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'Million Dollar Money Drop' Still Won't Give Players Their $800,000, Fox Executive Denies That Any Mistake Was Made (VIDEO)
by Oliver Miller, posted Dec 23rd 2010 8:00AM
'Million Dollar Money Drop' is having the most controversial debut of any game show, ever. The show seemed fun, at first. Watching tons of money being dumped down a chute had a certain visceral charm, in a gross sort of way.But now, things are getting weirder. On tonight's episode (Wed., 9PM ET on Fox), a couple won $240,000, while debating the relative merits of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Which is nice, but ...
... But most people are distracted by the scandal that took place on the show's first episode. During the premiere, Gabe Okoye and Brittany Mayi lost $800,000 after they answered a trivia question "incorrectly." There was only one problem. ... They weren't really wrong. But now, a Fox executive is denying that show made any mistake, and is insisting that the netwok is not at fault.
The controversial question was this: Which product was sold first in stores? The Sony Walkman or the Post-It Note? Gabe picked Post-Its, and lost. The $800,000 he wagered then vanished through a trap-door. The show said that the Walkman was sold in 1979, and that Post-Its weren't sold until 1980. But now, it looks like Gabe was right.
Multiple sources state that Post-Its were sold in four different cities, starting in 1977. To be fair, Post-It Notes may have been "sold" in 1977, or they may have merely been "test-marketed." No one really seems sure -- at a certain point, it becomes a debate over semantics. But the actual point is this: the "Post-It" question was ambiguous and poorly phrased.
But the Fox network won't acknowledge that fact. Yesterday, Jeff Apploff -- the show's Executive Producer -- released this statement: "'Million Dollar Money Drop' stands behind the answer that was revealed on the show."
Fox refuses to acknowledge any ambiguity in the question. They don't want to have a debate. That's their privilege. But with their statement, it seems like Fox is negating the message of their own show. The promise of every game show is that with some effort and some luck, the little guy can make it and win. The flashing lights, the loud music, the massive piles of cash ... It's like standing in the middle of a casino in Vegas -- and it's designed to make the average Joe think that he's got a shot.
But now, Fox is saying this: the multi-billion dollar company will not give $800,000 to a player, and they will not debate the issue. The ambiguous question is not actually "ambiguous" -- because they say so. The actual message is this: "We're right, you're wrong. You lose."
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