ROBERT ESSIG Ashtabula, OH
Last time, Todd Kim became the first player to double dip on a question, the first player to hear the identity of the 3 Wise Men, and the first player to walk with $500,000, having answered eleven of the fifteen questions correctly. Now Robert Essig, mother-in-law in tow, is in the Hot Seat, and so far, he's got $20,000 with only his 50:50 and his Phone-a-Friend remaining.

Good luck, Bobbo!

For $30,000:

He says he's pretty sure on Working Girl... and he's right for $30,000! Now onto 50.

He says he's familiar with the Chinese calendar, but not enough to guess, so he phones his father-in-law Mike. "Monkey, Bob. 100 percent." He goes with it, partly unsure of his confidence... and partly forgetting what he said in the first place. Bobbo trusts in him, "But if you're wrong, I know where you live and I have your wife." Mike... GOT IT RIGHT! Here's the $100,000 level. "We've never ever had a contestant who threatened his Phone-a-Friend." Surpass this, and it's into the next dimension.

He safely whittles away Emily and Charlotte. But let's talk strategy. If he had the 50/50 and the Double Dip, he could safely go all the way in the final tier. But he's too unsure now, so he 50/50es away to Catherine and Emily. "I think Daddy's coming home with a lot of money." He makes A his final... and wins $100,000!

We move into the next dimension and reveal the identity of tonight's 3 Wise Men:

Dr. Abbey Salmey - Retired psychologist; puzzle book writer.
Dr. Drew Pinsky - Radio show host; dictionologist.
John Carpenter - IRS agent; first "Millionaire" big winner.

"Hi, Regis." I think John'll do fine. Now onto business. For $500,000...

His daughter's up to eight, and even that's a bit much, because everything's blue. He goes to the Wise Men on the free ball. After much prodding. They (and by they, I mean Dr. Drew) go with gray matter with little certainty and at the last second. He still has the Double Dip. He goes with D and blames/credits Dr. Drew for any miscomings thereafter...

Regis: "You should've used your Double Dip... You know why?"
Bobbo: "Why?"
Regis: "You didn't need it. You got it RIGHT!"

He's still going to work after all is said and done, but the wife has the words "Stay at home mom" in her future. And maybe he'll get a new shirt. Now it's onto $1,000,000.

He thinks it's Kepler, but he's not sure to go on it. The Double Dip looks tempting. Remember, if he takes the Double Dip, he MUST answer the question. "What the heck. Let's take the risk." He Double Dips first with Kepler... Bad news: He just wasted a Double Dip. Good news: HE'S A MILLIONAIRE! And the audience is on their feet! "Bob-bo! Bob-bo! Bob-bo!" It's a good time to point out that if Bobbo wins the $2.5 million, he would have won more money than anyone in the history of the American game show. Can he break Dr. Kevin Olmsted's record? For $2.5 million...

Robert only remembers the movie. He remembers the disappearance... But he has no idea of the name of the restaurant.

"It's time to pull the rip cord on this. I'm outta here."

He's outta here with $1,000,000. Correct answer: A. And we're quickly reminded why we watch the show: ordinary people in life-changing circumstances. You can't buy this much drama. But you can buy a lot with $10 million, and it's time to see someone win that money. Here's the next Fastest Finger Question. 

Correct order: C, D, A, B. Seven get it right. Fastest time... Doug Ralls AND Liz Simon, both in at 3.82! This has almost never happened, and it's happening right after Bobbo. "Sort of like the curse of Bobbo". Another Fastest Finger question, this only for Doug and Liz.

Correct order: A, C, D, B. Liz gets it right in 5.21, so she's up next!

LIZ SIMON Gaithersburg, MD
An attorney who's petrified of being in the hot seat. But she's ready. She and her husband made the phone call togehter. She's here, and he's in the audience, and the hubby said it was all luck of a draw. Another fun fact, her dad went to Regis' high school.

Burn. Liz gets D for $1000. For $2000.

Liz goes to $2000 thanks to A, Pennsylvania. Now to $3000.

Liz thinks she needs a coroner after winning $3000. Next for $4000...

Liz goes with C, and there's always room for $4000. Next up, the $5000 milestone.

Another NRA thing gives Liz $5000. For $10,000...

Sounds like Simon & Garfunkel to me. The tickets were a little out of her price range... Not anymore! She wins $10,000! For $20,000...

She makes B her final answer. And she gets $20,000! Now onto $30,000.

She's not a coffee drinker, so she hopes that the people in the audience are. There might be a couple of java drinkers in the house, as 56 percent go with the right answer, Indonesia. Next highest: Colombia at a distant 23 percent. She trusts the audience... and she gets $30,000! Here's one for $50,000.

Tough question if you don't get BBC America. Looks like Liz doesn't, so she calls up Matt Egan. Looks like Matt doesn't either, but he leans toward paper, having never seen the show. She burns the 50/50, leaving paper supply and payroll management. Out of lifelines and completely unsure, she walks away with $30,000. Well, when you don't know, you don't know. And I know that another one wants to hop into her place. Here's the FFF.

Correct order: C, D, B, A. Right on are four, but the fastest at 4.90 is Dede Bradley!

DEDE BRADLEY Pittsfield, MA
A stay-at-home mom who knows how to count her pennies, she was a teacher with a heck of a Boston accent. Her son, about to turn three, is watching on from home as she tries her hand at the hot seat.

Well, it isn't SARS. Dede gets $1000 from B. Now to $2000.

Ad nauseum is her final answer for $2000. For $3000.

Dede scores $3000 from the Mongols, but she'll have to wait 23 for her chance at $4000. But she'll go from there (and maybe beyond) with all her lifelines in tow. And America's newest millionaire Bobbo returns for one more shot with the Reege. Good night, everybody!