The million-dollar question that changed a man’s life
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On Thursday night, a retail worker from Melbourne became the second person in history to win a million dollars on Channel 9’s Millionaire Hot Seat quiz show.
Antony McManus’ luck started when he won Fastest Finger and earned $1,000 to keep up his sleeve for a potential lifeline.
Once he was in the hot seat opposite host Eddie McGuire, he proceeded to answer four questions correctly and was left with one remaining question to win the top prize on Australian television.
Antony was able to use his lifeline and chose to switch the million-dollar question to this:
Which of these classic literary works was published first?
- The Count of Monte Cristo
- A Tale of Two Cities
- War and Peace
- Les Misérables
He later admitted he had no idea when The Count of Monte Cristo was published. "I tried to put them in the order I thought, backwards," he told host Eddie McGuire.
Originally Antony's million-dollar question was different. He was asked how many Australian prime ministers have been members of electorates in Queensland, and he predicted he would have gotten the answer wrong.
Antony correctly answered the million-dollar question. Photo from Channel Nine.
“I know it’s a cliche, but winning Millionaire Hot Seat has absolutely changed my life,” Antony said in a statement after his historic win.
“I thought I’d be renting forever, but now I’ve bought a beautiful apartment and even paid cash for it!”
“Now I can stop worrying about the future for my husband, Ron, and me. I’m so grateful that the stars aligned on the day. So much had to go right for me to win, and it did. It’s still hard to believe.”
“I’d like to thank Eddie McGuire and everyone at Nine who supported me and has been so lovely throughout this experience. I encourage everyone to give it a go and apply to be on the show. If it happened to me, it could happen to you too.”
Antony works in retail and he said winning the quiz show 'changed his life'. Photo from Channel Nine.
For years now, Antony McManus and his husband Ron have been LGBTQI+ advocates and activists, fighting for equal rights in their community.
The pair have been ‘married’ several times on different occasions in the past but were only finally able to legally tie the knot in January 2018, when same-sex marriage was legalised in Australia.
Antony is passionate about working in the non-profit sector and is currently the treasurer of the charity Positive Attitude, which provides food and company for people living with HIV.
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