“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” turned 25 this year. Günther Jauch reveals the recipe for success of the popular quiz show.
Günther Jauch reveals: That’s why “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” is so successful
The Princes sang the song “I’d love to be a millionaire” eight years before the RTL format was born. And it is precisely this longing that is the secret of the success of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” . This is certainly also due to the special charm of the down-to-earth Günther Jauch (68). He made the quiz a long-running TV hit. On the occasion of the “25 Years of WWM” anniversary, the presenter reveals his recipe. “Saying ‘He or she is a millionaire’ was something new, something exciting ,” says Günther Jauch. And: “It wasn’t that easy to become a millionaire, it took a while before the first millionaire, who was still a D-Mark millionaire, came along. But then people realized: ‘Aha, you can win a million there.'” Eckard Freise was the first professor to win . “You could have thought ,” said Jauch, “‘Oh, so only intellectuals can win the million,’ and lo and behold: the second person to win the million was an unemployed housewife. And at that moment, I think it was clear to everyone: anything is possible on the show .”
Jauch initially wanted to reject WWM
Even after 1,300 shows, you can still be amazed by the candidates and have a lot of fun – about supposed bores and eccentrics. The Münster native didn’t even want to take on this show in the first place. He believed: “The quiz was completely out of date , nobody was interested in it anymore, it was black and white television.” It’s a good thing he watched the English model anyway! He says of the moment when the journalist decided to go with WWM: “And that gave me such a sense of excitement…”
This article first appeared in the print edition of DIE NEUE FRAU. You can read more exciting star news in the current issue of DIE NEUE FRAU – available at kiosks every Wednesday.
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