The spotlights are hot and firing at the Connecticut Film Center, where up to thirty-five weeks worth of episodes of Who Wants to be A Millionaire filmed over the summer and will begin airing in syndication today, Sept. 8, as part of the game show’s seventeenth season, its first from Stamford.
Executive Producer James Rowley says that the new location (the show was previously produced in New York) has gathered “as full a crowd as we’ve ever had,” as requests for free but highly demanded tickets filled online servers to the brim. Watch one thirty-minute episode this fall and you’ll know why.
A few changes have been added to the show’s competitive format, including the addition of another lifeline and two more audience-driven mini games. The lifeline, “Plus One,” allows contestants to receive help from the companion they brought to watch the show. “Fastest Feet” gives four audience members the chance to win $1,000 together as they answer a four-part question, and “Team Millionaire” lets two audience members collaborate for a chance at $1,000.
Viewers are more connected to the show than ever but Stamford residents needn’t dismay if they aren’t chosen to compete. The real prize of Millionaire’s move into town is its new host, former NFL player and actor Terry Crews. Rowley nearly ran out of breath praising Crews’ presence on the show. “He’s got a fresh energy, a warmth and connection with all the contestants,” he says. “He shines.” Best known for his appearances in Old Spice commercials and a star role in the TBS sitcom Are We There Yet? (also filmed at the CFC), Crews brings with him years of TV and film experience, along with a colorfully sharp fashion sense that Rowley says, in the most complimentary way, is “insane.”
Rowley also tells us that Millionaire has a winning formula here and plans to stick around for years to come. We’ve already fallen in love with this new rendition of a timeless show and are happy to report new auditions are scheduled for Oct. 6-8, promising the continuation of an already powerful television legacy. And this time, it’s in our backyard. For more about the auditions, visit millionairetv.dadt.com/Stamford-Auditions.