Ron Freshour Wins $250,000 on “Millionaire”; Plays for $500,000 Thursday
Ron Freshour wants to be a Millionaire…and he’s just two questions away from doing it. Ron, a pub quiz host from Austin, Texas, won $250,000 at the end of Wednesday’s Millionaire. First thing on Thursday, October 25th, Meredith Vieira will ask him a question for $500,000. If he gets it he will be the first person to win $500,000 and see a million dollar question in actual game play on the daytime version since 2007. No one has won the $1,000,000 prize in live play since 2003.
There’s a lot in Ron’s favor. He’s a pub quiz host and those often ask really obscure things you’ll see as Classic Millionaire questions. He’s a game show veteran who has won The Weakest Link, which is far harder a show to win than most will admit. He’s also a gambler who won $15,000 playing craps for over an hour. He’s smart and he’s gutsy. Will he be the first $500,000 winner since 2007? Or the first person to miss a $500,000 question since 2005?
Ron made it to Classic Millionaire with a bank of $53,600 and one Jump left. He jumped over his $100,000 question and faced this quarter million dollar question:
With a whopping 15 in total, what is the most common last name among those with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
A: Anderson
B: Smith
C: Williams
D: Lee
Ron successfully answered C and pocketed the second $250,000 prize of the 2012-2013 season. The famous “Williams” include Andy, Bill, Billy Dee, Cindy, Earle, Esther, Guy, Hank, Joe, Kathlyn, Paul, Robin, Roger, Tex and Vanessa. Here’s a preview of his $500,000 question:
Photo courtesy Valleycrest Productions Ltd.
The only member of Lewis and Clark’s expedition to die during the historic journey, Charles Floyd reportedly died from what?
A: Mountain lion attack
B: Typhoid fever
C: Gunshot wound
D: Appendicitis
Do you know the answer? Better yet, will Ron know it and face the million dollar question? Find out today.
Photos courtesy Valleycrest Productions Ltd.
Judging by his expression in the preview, he doesn’t know it. He’ll walk away. It’s another know-it-or-you-don’t question that can’t really be reasoned through. Each of those answers are plausible. (Guessing A, it seems out of place.)
I went with the right answer. I also narrowed it down to the same two he did, but rationalized why the right answer was more logical. Now would I have taken the leap to go for it. Probably not.
I’m noticing a trend here. Over the past 3 years they’ve been making the $500,000 slightly easier every time. Something tells that the rumors of there being a million dollar question this season are true and the next person to see the 500k question will know it and answer it.
I thought “reportedly” was the clue – sure, it could mean just in the literal sense of, this was what was recorded. But I thought it of in the sense of, they could only report his symptoms and didn’t have a name for it at the time. That would leave B or D. A or C, there would be no doubt about what occurred.
I figured out the correct answer as “reportedly” made it obvious:
My thought process was for A & C would be well, duh, he was seen to have been attacked by a mountain lion, or he was obviously shot (accidental or intentional).
That left B & D. Typhoid fever was known by the early 1800s, Appendicitis was not. With that word “reportedly” in there, that, to me made it the only logical choice.
The problem with the contestants, though, is that it’s hard to risk that much money even on a logical guess at that point as there have been high tier questions in the past that have defied logic. Remember the state misspelling in the constitution question. Logic said it couldn’t be Pennsylvania as it was misspelled as Pensylvania in the answer choices and no doubt the founding fathers remembered William Penn, but yet that was still the answer.
I missed it. What happened? He walked? What was the right answer? Please and Thanks
I was there for this amazing run. I knew his $250 and $500K questions, but heck knows if I would be in such a postion like him to just be able to go for it. Easily one of the most excitable and energetic contestants I have ever seen in my life, I am so happy that he won.
What made it even better was that he was the first contestant out of the gates for this 3-episode set that goes from yesterday through tomorrow. You’ll see a familiar face compete then, so get ready.
money vault rocks