Sauli Väinämö Niinistö (born 24 August 1948 in Salo), then the Minister of Finance, appeared as a celebrity contestant on the Autumn 2000 series of Haluatko miljonääriksi?, the Finnish version of the show on 15 October 2000. He walked away with 100,000 mk. All of that episode's prize money went to youth drug prevention charities.
He has been the President of Finland since 2012, and will leave when his term finishes in February 2024.
WWTBAM Run[]
Fastest Finger First[]
| Fastest Finger First Question | |
| Put the following words in the right order from the fewest letters in the word to the most. | |
| ⬥ A: Yksi | ⬥ B: Eduskuntatalo |
| ⬥ C: Ja | ⬥ D: Kolmio |
| The right answer is C-A-D-B. All 4 contestants answered correctly, the fastest being Sauli in 4.53 seconds. |
Sauli's Run to the Million[]
| 500 mk (1 of 15) - Not timed | |
| Which of the following is a unit of length? | |
| ⬥ A: Jaarli | ⬥ B: Laasti |
| ⬥ C: Jaardi | ⬥ D: Laardi |
| 1 000 mk (2 of 15) - Not timed | |
| What does a Kremlinologist study? 'Phone-a-Friend' and 'Ask the Audience' lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Pastries | ⬥ B: Russian politics |
| ⬥ C: Textiles | ⬥ D: The creation story |
| Ask the Audience Results: A: 14% ⬥ B: 45% ⬥ C: 23% ⬥ D: 18% | |
| It was really close that Niinistö would have answered D, but the host Lasse Lehtinen almost persuaded him to use the lifeline. Niinistö phoned his friend, who wasn't sure. He then asked the audience. |
| 2 500 mk (3 of 15) - Not timed | |
| Where does Superman get his power from? | |
| ⬥ A: Creatine | ⬥ B: Kryptonite |
| ⬥ C: Xylitol | ⬥ D: Corrosion |
| 5 000 mk (4 of 15) - Not timed | |
| Who created one of the great characters of crime fiction, Detective Maigret? | |
| ⬥ A: Simone de Beauvoir | ⬥ B: Georges Simenon |
| ⬥ C: Victor Hugo | ⬥ D: Alexandre Dumas |
| 10 000 mk (5 of 15) - Not timed | |
| In which of Irwin's songs is the line "Viideltä saunaan ja kuudelta putkaan..." sung? | |
| ⬥ A: Ei tippa tapa | ⬥ B: Työmiehen launantai |
| ⬥ C: Ryysyranta | ⬥ D: Kalteritango |
| 15 000 mk (6 of 15) - Not timed | |
| In which US state is Las Vegas, the gambling city, located? | |
| ⬥ A: Alabama | ⬥ B: Nevada |
| ⬥ C: Texas | ⬥ D: California |
| 30 000 mk (7 of 15) - Not timed | |
| What is Finland's oldest rock festival? | |
| ⬥ A: Ruisrock | ⬥ B: Provinssirock |
| ⬥ C: Nummirock | ⬥ D: Ankkarock |
| 50 000 mk (8 of 15) - Not timed | |
| Who or what killed Alexander the Great? '50:50' lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: His enemy | ⬥ B: Overeating |
| ⬥ C: A fever | ⬥ D: His mistress |
| 75 000 mk (9 of 15) - Not timed | |
| By what name is the actor Charles Buchinsky better known? | |
| ⬥ A: Charles Bronson | ⬥ B: Chuck Norris |
| ⬥ C: Burt Reynolds | ⬥ D: Mel Gibson |
| 100 000 mk (10 of 15) - Not timed | |
| Who walked on the surface of the moon at Neil Armstrong's feet? | |
| ⬥ A: Charles Conrad | ⬥ B: Edwin Aldrin |
| ⬥ C: Michael Collins | ⬥ D: Alan B. Shepard |
| 150 000 mk (11 of 15) - Not timed | |
| Which of the following CCR hits was not included on the band's 1981 LP release 'Cosmo's Factory'? | |
| ⬥ A: Cotton Fields | ⬥ B: Travelin' Band |
| ⬥ C: Who'll Stop the Rain? | ⬥ D: Ooby Dooby |
| Niinistö did not know the answer, and plumped for C. The correct answer was A. Voittosumma: 100 000 mk |
Sources[]
| Preceded by Antti Vanne (2000 spring season) |
Finnish contestant (2000 autumn season) Sauli Niinistö |
Succeeded by Marcus Grönholm |