The big Who WTBA Millionaire (UK) scam... or possibly scamola

[:]

Yes, it's going to be a film too!

A thought occurred (to someone else) that this might have all been set up by ITV to get 15 million viewers (a quarter of Britain's population) on Monday's Tonight With Martin Bashir Special, and then make this film about it.
It seems a bit strange that the coughing man knew loads of difficult answers then ended at £1,000 when he was in the chair.
Plus, if you're going to cheat, at least get a reliable, undetectable system... like
'C' = cough,
'B' = burp,
'A' = scream 'aaaaargh!',
and of course 'D' = 'd'oh!'.
Surely no one can be stupid enough to say 'cough.. no' when surrounded by people and microphones! Unless they're on the US version of course.

Do you remember when that posh old woman won the £1 million? I heard about her being related to someone who worked on the show, and the fact that the million win was on on the same night as BBC1's last One Foot In The Grave episode seemed a bit more than a coincidence. Maybe it's been going on for years! Or maybe these conspiracy theories are wrong. But they're fun.

[#1 :]

No the first winner was related to Camilla Parker Bowles. In some weird way.

 

Catherine Zeta Jones and Hugh Grant have already been mentioned by the press as possible stars.

Hmm why not? He and Ingram both sound alike.

[#2 :]

Nope, they're all as guilty as sin, and the wife is the epitomy of evil.  Who's else get's pissed-off when they win £32,000?

The co-conspiritor was recorded getting the answer from one of the other contestants, as he did with a few of the answers he wasn't sure on.

That major was the worse acting performance I've ever seen.

[#3 :]

Yeah, the first winner was reated to some famous guy and she made it look fake when she won, "Oh dear God" I think it's a fix, like most things!

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LFP - The Crazest Futurama website there is!

[#4 :]

One of the thing I'd say in ITV's favour (I never thought I'd stoop to such a level), is that the programme are pre-recorded and I think that one was held back for broadcast up against the final "One Foot In The Grave".

[#5 :]

Cheating little bastard. As they said, he could've got away with it on £125,000 but he got too gready. That's probably what they were arguing about in their changing room.

[#6 :]

Just like to point out that the Who WTBA Millionaire programme about the scandal last night got 17 million viewers - the highest number for a factual programme (except for Diana's funeral)...

[#7 :]

I couldn't care less about the show whether somebody tried to cheat or not.

[#8 :]

I watched it. I'm pretty sure they did cheat. It was to do with that man's cough - he only had it when the Major was in the chair.

Why wasn't she happy enough with the £32,000?

[#9 :]

I have no idea, but it was written all over her face, she was hella-pissed at only winning the £32,000.

They're all in mountains of debt, so it's probably that.  One thing I will say, was that the programme last night was compelling viewing.  Not since the Angus/Prositute edition of Have I Got News For You, and have I been that glued to my seat.

[#10 :]

This is the funniest thing, refuting claims his is not intelligent:

 

Originally said by cheating scum Major Ingram:
I am a member of Mensa for heaven's sake.

Since when has that been any measure of intelligence, let alone having the ability to answer 15 general knowledge questions?

[#11 :]

 

Originally posted by sheep555:
Just like to point out that the Who WTBA Millionaire programme about the scandal last night got 17 million viewers - the highest number for a factual programme (except for Diana's funeral)...

You mean since Diana's funeral.

[#12 :]

 

Originally posted by BarneyBurnham:
This is the funniest thing, refuting claims his is not intelligent:

 

Originally said by cheating scum Major Ingram:
I am a member of Mensa for heaven's sake.

Since when has that been any measure of intelligence, let alone having the ability to answer 15 general knowledge questions?

Perhaps he meant MENSA's little known retarded cousin DENSA. The organisation for people with low/no IQ's.

[#13 :]

Carol Smillie is a member of Mensa as well. Soon she probably won't be as she cheated on the Mensa test.

[#14 :]

The Major was terrible.

"OK I think it's Craig David because most of my guesses are wrong and my first instinct is that it's A1"

Just so you know: The Major really wanted to win over 32,000 as his wife and brother in law had already failed on that amount. Also the couple were in £50,000 debt, so they really needed more than 64,000 as after the debts were paid off and the money split three ways, there would be almost nothing left. The guy was a moron though and I loved the wife's reaction. "  [You stupid fuckwit, we're all gonna get busted now]". "  Oh I can't believe it, you are crazy [Yeah crazy fucker, everyone's going to know now]"

Then later on the phone:
Producer: "Sorry we have to look into allegations of cheating, so we unfortunately have to withhold the cheque and we shall not be screening the episode just yet"
Major: "Oh goodness, well thanks"

Tarrant said it best: "He reminded me of Tim Nice but Dim"   

Also answering general knowledge tests has nothing to do with IQ, just as IQ has nothing to do with being able to ace an exam etc.

[#15 :]

 

Originally posted by Archie2K:
"OK I think it's Craig David because most of my guesses are wrong and my first instinct is that it's A1"

Personally I prefered "It can't be Craig David because I've never heard of him."

Y'know I never heard about this "oxygen" thing until three days ago.. 

[#16 :]

The show is just shit.

[#17 :]

Cheating wasn't stupid, getting caught was stupid.

Either I couldn't give a damn. If they're clever enough to fool them, give the people their money. If not, meh who cares.

[#18 :]

Add in another option to the "Ask the Audience" lifeline:
A
B
C
D
or
E -That guy is a fucking cheating cunt, would you like to:
A - Run 50,000 volts through his chair?
B - Ejector seat into the spikes on the studio ceiling?
C - Drop his chair into the piranha tank below?
D - Just run out of your seats and beat the fuck out of him?

[#19 :]

 

Originally posted by Teral:
If they're clever enough to fool them, give the people their money. If not, meh who cares.

That seems like a silly thing to say. If you kill someone and get away with it, that's okay?

[#20 :]

No, but we're talking about a game show here. The object of which is to win money, using your brains. Granted I don't know the rules (other from what I can see on TV) on said show, but it's hardly matter of national security that someone tried to fool a gameshow.

[#21 :]

 

Originally posted by Juliet:
The show is just shit.

Finally, a statement from Juliet I can agree with.

[#22 :]

 

Originally posted by Teral:
No, but we're talking about a game show here. The object of which is to win money, using your brains. Granted I don't know the rules (other from what I can see on TV) on said show, but it's hardly matter of national security that someone tried to fool a gameshow.

But it's the principle.

[#23 :]

 

The show is just shit.

I agree, it's gone on way too long (didn't it get cancelled in America?), but whether it was a set-up or not this is going to be great for ratings, and ITV have certainly publicised this to the maximum.
So, it's guaranteed another 2 years on our screens at least...

[#24 :]

God Bless America- Here, Who Wants To Be A Millionare is a failed game show!

[#25 :]

Yeh but they invented it, They Must PAY

[#26 :]

 

Originally posted by Australian Guy:
Yeh but they invented it, They Must PAY

What, the UK? Who WTBA Millionaire was created by Celador, a UK production company...

[#27 :]

Tarrant has a hand in it too, and Jasper Carrot as Celador's his production company.  They've made a mint from it.

I personally love the show, but hate watching it.  Reason being is that I scream at the TV during game shows, I find them frustrating because more often than not I know the answer when they don't.  Like I've said I called a few times to try and get on "...Millionnaire", I think I might be good for £32,000.

My mate and work colleague, Russ, is a game show nut and has been on the following: "Blankety Blank", "The People Versus...", "The Weakest Link", "Dog Eat Dog", and maybe some more.

@Teral: Game Show or no Game Show, fraud is still fraud, and if you know anything about the English, you know that....

....we LOVE to watch people fail!

[#28 :]

OJ stole me Knife!, I want it back.

[#29 :]

 

Originally posted by Melllvar:
@Teral: Game Show or no Game Show, fraud is still fraud, and if you know anything about the English, you know that....

....we LOVE to watch people fail!

Which puts you in the same category as the Japanese... 

[#30 :]

We also drive on the same side of the road as the Japanese. We don't with America or Europe, so we should sod them and get all buddy buddy with Japan instead! You know it makes more sense!

Oh, topic wise? Couldn't really care.

[#31 :]

 

Originally posted by Melllvar:
I have no idea, but it was written all over her face, she was hella-pissed at only winning the £32,000.

They're all in mountains of debt, so it's probably that.  One thing I will say, was that the programme last night was compelling viewing.

The reason she was pissed off was that she was trying to beat her brother, who'd won £32K earlier that year.  By all accounts these people were Millionaire junkies having called the show about 300 times each.

[#32 :]

Theres no rules saying another contestent cant cough while the filming of the program...it shouldnt matter if he only coughed on the right answers....

[#33 :]

Yeah, but when ITV can get a shitload of publicity for their failing programme by going to court and making a documentary and film out of it, then it is against the rules.

[#34 :]

That is a good idea. I hope they are all lined up and shot.


WHO, you ask, well thats a story for another night.

[#35 :]

Rock Paper Scissors.

My contribution to a thread that is quickly becoming "post how dumb you are - see if you can out dumb the major".

OT, I believe Millionaire is going to be canned fairely soon anyway because quite simply Celador can't afford to pay out big checks any more. £251,000 was given out tonight. I doubt they make back that much in advertising revenue.

Now the REAL Millionaire fraud is, why is it that whenever a contestanmt does a 50:50 the correct answer, and the most likely to be correct but is actually wrong answer is ALWAYS left. If a contestant is stuck between two answers, 50:50 ALWAYS leaves those two answers without fail. Picked at random my arse. 

[#36 :]

This show was hilarious - better than most comedies recently anyway. The woman, quite accurately labelled Lady Macbeth seemed quite a piece of work, I agree with some people's speculations that she was the evil schemer behind it all. She couldn't even inhale with looking evil (the way she kind of lowered her head, arching it back as she breathed in - pure villain material), but maybe I was the only one who noticed that element of the show.

Also, the cheating was noticably poor. The coughing at an off chance could be explained, but the #cough# NO YOU STUPID BASTARD! NO!!!#cough# kind of put the nail in the coffin.

[#37 :]

 

Originally posted by Archie2K:
I doubt they make back that much in advertising revenue.

Maybe not, but there is sponsorship too.

This is the real cheat, 18 quid for a t-shirt!

[#38 :]

That and think of the phonecalls! Are they say £2 on average, and say the nutters like the Ingrams phone up 300 times on average, 2x300=£600, then of course you have those that never make it on the show, those that ring up a few times etc. Couple that with advertising and sponsorship you probably come way better off.

Also, it seems like the Major is going to get £2,000,000 or so from selling the story abroad.

[#39 :]

no game show scandal will ever top that of the one that happened on May 19, 1984 on Press Your Luck.