Ben Affleck wins $1 million prize on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'
Ben Affleck has officially conquered the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire hot seat!
The actor, together with Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding, emerged victorious on the game show's July 30 episode when they correctly answered the 15th and final question needed to claim the $1 million (P61.4 million) grand prize.
The episode started off with Affleck and Ding only having two questions left to answer.
The $500,000 (P30.7 million) question read: “What achievement occurred just two months after a New York Times article said it wouldn’t happen for ‘1 million to 10 million years’?”
Some of the choices that the pair could pick were splitting the atom, cloning a mammal, the first airplane flight, and the polio vaccine. Both of them agreed on the first airplane flight.
Explaining his decision, Affleck said, "I only remember this because it was a time in my life where I spent time looking up examples that the press got things wrong. Yeah, just randomly. And I sort of, vaguely, in my subconscious remember the Times and the Wright brothers and that whole thing was 1905, 3 or 4, or something."
However, they were still unsure of their answer and had to use their 50:50 lifeline, which reduced the options down to splitting the atom and the first airplane. They decided to push through with their answer, which was revealed to be correct.
For the million-dollar question, the pair was asked, "In an annual Thanksgiving tradition, all but which of these have been the names of turkeys pardoned by a U.S. president?"
The options were Peanut Butter & Jelly, Tater & Tot, Mac & Cheese, and Spaghetti & Meatball.
The duo decided to call on host Jimmy Kimmel as their lifeline, who answered Spaghetti and Meatball. Still unconvinced, Affleck and Ding also used their Phone-A-Friend lifeline to call Ding’s trivia partner Stephen Morrison, who wasn't able to answer in time.
Left with little choice, they decided to trust in Kimmel and lock in the Spaghetti and Meatball answer. But it turns out that they made the right call, securing the pair the grand prize.
The pair, however, won't be keeping it for themselves as the winnings will go to Affleck's Eastern Congo Initiative, a nonprofit organization he co-founded that supports community-based organizations in the region.
Affleck is an award-winning actor known for his roles in Gone Girl, Good Will Hunting, and for playing the superhero Batman in the DC Extended Universe. Ding, on the other hand, is a Jeopardy! champion who won 31 consecutive games in the show.