Crystal Ball Lifeline Returns to “Millionaire” For Another Week Starting Monday
A new lifeline introduced to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire this season will be making a reappearance starting this Monday. Crystal Ball, an aide for contestants that first appeared during Halloween Week 2012, is coming back for another special week. In addition to Ask the Audience and two Jump the Questions, Crystal Ball gives contestants a sneak peek during one question in round one. If a contestant chooses to use it, the Crystal Ball is activated and the player will see how much that question is worth. The intention is to give contestants insight on what might be a more difficult question on whether to try to go for it to obtain the large prize behind it or to feel safe jumping over it if the value is smaller. Proponents of the lifeline say it’s a welcome addition to help give contestants as much support as possible while detractors feel that it much too much focus on the lower round and takes away from the ultimate goal of making it into the Classic Millionaire level. What do you think about its return? Check out a preview video from Millionaire‘s official YouTube page, showcasing some of next week’s excitement.
I found this to be the most pointless lifeline ever. How much a question is worth should be meaningless to anyone playing the game; it’s all about getting to round two.
I’d rather see 50/50 back.
I find this somewhat true. You can see the $$$ amount and if its $100, you jump it. If it’s $25,000, you really think about it and possibly go for it andvit is probably worth it.
Except that $25K question is really only worth $12,500 if you don’t go to round 2. With the $ value having nothing to do with the difficulty level of the question, knowing the value means nothing to the decision on jumping or using ATA. If you can’t get through the question, you don’t get the money anyway.
Not meaningless at all. The objective is to go home with the most money you can. Sometimes that means knowing when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.
And knowing the value doesn’t change weather or not you know the answer and should hold or fold.
Sure it could. If I’m struggling with a question and find out it’s only worth $100, I’m more likely to jump it since it doesn’t impact my bank. If I see it’s worth $25,000, I could be more inclined to take a risk to get that money.
Your bank gets a huge impact with the first incorrect answer you give…better to jump and live to see another question than go for it and be wrong just because the question you’re on and don’t know the answer to has a higher dollar value.
As an observer, I always hope the contestants jump the $25,000 question so that they are more likely to go for it if they get to classic millionaire.
The way this show is set up these days, unless you have a small bank and/or luck of the draw with the questions, for most people the goal is just to make it to Round 2 then walk. We’ve seen around half of this season’s contestants make it to Round 2, but less than a third of them actually attempted an upper tier question and out of those who did about half of them bombed out. I think the crystal ball is an o.k. lifeline as it prevents several $25,000 loss heart-breakers that people bring upon themselves for jumping the question instead of trusting their gut and/or asking the audience.
I don’t find this to be much help – if you don’t know an answer, you don’t know it. That’s what the jumps are for. Personally, I’d rather see Double Dip come back – it was the perfect replacement for the “computer” taking away two of the answers, and was of actual use to the player.
Except for when the show first started, the “computer” did take away two answers–it was entirely random for 2/3 of the wrong answers to be removed. When the show began, the writers pre-determined which two answers would be removed prior to the contestant starting their game.
…What’s so special about next week that it requires the Crystal Ball to return?
It’s their show and they felt like it?
I don’t really care about the Crystal Ball one way or the other. Only one of the four lifelines helps contestants to answer questions. The others are just about futzing with the money amounts. At least the jumps are still useful in Classic Millionaire. This will just get wasted.
Always great to read your articles, Chad. Thanks for continuing to write them!
Could someone please post a video today on the audience voting 100%. I missed Millionaire today due to inauguration coverage, and I would very much like to see it since it is a rare event and hasn’t happened in about 7-8 years.
Check our Facebook page. We’ve got the video up courtesy of Valleycrest.
Thank you Chad!
Most of the nation didn’t see today’s Millionaire episode. I’ve searched the Internet looking for any links, and I came up empty.
I am so glad to see Meredith go. Even though ratings have been all been solid, I never really liked Meredith. Regis was a lot better. The show is a great show with a great concept. The problem is the show has turned into Jeopardy in the fact that it has gotten WAY TOO HARD! It takes WAY MORE than 3 lifelines to win a million today. Most people use all 3 before even getting to Classic Millionaire, and a lot of times, all the lifelines are gone by the first few questions of the game. I like the updated set, and the larger video bored, but I feel this new look without the hotseat and stuff has taken away the intensity/suspense of the game. besides the million dollar tournament, nobody has legitimately won the TOP prize in a LONG time! The show needs to have 4 lifelines at least….Bring Double Dip back for sure, but perhaps they don’t lose the lifeline if they actually guess it accurately on the first attempt..or they can use it after it’s revealed that the answer is wrong….That way, they are NOT wasting the lifeline…The jumps are nice but the show still needs a lot of work…I like the randomized dollar amounts and LOVE that they have categorizes for the questions now too…plus the dollar amounts need to be upped a little…500 is still a rather tiny prize for only one question. $1000 should be the minimum!
Depending on how takes over the show next season, will dictate whether I go back to watching it on a regular basis or not…I tune in from time to time, but the show just doesn’t interest me anymore…It’s just too hard (not saying it needs to be easy), but the questions have gotten harder since the Regis days of the show and I think that is evidenced by the long span without a Millionaire!
Maybe a new host and some more changes will help it out….or a revival of the primetime edition (I know ABC did so a few years back for its 10th anniversary, and it was pretty cool)
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