‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ Contestant Wins $1 Million Prize

Ike Barinholtz has continued his winning ways on game shows with a remarkable victory on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. The Mindy Project star achieved the $1 million jackpot during Wednesday’s episode. He, alongside his father Alan Barinholtz, answered all 15 questions correctly, clinching a seven-figure sum for charity.

Game show enthusiasts might recall Ike’s previous success on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2023. During its inaugural season, he managed a $1 million win for charity by outlasting Wil Wheaton and Patton Oswalt. That time, he donated his winnings to Hollygrove, a city near New Orleans.

Earlier this year, Ike returned to Jeopardy! for the Tournament of Champions. He was the only celebrity participant and advanced to the semi-finals before his run ended.

On the latest Who Wants To Be A Millionaire episode, Ike’s fortune soared once again. Paired with his dad, Jury Duty star Alan Barinholtz, he garnered another $1 million win for charity.

Ike stated, “The way Millionaire builds to harder questions, the tension you’re feeling from questions 12 through 15 is greater than any pressure you’re feeling on Jeopardy! And you have [host] Jimmy [Kimmel]… smirking at you a little bit. You just don’t want to go home.”

This victory marked the first jackpot of the 25th season of Millionaire, and it also made history as the first joint victory on the show.

After the big win, Ike spoke to USA Today, joking, “Had there been confetti in the hospital room, I would have given the birth of my children as the hard No. 1 significant event in my life. But with the confetti, this just felt bigger than anything I had ever been a part of.”

The father-son duo decided to donate their $1 million winnings to The American Sign Language program at Los Encinos School.

This wasn’t Ike’s first appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He first competed on the game show in 2020, where he confessed to “choking” on a $250,000 question. His return was partly to seek redemption.

His father, Alan, shared similar sentiments. “I was Ike’s Lifeline on that episode. So I semi-blew it too, and I wanted to redeem myself,” he said. “But I still thought if we could crack $125,000 this time, that would still be golden.”

The Jury Duty star prepared intensively for his appearance by watching old episodes of Millionaire hosted by Regis Philbin, which evidently paid off in a big way.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.