacking out every single bill in front of the contestants at the start of each game.
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21	!!Tropes:
22	* CatchPhrase: Variations of "Step up and see what drops..."
23	* CommercialBreakCliffhanger: Did you really expect otherwise from FOX?
24	* EpicFail:
25	** A large (and somewhat confusing) one for the show: on the premiere, a question asked which product was sold first — the Platform/AppleMacintosh computer, the Creator/{{Sony}} Walkman, or [=3M=] Post-it Notes. The couple placed most of their money ($800,000) on Post-it Notes, but promptly lost it when it was revealed that the Walkman was introduced in 1979 and Post-it Notes were introduced in 1980...however viewers quickly pointed out evidence indicating Post-it Notes were test marketed in four cities in 1977. The producers stated that WordOfGod told them the alleged test marketing was just free samples (although even this is disputed), but eventually [=3M=] sent them the real story — they were indeed test marketed in several cities under the name "Press 'N Peel" in 1977 before making their national debut a few years later as Post-it Notes. The couple was given the option of returning to the show, but sat on the fence until the show was canned. They were interviewed by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZHw4nFtDJ0 ABC News]] about the incident.
26	** Another one for the producers came when one question involved the most frequently-used password. Turns out, the info was taken from a single obscure website that 1) never claimed to do research on the subject and 2) based what they said on a single hacking incident of another site.
27	** And one for the players: the first question of one episode was "What do drivers in the Indianapolis 500 traditionally drink in Victory Lane?" The choices were "something made by Anheuser-Busch" (beer, specifically Budweiser), "something made by Dom Perignon" (various wines), "something made by an Atlanta company" (presumably Coca-Cola), and "something made by cows" (milk). The couple put all $1,000,000 on "Dom Perignon"...and lost everything on the ''first question''. (The correct answer was "milk".)
28	* LuckBasedMission: Unless you somehow happen to know whatever [[HarderThanHard ridiculously]] [[FakeDifficulty obscure]] fact it asks you about, the last question devolves into a blind 50/50 shot. [[Film/DirtyHarry Do you feel lucky?]]
29	* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: Averted, in comparison to fellow money-dropping game show ''Series/{{Downfall\|2010}}''; the OpeningNarration of the premiere at least claimed that the money was real and the security was tight.
30	* TransatlanticEquivalent:
31	** ''Series/TheMillionPoundDrop'', the originator of the format in the United Kingdom.
32	** The Australian version was called ''The Million Dollar Drop'', hosted by Eddie [=McGuire=] (also the host of ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' and ''Series/OneVersusOneHundred'' on Creator/NineNetwork).
33	** The Italian version was simply ''The Money Drop'', hosted by [[LargeHam Gerry Scotti]] and included an ''amazing'' amount of innuendo: for instance, the 25 February episode has, among the various two-question choices, one question titled "Lick me". And that's just the tip of the iceberg, as some questions are even more [[RefugeInAudacity blatant]].
34	-->'''Gerry Scotti:''' [[LampshadeHanging Just HOW can we name a question "Lick me"?!?]]

Context Series / MillionDollarMoneyDrop