Father Bill Matheny a Catholic priest from Wheeling, West Virginia, was a contestant who appeared on the U.S. version of Millionaire on September 28-29 2016. He became the first $250,000 winner for Season 15 in syndication. Prior to that, in 2013, he was a contestant on Jeopardy! only to receive a $2,000 consolation prize.
He has been auditioning for the show once or twice a year since it started in August 1999. In 2016, he was almost about to give up until a friend encouraged him to try again. He also says to have been practicing since he was six-years old.
He donated his winnings to the catholic grade school he used to attend, St. Francis of Assisi.
Father Bill's Run to the Million[]
| $500 (1 of 14) - Not timed | |
| Infecting over 2 million Americans each year, "superbugs" are bacteria that got their name because they are disturbingly able to do what? | |
| ⬥ A: Run faster than a speeding bullet | ⬥ B: Leap over tall buildings |
| ⬥ C: Use X-ray vision | ⬥ D: Resist antibiotics |
| $1,000 (2 of 14) - Not timed | |
| Sounding more sultry than they really are, Investopedia.com says that "topless" business meetings cut down on distractions by banning what? | |
| ⬥ A: Top hats | ⬥ B: Laptops |
| ⬥ C: ZZ Top music | ⬥ D: "Top Chef" gossip |
| $2,000 (3 of 14) - Not timed | |
| Known for the discovery of 35P/Herschel-Rigollet and described as a "Celestial Cinderella," Caroline Herschel was one of the earliest successful female what? | |
| ⬥ A: Chemists | ⬥ B: Paleontologists |
| ⬥ C: Botanists | ⬥ D: Astronomers |
| $3,000 (4 of 14) - Not timed | |
| In a #1 hit song by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett, the duo attempt to justify drinking in the middle of a workday with what line of reasoning? | |
| ⬥ A: "Hey, it's just light beer" | ⬥ B: "If I don't drink, I'll get the shakes" |
| ⬥ C: "It's five o'clock somewhere" | ⬥ D: "We're all gonna die someday" |
| $5,000 (5 of 14) - Not timed | |
| What nonagenerian's 2016 NY Times obituary mentioned the sitcom "Barney Miller," "The Godfather" and outliving an "erroneous report of his death" by 34 years? | |
| ⬥ A: Woody Allen | ⬥ B: Richard Dreyfuss |
| ⬥ C: Dick Van Dyke | ⬥ D: Abe Vigoda |
| $7,000 (6 of 14) - Not timed | |
| Which of these states' capitals shares its name with a Native American tribe, who traditionally lived on the Great Plains? | |
| ⬥ A: Nebraska | ⬥ B: South Dakota |
| ⬥ C: Illinois | ⬥ D: Wyoming |
| $10,000 (7 of 14) - Not timed | |
| In 1989, the average American household has 2.62 of them. Today, it has 2.54. What are they? | |
| ⬥ A: Cars | ⬥ B: People |
| ⬥ C: Dogs | ⬥ D: Televisions |
| $20,000 (8 of 14) - Not timed | |
| Who gained the right to vote in presidential elections when the 23rd Amendment was ratified in 1961? | |
| ⬥ A: Residents of Washington, D.C. | ⬥ B: 18-year-olds |
| ⬥ C: Convicted felons | ⬥ D: People with green cards |
| Bill knew the answer before the choices came up. |
| $30,000 (9 of 14) - Not timed | |
| Used on jerk chicken and often called "the Jamaican Ketchup," what condiment is Naomi Campbell said to carry a bottle of in her purse? "Ask the Audience" lifeline used. | |
| ⬥ A: Pickapeppa Sauce | ⬥ B: Vegemite |
| ⬥ C: Lizano | ⬥ D: Maggi Sauce |
| Ask the Audience Results: A: 57% ⬥ B: 2% ⬥ C: 14% ⬥ D: 27% | |
| Bill knew Vegemite was from Australia, but he was not familiar with any of the others, so he decided to ask the audience. The majority went for A: Pickapeppa Sauce, which Bill went for and got it right. |
| $50,000 (10 of 14) - Not timed | |
| The term "ailurophile" would best define which of these people? | |
| ⬥ A: Cat lady | ⬥ B: Horse whisperer |
| ⬥ C: Butterfly collector | ⬥ D: Bird watcher |
| $100,000 (11 of 14) - Not timed | |
| If you were visiting Times Square in 1905, you would have seen its first electric sign, which advertised what product? "50:50" lifeline used. | |
| ⬥ A: Snuff | ⬥ B: Whiskey |
| ⬥ C: Adult theater | ⬥ D: Cigarettes |
| Bill used his 50:50, which took away A and C. He was leaning towards B and went for it, which was right. |
| $250,000 (12 of 14) - Not timed | |
| The subject of one of the world's most famous paintings, what was the first name of James McNeill Whistler's mother? "Plus One" lifeline used. | |
| ⬥ A: Anna | ⬥ B: Joyce |
| ⬥ C: Verona | ⬥ D: Margaret |
| Before the answers came up, Bill had answer Anna in mind, but decided to ask his Plus One, his brother Bob for help. He did not know, but advised him to go with his first instinct, which was correct.
The klaxon called time and Bill left with $250,000, then came back the next day to see his $500,000 question. |
| $500,000 (13 of 14) - Not timed | |
| Patented in 1960, the Luhn algorithm is used in which of these tasks? | |
| ⬥ A: Changing traffic lights | ⬥ B: Predicting tornadoes |
| ⬥ C: Verifying credit card numbers | ⬥ D: Conducting a military draft |
| Bill was leaning towards C, but he thought $200,000 was too much to risk, so he decided to walk away with $250,000. Had he gone with his first instinct, he would have been right. |
Sources[]
Bill Matheny's run to the million (Part 1)- Bill Matheny's run to the million (Part 2)
Bill Matheny's run to the million (Part 3)
Trivia[]
- Bill was a fastest finger finalist on the April 1, 2001 primetime show.
| Preceded by Matt Wiggins |
U.S. contestants (Season 15) Bill Matheny |
Succeeded by Patrick Walsh |