Many game-show contestants have learnt that it’s not that easy to boost your bank balance with a seven-digit amount.
They've failed to choose the R1 Million suitcase from the schmodels in
Deal or No Deal, their recall of primary school learning material turned out to be too poor in
Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? and for 14 weeks they haven't been able to tap into the minds of South Africans on
Power of 10.
But the tables have turned. Last night (Sunday, 2 November) 24-year old Dustin Carr, a recruitment agent from Bryanston in Johannesburg, became M-Net’s first game show millionaire in eight years on the Power of 10.
The previous R1 Million winnings were paid out in 2000 when David Paterson from Port Elizabeth climbed his way up the money ladder in the channel’s first game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
In Power of 10 contestants have to answer five questions about the way South Africans responded in a nationwide poll which was executed by the research company Ipsos Markinor, with the show in mind.
According to Carr, he didn't enter the game with a particular strategy. “My cousin Jessica, who supported me in the show, and I did our homework about the population breakdown in South Africa, and hoped that it would be enough. Luckily it was!” he says.
Carr adds that he never thought he would win so much money: “NEVER! I had no intention to go for the Million Rand question. There was just something that made me do it. It's all quite surreal. It's just really jump-started my life. What 24 year old can say he has a Million?”
And his plans for the money? “I will finally be moving out of the folks’ place. I am buying an apartment, 80% cash and the rest on a bond, a new car and MAJOR shopping spree, and of course I’ll save a little, that's if there is any left,” he says.
A summary of how Dustin won:
- On the first question worth R1000 - Dustin seemed unsure of his answer to the poll question “What percentage of South Africans said they watch four or more hours of television a day?”, but much needed advice from his cousin Jessica De Klerk granted him safe passage to the next level of the game.
- On the second question, “What percentage of South Africans think women should be more responsible for birth control than men?” Dustin looked to the studio audience for the go-ahead on his guess. Dustin thought it was all over as he resolved to look the other way, as the answer 72% was revealed - which fell within his 30 point range.
- By the third question, which is worth R100 000, Dustin and Jessica seemed to be at different ends fo the spectrum as they couldn't agree on an answer to the question, “What percentage of South Africans believe that ministers of religion should not own expensive cars or houses?” Dustin answered 61% and it fell within his 20 point range.
- At the fourth question, Dustin developed a case of the shakes before host Mark Pilgrim asked him the R 1 Million Rand question, “What percentage of South African men said if they had a son who wanted a girl’s doll they would not buy him one?”
At this point how the game works as follows: if the contestant has the right answer the graph will not reveal the exact percentage, instead an exploding graphic reading R 1 Million will appear on the screen, but if the contestant gets the question wrong the exact percentage will be revealed.
With his cousin Jessica screaming “go for it”, Dustin referred once again to the studio audience and despite his mother’s prior warning not to go for the million, locked in his million buck answer of between 77% and 87%.
Power of 10's on M-Net on Sundays at 18h00. This first season ends on Sunday, 9 December 2008.