WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE

Kevin Smith (left), a 52-year-old retired trucker from Los Angeles, Calif., today became the first million-dollar winner on the weekday version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," hosted by Meredith Vieira (right).

 Los Angeles Man Becomes First Million-Dollar Winner on Weekday "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire"

February 2003 (Newstream) -- Kevin Smith, a 52-year-old retired trucker from Los Angeles, Calif., today became the first million-dollar winner on the weekday version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," hosted by Meredith Vieira.

Smith's "Millionaire" success is the culmination of a 45-year ambition to be on a game show. He came close to achieving his goal back in April of 2001 when he made it to the fastest finger level on the ABC network version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," but failed to make it to the hot seat. When Smith was selected for weekday "Millionaire," he spent 8-10 hours a day, 3-4 days a week studying at the local library. In fact, he crammed up until the last minute, bringing 3-1/2 bags of books with him to New York for the taping.

Smith starts in the hot seat on the Monday, February 17 show, reaching the $1,000 level before time runs out. He returns on Tuesday, February 18, to face the $2,000 question with all of his lifelines intact.

Smith navigates the first questions with ease. At $8,000 he uses his first lifeline, the 50/50 option, to successfully answer a question about the game of chess. With his preparation focusing on more academic subjects, questions with a pop cultural bent prove to be a challenge, and he turns to the audience for help with a question about popular sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Smith wasn't averse to risk - in fact, two guesses prove key to his million-dollar climb. At $32,000, he saves his last lifeline by correctly guessing on a question about rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He faces a more challenging test much later at the $500,000 mark.

When facing the question: "'And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free' is inscribed in the lobby of what agency's headquarters?" A) FBI B) CIA C) Department of Education D) Library of Congress, Smith opts to use his final lifeline to call his friend Dr. Jerome F. Errico, a chiropractic physician from Lenox, Mass.

As the clock ticks down, Errico quickly chooses D) Library of Congress. Smith acknowledges his friend as "a smart guy," but his gut tells him something different. And after a nerve-wracking wait, he goes with the correct answer, B) CIA, becoming the first contestant in the weekday version of "Millionaire" to advance to the one million dollar level.

When the final question flashes onto the screen, Smith's relief is palpable. But to be safe, he asks Vieira to read the question twice: "The U.S. icon 'Uncle Sam' was based on Samuel Wilson, who worked during the War of 1812 as a what?" A) Meat inspector B) Mail deliverer C) Historian D) Weapons mechanic. His final answer: A) Meat inspector. The crowd goes wild, the confetti rains down and Smith becomes the groundbreaking first millionaire on the weekday version of the show.

Smith was on the road as a long distance trucker for 20 years, with more than one million accident-free miles. He is single, but as he told Vieira, he hopes to "be as lucky as my dad in finding the right woman." With his winnings, Smith would like to provide a secure future for his mother and sisters.

"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" airs Monday through Friday in national syndication. Check local listings or www.millionairetv.com for time and station. Please note that photos of Smith's appearance on the show are available at http://millionairehost.bvtv.com.