Steve Perry, a first year law student at UVA from Charlottesville, Virginia, was a contestant on the U.S. version of the show on April 22, 2001. He is notorious for blazing through the first 14 questions, but ended up walking away with $500,000 due to the obscurity of his infamous $1,000,000 question.
Put these classic movies in order of their first theatrical release, starting with the most recent.
⬥ A: On The Waterfront
⬥ B: Duck Soup
⬥ C: American Graffiti
⬥ D: Blade Runner
From the 10 contestants, 5 got it right, but Steve (with a time of 6.73 seconds) was the fastest to correctly answer D-C-A-B, making it into the Hot Seat.
Steve's Run to the Million[]
$100 (1 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of these words rhymes with "fat"?
⬥ A: Dish
⬥ B: Hat
⬥ C: Tree
⬥ D: Large pizza
$200 (2 of 15) - Not Timed
When someone is completely wrong about something, he is said to be "way off" what?
⬥ A: Basket
⬥ B: Net
⬥ C: Base
⬥ D: I-95
$300 (3 of 15) - Not Timed
In order to scowl, a person furrows what part of the body?
⬥ A: Brow
⬥ B: Jaw
⬥ C: Elbow
⬥ D: Personality
$500 (4 of 15) - Not Timed
Clubs whose members swim in cold weather are named for what animal?
⬥ A: Salmon
⬥ B: Polar bear
⬥ C: Husky
⬥ D: Loon
$1,000 (5 of 15) - Not Timed
How long does it take for the earth to rotate once on its axis?
⬥ A: 365 days
⬥ B: 24 hours
⬥ C: 1 month
⬥ D: 10 years
$2,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed
The classic Easy-Bake Oven toy uses what heat source to bake cakes?
⬥ A: Sunlight
⬥ B: Candle
⬥ C: Hot water
⬥ D: Light bulb
$4,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed
The celebration of Oktoberfest is commonly associated with what country?
⬥ A: Italy
⬥ B: Spain
⬥ C: Germany
⬥ D: United States
$8,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed
In the 1999 movie "Never Been Kissed," Drew Barrymore plays a reporter going undercover as what?
⬥ A: High school student
⬥ B: Aspiring model
⬥ C: Teen pop star
⬥ D: Driving instructor
$16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed
Clifford Holland is most famous for designing what 20th century structure?
⬥ A: Bridge
⬥ B: Tunnel
⬥ C: Cathedral
⬥ D: Factory
$32,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed
What Jewish system of theology is a mystical method of interpreting the Scripture?
⬥ A: Cabala
⬥ B: Docetism
⬥ C: Eschatology
⬥ D: Hasidism
$64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed
Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton was never a member of which of the following bands?
⬥ A: The Yardbirds
⬥ B: Cream
⬥ C: Traffic
⬥ D: Derek and the Dominos
$125,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed
Which of these states currently has two female U.S. Senators?
⬥ A: Louisiana
⬥ B: Maine
⬥ C: Vermont
⬥ D: Maryland
$250,000 (13 of 15) - Not Timed
In 1999, which of these men was aboard the first hot-air balloon to circumnavigate the globe nonstop?
⬥ A: Bertrand Piccard
⬥ B: Richard Branson
⬥ C: Steve Fossett
⬥ D: Per Lindstrom
$500,000 (14 of 15) - Not Timed
Java man was the first discovered example of what species?
⬥ A: Neanderthalensis
⬥ B: Homo sapiens
⬥ C: Homo erectus
⬥ D: Homo habilis
$1,000,000 (15 of 15) - Not Timed
In the TV series "The Brady Bunch," what is Carol Brady's maiden name? 'Ask the Audience', '50:50' and 'Phone-a-Friend' lifelines used
Steve had a feeling, but decided to poll the audience, from which the top answer was Nelson with 34%, followed closely by Martin with 33%. He then decided to use his 50:50, eliminating A and C, the top two vote getters. He then used his final lifeline and decided to call his friend Mike, who tried to look up the answer online but failed to provide an answer within the allotted time. Since Steve didn't know the answer, he walked away with $500,000. Given the opportunity, he'd have guessed Franklin, but the correct answer was actually B: Tyler. This question is considered by many to at the very least be in contention for most obscure question as it was only mentioned in one episode.
Total Prize Money: $500,000
Trivia[]
Steve Perry is one of the three contestants who have accomplished the rare feat of having all lifelines available for the final question (along with John Carpenter and David Goodman).
However, unlike Carpenter and Goodman, he did not win the million dollars.
Steve Perry was called as the phone-a-friend for three subsequent contestants:
Matt Marcotte, on November 20, 1999, helping him win $250,000.
Steve Perry's run to the million (Part 1)
Steve Perry's run to the million (Part 3)
