¿ Who wants to be a millionaire? became one of the most successful television formats for years on televisions around the world after its premiere in 1998 in the United Kingdom. After the specials broadcast by Antena 3 recently to celebrate the 20 years of the program, the network opens a new season this Friday night with the main novelty that the contestants are now famous faces.
The second great novelty is that the iconic wildcard of the call is recovered from the original format. This return will give rise to many surprises, advances Juanra Bonet, who repeats as presenter. “Who does a celebrity call? Well, another famous person, someone from his most personal circle, someone you don’t expect… the famous agenda is not like ours, ”he says humbly and without wanting to reveal more details.
“Some questions brought back memories to the guests and then they opened your heart”, reveals Juanra Bonet
And the celebrities have come more prepared than the anonymous contestants or the same? “They have come prepared and eager, but also nervous and tense, because they were not playing for themselves but for an NGO they chose and to which the million euros that each program has in jackpot could go; the pressure and responsibility was great ”, he reveals.
On whether a famous person will surprise by their knowledge, Bonet affirms that “it is difficult to say who has more general knowledge in a contest like this, with four response options and with many variables of nerves, tension, intuition, insecurity…. No matter how calm and focused they may be before entering the set, when they sit in the chair to compete, they begin to doubt everything, “says Bonet, who remembers how, for example, a” television titan “like Xavier Sardà suffered.
Juanra Bonet repeats in this new season
The also presenter of the daily contest ¡Boom! assures that the program team was “pleasantly surprised” by the emotional involvement of all the famous contestants. “A comedian like Leo Harlem or JJVaquero comes and in the first questions they continue in their role as comedians but, little by little, the character disappears and the person appears, with their frailties and insecurities. It has happened with everyone and we have lived very precious moments ”. He anticipates that the contest has sometimes become a talk show : “Some questions brought back memories for the guests; then they opened your heart and told you very beautiful stories ”.
Bonet assures that a program like this “strips you”. “In other programs like The challenge famous people compete with each other. But in Who wants to be a millionaire? there is no other rival than yourself and your doubts ”. The presenter uses him as an example: “In some question I was convinced that I knew the correct answer, but after seconds I also doubted.” In any case, his mission is to remain neutral before the contestant, an objective that is usually easy for him “because in general I am quite ignorant and I do not know the answer.” And if you know, “well, poker face; it is part of the profession ”.
Bibiana Fernández, during the recording of the program
Proud to be at the helm of a program that “goes against today’s television,” Bonet finds it admirable for the network to bet on a night like Friday “on two people looking at a question in case they know each other the answer ”when“ spectacular shows, with many participants and on very large plates ”are triumphing.
A long list of famous contestants
Antonio Resines, David Broncano and Bibiana Fernández are the guests of the first program. Later deliveries will include Adrián Lastra, Aitana Sánchez Gijón, Alaska, Alberto Chicote, Ana Milan, Antonio Garrido, Boris Izaguirre, Carlos Latre, Cósima Ramírez, Edu Soto, El Sevilla, Espido Freire, Eva Hache, Gonzo, JJ Vaquero, Javier Sardà , Leo Harlem, Lidia Valentín, Loles León, Lorenzo Silva, Lucía Etxebarría, Mario Vaquerizo, Marta Hazas, Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Rossy de Palma, Santiago Segura and Secun de la Rosa.
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