Who wants to be a millionaire?
We were watching a repeat of WWTBAM earlier and it really struck me to question the motives of the audience when asked to answer a question for the contestant.
It was quite early on in the game and the male contestant was quite nervous. I’m sure he knew the answer, just didn’t trust his judgement. Anyway, the question was “What type of furniture do you use to display crockery?”. The options were almost:
A Wardrobe
B Bureau
C Table (it wasn’t table but something equally unsuitable for displaying crockery, can’t remember what)
D Dresser
Only 50 or 60% of the audience answered correctly, the rest were split between the remaining incorrect answers.
Now maybe I’m overestimating the intelligence of the British public but surely the answer was glaringly obvious? Who on earth were the 20% or so who selected Bureau?
Who are the audience and where do they come from? Do they round them up from park benches and homes for the terminally bored and bus them in for each show?
Martyn is a little more cycnical. He thinks that the other contestants (patiently waiting for another go at “fastest finger first” have say 2 or 3 friends in the audience - multiply that by 9 or 19 or even 29, depending on how many sets of 10 they have in any one sitting - and you’ve got a fair number of people wanting the contestant in the hot seat to lose. So is it malicious? Do they deliberately enter the wrong answer? Surely not. I’ve seen audiences vote overwhelmingly for the correct answer too.
Another one of life’s little mysteries.
February 23rd, 2005 00:23
Erm, I’d have said Bureau. But I am really stupid about such things.
February 23rd, 2005 00:53
I’m the same with questions on geography. I’ve always meant to buy a globe or at least a large map of the world to keep in the office so that I can at least learn where the continents are if nothing else.
February 23rd, 2005 02:33
it’s not a hutch?
February 23rd, 2005 08:04
People actually display their crockery? Do they eat their dinner off of paintings?
February 23rd, 2005 08:41
What in tarnation is a crockery? Anything like a crockpot? heh
February 23rd, 2005 11:27
I’d be much less cynical when you consider that usually the audience overwhelmingly supplies the correct answer.
Maybe they were all just young and hip. I mean, who but the French display their crockery in a welsh dresser any more..?
February 24th, 2005 06:48
I dunno…I might display my crockery in a welsh dresser…Gotta find out what those are first..heh..only thing i keep in my dresser is boxer shorts..but they aren’t really on display….technically.