Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Episode #9.1 (2002– ) Online

Episode cast overview:
	Meredith Vieira	-	Herself - Host

Show #1461.

The ninth season introduced numerous sweeping changes to the show's format: A revamped set was introduced, eliminating the hot seat, placing a podium between the host and contestant, and showing the questions on a screen in the studio; the number of questions was reduced from 15 to 14, with the first ten questions now constituting Round One and the last four constituting Round Two, or "Classic Millionaire"; the values of the first ten questions was altered to (with old values in parentheses): $100 ($500), $500 ($1,000), $1,000 ($2,000), $2,000 ($3,000), $3,000 ($5,000), $5,000 ($7,500), $7,000 ($10,000), $10,000 ($12,500), $15,000 and $25,000; the values of the questions in Round One was randomized instead of increasing as the game progressed, with the value of each question not revealed until after it is answered; the difficulty of the questions in Round One was also randomized, rather than gradually increasing in difficulty; in Round Two, the $50,000 question was eliminated; the Ask the Expert and Double Dip lifelines were eliminated, and replaced by two Jump the Question lifelines which allow the contestant to skip over a question, forfeiting its prize value; contestant's winnings in Round One are calculated at the total value (their "bank") of all questions answered correctly rather than the value of the last question answered correctly, and contestants who walk away before completing Round One get to keep half their accumulated bank; contestants who walk away after reaching Round Two get to keep their entire accumulated bank from Round One, potentially up to $68,600; contestants who answer a question incorrectly during Round Two leave with $25,000; the Celebrity Question introduced in season eight was eliminated; all contestants (even those missing one of the first few questions) are guaranteed $1,000, with no further guarantees until the end of Round One (in season eight, contestants who answered the first five questions correctly were guaranteed $5,000); the time limit clock was eliminated; instead of previewing a question from the next day's show, a past question with a high value is shown in the studio; new theme and background music was introduced, and the end-of-show horn was altered.