RTL has changes to its hit show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Due to the Corona crisis announced. As the broadcaster announced on Monday, the new episodes of the quiz show with moderator Günther Jauch (63) will take place in April without an audience. For this reason there are also new jokers. The shows with audience on March 23, 24 and 30 are said to contain overlays with references to an earlier production – they were recorded even before the nationwide measures against the corona virus.
Two new wild cards
For the new episodes "Who wants to be a millionaire?" two new wild cards are therefore introduced. The "millionaire joker" replaces the "audience joker": three former WWM millionaires form the audience and can be interviewed as experts. The candidate then selects the person who has stood up and can answer the question. However, the "millionaire joker" as the "fourth joker" is only available in the risk variant. Second, there is the so-called "escort joker": The candidate can choose an escort as an additional joker and consult with them. The "companion joker" is valid instead of the additional joker. The 50:50 joker and the telephone joker remain as usual.
Limitations in advance
As a further protective measure, the number of candidates in the selection round is reduced. Instead of eight, RTL is limited to six potential millionaires who can drive to and from the studio on the day of recording. This is to avoid hotel nights. In addition, the candidate and production team should be kept largely separate from one another during the recording.