Milionerzy (Millionaires) is a Polish game show based on the original British format of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?[1] The show is hosted by Hubert Urbański. The main goal of the game is to win 1 million Polish zloty by answering twelve[2]multiple-choice questions correctly. There are three classic lifelines[2] – fifty fifty (pół na pół, 50:50), phone a friend (telefon do przyjaciela) and ask the audience (pytanie do publiczności) – and also two other lifelines – ask the expert (pytanie do eksperta)[note 1][3] and switch the question (zamiana pytania).[4] From March to December 2010 contestant could choose risk game, where the second guaranteed sum (40,000 zł) was not guaranteed.[5] The first series of Milionerzy was broadcast from 3 September 1999 to 26 January 2003, the second version was broadcast from 19 January 2008 to 19 December 2010, and the third version has been broadcast since 9 February 2017. Since 2017, it is shown every Monday to Thursday at 8:55 p.m (CET +1 or CEST +2) on the Polish commercial television station TVN. The executive producer of the programme was Endemol in the first version, Intergalactic in the second version, and Jake Vision in the third version. Since 2008, when a contestant gets the second question correct, they will leave with 1,000 zł. When a contestant gets the seventh question correct, they will leave with 40,000 zł.
From 1999 through 2003 we could see three changes of the studio stage design, some differ in stylistics. From 2008, after resumption we could see the fourth stage design and now, in 2010, the fifth one.
The first logo of Milionerzy from 1999 was very different from the standard model used in other editions of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. It was a violet rhombus on one of vertexes and rings standing on themselves on background of "Milionerzy" caption.[note 2] The second one, modelled on the traditional style, is round with green question marks. It was introduced with the changes of credits and scenography in 2000. It is used also now, but in another colour scheme (question marks are gold).
The first and second version of the opening credits were similar with people looking and aiming on Milionerzy logo. It was patterned on British credits of this time. From 2008, the opening credits of the programme feature an animation showing in sequence all prizes to one million zlotys – it is patterned on the newest British version.[note 3]
In 2008 except for the opening credits, no big changes were made on graphics and sounds. The 2008 edition had refreshed graphics: the fields with questions and answers were navy-blue and blue (earlier black) and smaller than in first edition of Milionerzy, and the field with won prize was blue (earlier brown and navy-blue). Also some sound effects and music we could hear in the background when player answers a question, changed.
In 2010 opening credits were changed, fields, where players' names are shown in Fastest Finger First are smaller, question fields and money tree are smaller, also fonts were changed. Also, there are no commercial break intros and outros.
The first edition was recorded in the Warsaw-based WFDiF studio, 21, Chełmska St. from 1999 until 2001 in the TVP studio on 17, Woronicza St until 2003. In 2008 and 2009 Milionerzy was recorded in the TVP studio in Kraków, 44, Nowohucka St. In 2010, the show was recorded in Farat Film studio in Warsaw, 22, Notecka St.
Stage I – to become a contestant, you had to phone a special Telemedium number, then choose date of recording of the episode, then answer a question with four variants and tell your personal details. 100 people were drawn from those who answered correctly and told the same recording date and they went to the II stage.
Stage II – people, who were drawn, gave their telephone number, and a pollster called them in a 2-days time and asked questions, which didn't have answer variants. 20 people, who gave the most similar answers to the correct ones were going to the III stage.
Stage III – before the recording participants had to arrange answer variants in correct order. 12 people, who did it correctly went to the IV stage. They were 10 Fastest Finger First players and two reserves. Pollster phoned them to confirm that they participate.
2008–2010
Stage I – to become a contestant, you had to send a SMS with Milion text to a shown number, and then answer two questions with four answer variants sent by a SMS and to give your personal details. The first 100 people who registered, answered those 2 questions and gave their personal details, went to the second stage.
Stage II – agent of the producer of the program phoned those 100 people. The call is recorded, about what those people are informed at the beginning of the call. Potential participant has to say about him, his hobby, job etc. Next, he had to answer several general knowledge questions, which don't have variants. People chosen in the phone casting are informed about it in a 7-days time and invited to the studio.
On Children's Day there were two special episodes, were shown on 1 and 2 June 2002, the prizes were given to the TVN charity. The participants were children attending primary schools. The prizes were the same as in usual episodes, but the questions were easier. Amount of money won in those episode was 64,000 złotys.[12]
On 29 and 30 June there were special episodes where participants were people from Polish Big Brother. Players were playing in pairs: Monika Sewioło with Piotr Gulczyński, Ilona Stachura with Arkadiusz Nowakowski, Monika Brochacka with Piotr Borucki, Agnieszka Frykowska with Łukasz Wiewiórski, Alicja Walczak with Sebastian Florek and Karolina Jakubik with Wojciech Glanc. Winnings were given to Nie jesteś sam charity.[13]
Also in 2002 TVN was broadcasting series of family episodes. Teams of three people were taking part, and all had to be related. Every team had its captain. The rules were the same as in normal episodes, but the captain decided about choosing an answer after consultations with the rest of family members. After winning 32,000 złotys, one person left the team and went to the audience; after winning 125,000 złotys another person left and only one person left had to answer last three questions.[14] Najwyższa wygrana w tych wydaniach to 250 000 złotych.[14]
On 1 June 2008 (Children's Day) episode celebrities of Polish television were playing for money to build a cancer prevention center. The first pair of players were Piotr Gąsowski and Katarzyna Skrzynecka who won 40,000 złotys, and the second pair of players were Szymon Majewski and Ewa Drzyzga who won 125,000 złotys. Whole amount of money won was given to the Nie jesteś sam charity.[15]
Next episodes were broadcasteon 6 and 7 December 2008. In the first episode, Kinga Rusin and Bartosz Węglarczyk won 40,000 złotys, and in the second, Renata Dancewicz and Piotr Adamczyk won 500,000 złotys. The winnings were given to Nie jesteś sam charity.
Next episodes were broadcast on 25 and 26 December 2009. On the first day, Julia Kamińska and Filip Bobek won 40,000 złotys. On the second day, Marcin Prokop and Szymon Hołownia won 250,000 złotys. All of the winnings were given to Nie jesteś sam charity.[16]
In 2010, special episodes were broadcast on 12 and 19 December. In the first episode, Karolina Korwin-Piotrowska and Michał Piróg won 500,000 złotys, and on the next episode (broadcast on 19 December) they didn't answer the final question for 1 million zł. Next contestants were Anita Werner and Grzegorz Kajdanowicz – they won 40,000 zlotys. Winnings were to given to Nie jesteś sam charity.
Average of number of viewers from September 1999 to October 2008
The biggest number of viewers was on 5 March 2000, when a contestant won 250,000 zł as the first person in the show. The number of viewers of this episode was 6.51 million people.[26][27][28]
Average number of viewers of the January–April 2008 episode was 3.5 million viewers.[29] First episode of 2008 series (19 January 2008) was watched by 3.5 million viewers. The biggest number of viewers in 2008 series was on 5 April 2008, when the 1,000,000 zł question came up the first time in the 2008 series. The episode from 6 April 2008 in which contestant got the 500,000 zł question wrong was watched by 4.2 million viewers.
In Milionerzy, 33 questions for one million złotys appeared. 24 players walked away, and nine players answered the question. Two players answered incorrectly, while seven players answered correctly and won 1 million złotys. Here are the questions:
Władysław Kostrzewski – 21 October 2000 (resigned)
The names of the five Polish cities are engraved on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, dedicated to the memory of the Napoleonic victories. Among the given cities with the one not engraved is:
Tomasz Orzechowski – 19 September 2022 (gave a right answer)
1,000,000 zł (12 of 12)
Who in the mid-19th century composed the famous "Prayer of the Virgin", a piece played in Europe, in the United States, but the most popular in Japan to this day?
Mateusz Żaboklicki – 12 March 2024 (gave a right answer)
1,000,000 zł (12 of 12)
Tetrapods do not include:
⬥ A:reptiles
⬥ B:amphibians
⬥ C:birds
⬥ D:insects
Tomasz Boruch – 3 April 2024 (gave a right answer)
1,000,000 zł (12 of 12)
In what strait are two islands called Yesterday and Tomorrow, separated by less than four kilometers but with a time difference of as much as 21 hours?
⬥ A:in the Bosphorus Strait
⬥ B:in the Strait of Magellan
⬥ C:in the Caleta Strait
⬥ D:in the Bering Strait
Sławomir Świątecki – 17 April 2024 (resigned)
1,000,000 zł (12 of 12)
"Like the masters of sweets, they first give gifts when they train boys to make promises." The promise, i.e.:
During the Fastest Fingers First portion in the second season, all contestants correctly answered the question, which was "Put these Australian towns in the alphabetical order". It is rare to see all contestants get the correct order.
There has been an occasion similar to the American version where the audience unanimously voted on a single answer when asked for help via the Ask the Audience lifeline. The question, worth 40,000 złoty, was: "A small, golden gramophone is given away at what awards ceremony?" The correct answer was "Grammy Awards".
In Milionerzy there were three situations when player lost because of laxly said questions and were restored to play.
The first player made a mistake in the question for 32,000 zł: "Who invented the steam engine?". He answered "James Watt", but the correct answer was "Charles Algernon Parsons". After a complaint to programme's producer, his answer was recognized as correct. The player won a guaranteed 32,000 zł, but he answered incorrectly in the next question for 64,000 zł.
The second player made a mistake in the question for 500 zł: "How many cuts are on Kaiser rolls?". He answered: "4" (the correct answer was "5") and he won nothing. After recognizing his answer, he answered incorrectly in the question for 1000 zł and he left the studio with nothing for the second time.
^The experts were: in the autumn 2009 season – Andrzej Fabianowski, Piotr Gąsowski, Michał Ogórek and Kazimiera Szczuka; in the 2010 seasons – Bartosz Węglarczyk, Michał Ogórek, Szymon Hołownia, Dorota Wellman and Jan Wróbel.
^From moment when host announces Fastest Finger First to moment when he ends reading the question.
^This effect wasn't used in the first episodes of second series.
^Winning question: One of the official languages of the United Nations is: A. German; B. Arabic; C. Latin; D. Polish. Correct answer: "B". Question for 250,000 zł was: Zbigniew Zamachowski plays on a comb melody of the song "To ostatnia niedziela" (This last Sunday) in the film: A. "Zmruż oczy" (Squint Your Eyes); B. "Pułkownik Kwiatkowski" (Colonel Kwiatkowski); C. "Trzy kolory. Biały" (Three Colours: White); D. "Cześć Tereska" (Hi Theresa) and the correct answer was answer "C".
^A player who had 75,000 zł decided to answer the next question and chose answer "B" for this 125,000 zł question: Which of these famous connoisseurs had to say: "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar"? A. Mark Twain; B. Winston Churchill, C. Sigmund Freud, D. Alfred Hitchcock. Correct answer was "C".
^Question for 125,000 zł was: In which voivodeship known from Polish jokes is the town Wąchock? A. in Lower Silesian; B. in Podlachian; C. in Świętokrzyskie; D. in Pomeranian. The correct answer was "C". The player refused to play for 250,000 zł, which question was: How many cats are on Édouard Manet's painting "Olimpia"? A. zero; B. one; C. two; D. three. Correct answer was "B".
^A player answered 9 question for 125,000 zł, having one lifeline fifty fifty (pół na pół) left. After using it on the 250,000 zł question, she risked and said gave a wrong answer to a question about place of red gape on palm cockatoo. After using the lifeline, two answers remained: C. on mirror near the wing and D. on the bottom of the beak.
^
Question for 75,000 zł:
Veduta is a painting showing:
A) still life
B) view of town
C) family portrait
D) war scene.
Player chose D answer, but correct answer was B.
^Player resigned playing in the question for 125,000 zł, what was:: Who of these persons from cosmetics field was born in Łódź? A. Estée Lauder; B. Helena Rubinstein; C. Max Factor; D. Irena Eris. He initially bet on "B" answer, but "C" was correct answer.
^5 players played in this episode. Three of them won 1000 zł, one player left the studio with nothing, and one won Fastest Fingers First round, but the programme ended before he heard the first question.
^Player had 75,000 zł and he decided to answer question for 125,000 zł: What violet colour on vestment of ecclesiastic in Roman Catholic Church symbolize? A. atonement; B. happiness; C. royal dignity; D. innocence.
After using lifeline 50:50 "A" and "B" answers stayed. Player chosen "B" answer, which was incorrect. Correct answer was "A".
^Player who had 250,000 zł said that she want to play for 500,000 zł. Question for 500,000 zł: Which of these words isn't anagram of word "skrzynka"? A. zarys; B. krzak; C. kryzys; D. kryza, after using lifelines ask the audience and phone a friend, she resigned from answering. She bet on "A" answer, but "C" was correct answer. Winning question for 250,000 zł was: If young couple stay under chuppah, what religion do they profess?? A. buddhism; B. judaism; C. islam; D. hinduism. Correct answer was "B".
^Player while having 500,000 zł had a question for million zlotys: Who is the master of the same arms that Artemis specialises? A. Zorro B. Legolas C. Don Quixote D. Longinus Podbipięta, and after using ask the audience (46% of votes for correct answer) and fifty fifty ("A" and "B" answers stayed) lifelines, she resigned from answering the question. She intuitively bet on "B", which was correct answer. If she would use fifty fifty, and then ask the audience (where probably would be about 65% of votes for correct answer), she would probably answer correct answer, "B". Many people say that this player was a corrupted player. Winning question for 500,000 zł: Which of these words are also in singular form? A. name day (imieniny) B. doors (drzwi) C. thicket (chaszcze) D. shaft (drzewce)
Correct answer was "D".
^Player while having 250,000 zł decided to play for 500,000 zł and he chose answer "C" at question for 500,000 zł: In which of these countries English language isn't an official language? A. in Canada B. in the US C. in the RSA D. in Ireland. Correct answer was "B". Winning question for 250,000 zł:
^Player while having 40,000 zł answered intuitionally "B" at question for 75,000 zł: Which of these chemical elements was called "kwasoród" (acid-borner) in the past? A. oxygen; B. hydrogen; C. carbon; D. nitrogen, but correct answer was "A". Winning question for 40,000 zł was: Flowers of cucumber are in what colour? A. red; B. blue; C. yellow; D. violet. Correct answer was "C".
^Question for 75,000 zł: What is in Polish buttonhole beside hole of button in jacket's flop. Correct answer was: little flacon, but player said it is fancy handkerchief and ended his game. Other possible answers were: decoration of well and miniature of order.
^Player while having 40,000 zł decided to answer "A" in question for 75,000 zł: How editors in Poland call one-letter words which can be found at the end of the verse in newspaper or book? A. karzełek (dwarf); B. bękart (bastard); C. podrzutek (oaf); D. pustelnik (anchoret) but correct answer was "B".
^Question for 250,000 zł was: Who of these prime ministers of Israel was born in Poland? A. Shimon Peres; B. Ariel Sharon; C. Benjamin Netanyahu; D. Ehud Olmert. Player resigned from playing, but the player bet on correct answer. Correct answer was "A". Question for 125,000 zł was: Snowflake is usually a star with how many sides? A. eight; B. seven; C. six; D. five. Correct answer was "C".
^Result of Piotr Gąsowski's and Katarzyna Skrzynecka's game for charity from first part of programme was prize of guaranteed 40,000 zł. They answered incorrectly at question for 125,000 zł.
^Result of game for charity in second part of programme by Szymon Majewski and Ewa Drzyzga. Question for 250,000 zł was: Vests of people who fill up the fuel in aircraft carriers are in what colour? A: yellow; B: violet; C: blue; D: white. Players resigned from playing. Ewa Drzyzga bet on a wrong answer, while Szymon Majewski bet on the correct answer, which was "B". Question for 125,000 zł: Whose exertion for role summed up with this text: "Isn't able to play, isn't able to sing. Becomes bald. Dances a little". A: Frank Sinatra's; B:Fred Astaire's; C: John Travolta's; D: Bruce Willis'. After using two lifelines, a player chose "B", which was correct answer.
^Question for 125,000 zł: Countries, which ratified the Kyoto Protocol, decided to reduce what? A. use of conventional weapon; B. use of nuclear weapon; C. emission of greenhouse gases; D. output of petroleum. Player chose the correct answer, which was "C".
^Player incorrectly answered on question for 75,000 zł: "On Oscar statuette, knight is standing on what? A: on roll of film tape; B: on sword; C: on clapperboard; D: on earth. Player chose "D" answer, but the correct answer was "A".
^Question for 250,000 zł was 'Where's the Wharton's jelly?". Player resigned from playing. The winning 125,000 zł question was: "In which Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum game a player could become buster of street gang? A: 1942; B: Target: Renegade; C: Saboteur; D: Commando" After 50:50 B and D stayed. B was correct.
^Question for 500,000 zł, on which player resigned from playing, was: "Gala, wife and muse of Salvador Dalí was: A: a Russian immigrant; B: a Spanish dancer; C: a French marchioness; D: a Greek journalist. Correct answer was "A". Player used "ask the expert" lifeline on this question, but he didn't get the answer. Winning question for 250,000 zł was: Which of these writers took part in the French invasion of Russia? A: Adam Mickiewicz; B: Julian Niemcewicz; C: Aleksander Fredro; D: Jakub Jasiński. Correct answer was "C".
^ abThe exceptions are the Easter episodes from 2017, which aired on Saturday and Monday at 20:00; and the final episode of the 2 million złoty special, which aired on Friday at 20:00.
^The special episodes are longer, lasting 26–50 minutes. The final episode of the 2 million złoty special lasted 60 minutes.
^The fourth (last) week of episodes was not included.
^All episodes except two special episodes (14 February and 1 June).
^M. I. Niemczyńska, "Hitchcock w teleturnieju" ("Hitchcock in a game show"), Gazeta Telewizyjna (Television Magazine) – addition to Gazeta Wyborcza, N°21, page 9
