The final episode of the beloved quiz show Millionaire Hot Seat will air tonight, ending a 25-year-long reign on Australian television screens.
Millionaire Hot Seat began as Who Wants to be a Millionaire? in 1999 with Eddie McGuire at the helm. It eventually evolved into the Hot Seat format in 2009 and expanded to the current one-hour format back in 2017. The program celebrated its 2500th episode earlier this year.
McGuire, who has been a staple on the program over its 25-year run said he was proud of the run the show has had and was saddened that this era was coming to a close. “I’ve had the privilege of being in everybody’s lounge room for a long time every night at 5 o’clock, and I love the fact that so many people come and say, ‘I sit there with my grandparents, and we did these things together’. It’s been a great privilege”.
“It changed my life; it changed a lot of people’s lives. Thank you for all your support,” McGuire said.
Michael Healy, director of television at Nine, announced the end of the series earlier this year and thanked McGuire for his commitment to the series over the years. “For the past two and a half decades, Eddie McGuire has made the show come to life, uncovered the great stories of our contestants, and has had the pleasure of handing over total prize money of more than $90 million,” he said.
Millionaire Hot Seat is Australia’s longest-running quiz show and is the only program on Australian television where it is possible to win $1 million. Since establishing the Hot Seat format in 2009, the show has given away over $40 million in prize money.
Despite the conclusion of new episodes tonight, the Nine Network will still air reruns over the summer until the commencement of the Australian Open on January 14. In 2023, the network will introduce an Australian edition of the popular series Tipping Point, to be hosted by sports presenter and former tennis star Todd Woodbridge.
The final new episode of Millionaire Hot Seat airs tonight at 5 pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
