Reality Writer Chris Wolvie recaps this special

Forget about wanting to be a MILLIONAIRE.  To reverse-quote Dr. Evil from Austin Powers, why make a million...when you can make a BILLION?!  A thousand lucky contestants have traveled from across the country after having the good fortune of drinking the right Pepsi(TM) product in order to Play For a Billion!  Not only that, but a young person can win a brand new car, two college graduates can win a trip around the world and someone will win vacations for life!

Your host from Orlando, Florida is Drew Carey, who can't believe they'd make all this hype just to plug the WB's fall schedule.  He then goofs and runs of a Who's Line Is It Anyway? line.  He notes that all 50 states are represented in the 1000 contestants in the audience.  Ages range from 18 to 74.  All sorts of occupations, too, from blackjack dealer to female forklift driver.  They all took codes from 20 million Pepsi(TM) products and inputted them on the internet.  He also mentions that only 992 of the 1000 who won made it; "eight had a wedding to go to," he says.  But the other eight have people acting in their stead.  Each of the people selected a unique 6-digit number, from 000000 to 999999.  This is their ticket, their 1- in-1,000,000 shot at the billion bucks.  The numbers are locked and cannot be change.  And, shortly, the "most important 6-digit number in television history" will be drawn: the billion-dollar number!  And it will be drawn...by a chimpanzee.  That's right, folks.  To rule out human bias, a chimp named Mr. Moneybags will draw the number which will conceivably pay out the largest prize in TV history!  But the question is, "Can someone ACTUALLY win a billion dollars?"  "Yes," says a Pepsi(TM) spokesperson.

And, now, let's meet the co-host Jamie Kennedy from The WB's Jamie Kennedy Experience.  He says that chances are pretty good that someone will leave a billionaire.  Drew agrees, saying, "People have beaten those kind of odds before: Jamie has a show, I have a show.  If WE can do it..."

Now to the OTHER co-host, Holly Robinson Pette, formerly of FOX's 21 Jump Street and now star of WB's Like Family (premiering this month).  Holly is back in the Security Chamber with three very important people: former Florida Lottery Security Director Frank Carter, Stacy Reichart from Pepsi-Co, and Dr. Mike Lawler of a large insurance company owned by Burkshire-Hathaway Group.  These three are there to maintain and secure the accuracy and security of the billion-dollar number when it is drawn briefly.  She explains the process (given below), then says that, though the home audience will see the whole process, no one in the main stage room will see ANY of it.  This is called "suspense building" and will factor into the elimination game that makes up most of the rest of the show.

Drew then introduces the final co-host: Mr. Moneybags himself.  He's brought out and hugs Drew.  He seems rather stoic for being the most important chimp on TV since Lancelot Link/Secret Chimp.

Back from commercial.  Hope "Hopeless" Malone is interviewed.  She's an auto worker and she picked her numbers from a dream.  As good as any other method, I'm sure. 

OK, it's time to choose the billion-dollar number.  One-by-one, Holly picks one of about 40 red, white or blue ten-sided dice.  Mr. Carter picks it up and puts it in a glass held by Holly.  Holly then rolls the die.  Ms. Reichart announces the number, Mr. Carter confirms this, then Dr. Lawler takes a corresponding billiard ball and drops it in a bag.  This is repeated six times.  The numbers rolled are 8, 2, 3, 1, 8 and 7. Dr. Lawler pulls the whole bag out and Mr. Carter mixes the balls.

Now it's Mr. Moneybags' turn.  The chimp draws the six numbers out and the order of the numbers, left to right, will be the number which will win somebody a billion dollars.  The chimp draws each ball, presents it to Dr. Lawler and, after Mr. Carter confirms again, Dr. Lawler places it in order.  And the winning number is: 178238!  That number will be checked against the numbers of the 1000 people playing.  If one person's numbers match exactly, $1 billion is his/her.  But, even if it ISN'T exactly right, the closest TO the right number wins $1 million.

"THE CHIMP PICKED A NUMBER!" chants Drew.  Of course, nobody in the audience knows the exact number.  But the final ten will be determined by the ten who came closest to the right number (or, consequently, who CHOSE the right number).  One of them will be a millionaire...and one, quite possibly, a billionaire!

After commercial, we see a bunch of people psyched about boarding the plane to Orlando.  They are certainly a cross-section of the country, to be sure.

We go back to Drew, who throws it to the Pepsi(TM) spokesperson, who explains who gets the million:
1) Whosoever has the exact number automatically wins the billion.  Barring that, the million-dollar winner is the one who...
2) Gets the most correct digits in the correct position (178438 would beat 178498) or, if there is a tie,
3) Gets the most OTHER correct digits in ANY position (178328 would beat 178823) or, if there is a tie,
4) Gets the number mathematically nearest (178000 would beat 178540) OR, if there is a tie for closest THEN,
5) Lowest number (178000 would beat 178656) 

And the first three of the final ten are:
1) Brandt Briner, Saratoga Springs, New York
2) Cathryn Carl, Buffalo, New York
3) Warren "Buddy" Graves, St. Paul, MN

The three are sent backstage while they go to the first side game with Jamie Kennedy.  The best thing for someone who just got their license is to get a new car to test run the license in.  Tonight, one of three extremely deserving young people - Tina Chung, Monica Henderson and Andre Callas - will drive away in a brand new 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT!  But, first, they had to go through the "Jamie Kennedy Driving Test Experience"  It's a serious driving test...with Jamie Kennedy Experience twists thrown in.

The first test: Basic Driving Skills.  Each person is asked to parallel park a car, back-in to a space and whatnot...while eating nachos and answering a cell phone.  Andre was a bit messy, Monica wasn't very attentive, and Tina actually got the cell phone stuck in her hair...OUCH!  Score is Tina: 18, Andre: 17, Monica: 16.

Second test: Defensive Driving Skills.  They have to weave around many traffic cones...and cardboard stand-ups of Drew Carey...and get through the course the fastest.  Tina got through the course fast, but cones and "Drews" were flying all over the place.  Andre did slightly better: only one Drew got flattened.  And Monica...she STEAMROLLED Drew many, many times.  After two rounds, score is Andre and Tina tied at 34 with Monica in third with 32.

Final test: Road Test.  Jamie actually took the kids out on the streets and gave them instructions on where to drive...as well as other stuff like sawing "How" when signaling a right turn, waving arms like windshield wipes and blowing kisses to the windshield.

Before you get all jumpy, the three WERE scored based on driving skills REGARDLESS of what else Jamie asked them to do.

And the winner...by ONE POINT...is ANDRE!  He wins the Eclipse!

And Tina and Monica get small consolation prizes: keys to Eclipses of their OWN!  So EVERYONE is deemed worthy of a new car!

Richard Elison from Iowa is interviewed.  He says he'd by is wife a new car if he won the billion.  It's either going to be a HUGE car or he can't think of anything else at the time.  It was also his first time on a jet plane.  Drew comments, "You really ARE from Iowa."

We then get a day in the life of billionaire Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks.  He mentions all one can do with a billion dollars if they win it.  They can buy whatever they dreamed of.  Get any car in any color.  Buy a jet online.  Help out someone in need of surgery.  Buy a sports team (but be careful of the fines).  Suck up to the "gold diggers" who show up out of the woodwork.  Buy your dream mansion with rooms you've never visited.  Or come over to Cuban's house and PAR-TY!

And another three of the final ten are:
4) Dean Churff, Foresby, Alabama
5) Debb Polpaul, Neely, Nebraska
6) Bryan Wilson, Washington Courthouse, Ohio (no, NOT the Beach Boy; he's got billions already)

After the commercial, Drew gets three more names out:
7) Thomas Carter, Dickerson, Maryland
8) Joseph Gold, Plano, Texas (playing for a co-worker in surgery at the time)
9) Richard Bay, Princeton, West Virginia

Now to the next side game.  Jamie Kennedy introduces us to two pairs of recent college grads.  Jen & Christina are from the U. of Central Florida who work as a waitress and bartender.  Rob & Clint are from Westley College in Dover, Delaware where Rob works as a cashier at his uncles golf course and Clint...slacks.  These two teams will play to fly AROUND THE WORLD.  London, Amsterdam, Cairo, Singapore, Tokyo & Los Angeles, staying at Marriot Hotels and flying on United Airlines.  In fact, a United jet is waiting for them at Orlando International Airport ready to take the winners (and the luggage they have packed) on their first leg (let's just hope they don't have class until November).

Last Monday, the teams were given a first-class suite and asked to study a lot of things about all 191 countries in the United Nations: capitals, currencies, current heads of state, flags and "fun facts".  Think of it as Cram with style.  They video taped their adventures in shoving the info into their fresh young brains.

Now the game starts.  Drew explains the rules.  A flag of a country will be shown.  First to buzz in gets $100, then gets to answer questions about the four "C"s (captial, currency, current head, "curiosity" (another name for "fun fact")) for $100 each.  If they're wrong, control passes to the other team, who can pick up where they left off.  At the end of the game, whoever has the most money grabs their bags and gets driven to Orlando International to start their trip, along with all the moeny they've won in traveller's checks to spend on the way.

First flag is a solid white flag with a filled-in red circle in the middle.  Clint buzzes in and says, "Japan", which is right.  They get Tokyo as the capital and the yen as the currency, but think "Nomuhiron" is the current head.  Jen knows it's Emperor Akihito, but she botches on the "curiosity":  Yokohama's Instant Noodle Museum gets over 100,000 visitors a year (Jen said "Factory", not "Museum").  It's 300-100, Rob/Clint.

Round 2's questions are worth $200 each.  The flag is a square red flag with a white cross.  Jen gets it wrong as Tonga (Tonga has a crescent, not a cross), but the boys know it's Switzerland.  They DON'T know that the capital is Bonn, so they only increase their lead to 500 to 100. (Here, Christina looks like she's wondering why they didn't get a chance to answer, but they already HAD their chance.  And, BTW, the currency is Swiss Franc or Euro and the current head is Confederation President Pascal Couchepin)

Up to $300 a question now.  The flag: a blue globe on a yellow diamond on a green background.  Jen gets it right as Brazil.  Capital: Brasilia.  Currency: Real.  Head of State: Luiz Lula de Silva.  Curiosity: In Rio's 1988 mayoral election, a chimp came in third.  They sweep the country and go ahead 1600-500.

$400 a question this time.  The flag: top half a solid yellow, bottom half with solid blue and red stripes.  Jen's in again and gets it right as Columbia.  Capital: Bogota.  Currency: not "Alvaro Uribe" as Jen thinks.  Rob gets it right as Peso.  Current head: the boys don't know.  THAT was "Alvaro Uribe".  Girls still up 2400-900.

Now to $500/answer.  Flag: alternating stripes of red, white, blue, white, red.  Rob knows it's Thailand.  Capital: Bangkok.  Currency: Baat.  Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II?  Er, no.  Christina knows it's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (and the audience applauds when she says this).  Curiosity: it's illegal to leave the house in Thailand without underpants.  Ladies still lead 3400-2400.

$600 each now.  Flag: an odd orange and light brown flag with what looks like a dragon in the middle.  But Jen's on it.  It's Bhutan.  Capital: Thimphu.  Currency: Nguitrum.  Current head: King Jigme Singye Wangchuk. (more applause here).  Curiosity: They set aside a wildlife sanctuary to preserve the habitat of the imaginary Yeti (aka the Abominable Snowman)!  Another sweep!  6400-2400, ladies.

Final round questions are worth $700 each.  It's a done deal at this point, since the $3500 available will only give the boys $5900, not enough to overcome the deficit.  They show the final flag: a red-white-and-green flag with a golden emblem in the center.  Jen rings in and says it's Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic.  Capital: Dushanbe.  Currency: Rouble.  Current head: Imomali Rakmonov, President.  They can't come up with the Curiosity, but it doesn't matter.  Jen and Christina are off on a trip around the world with $9200 in traveler's checks!

But, c'mon, you'd think they'd put Rob & Clint in a suite for five days studying with a reward of their own?  After Stan Walsh, VP of United, hands the tickets to the girls, he hands the boys tickets for the same flight to London.  And so we have learned that teenage men are the better drivers than teenage women, female grads study better than male grads, and NOBODY is a loser on Play For A Billion!

Holly catches us up on things: the thousand people have been flown in and each picked a six-digit number, Holly rolled the numbers and Mr. Moneybags picked the order of said numbers.  If one person got it exactly right, s/he leaves with a check with a 1 followed by nine zeros! (Well, actually, they leave with 40 annual balloon payments of roughly $25 million a year...but that's STILL a lot of bread, pal.)

And Drew announces lucky number 10:
10) Elaine Breckner, Winthrop, Minnesota

We have the ten finalists.  But the other 9,990 people aren't out in the cold.  ONE of them has won something.  Joseph Pinero is the FURTHEST from the winning number...and, because of his ineptitude, he wins vacations in Marriot resorts for the rest of his LIFE!  And that's ANYWHERE in the world!  Of course, he'll have to get TO the places on his own account, but the lodging is free!

We go to Drew, who asks the ten finalists to look at each other...one of them is an instant millionaire.  Now the elimination process begins.  One-by-one, an envelope will be handed to Drew with the name whose number is furthest away from the winning number.  The ten will have to decide whether to take a guaranteed cash prize (which increases with each round) or hang in there.  If they take the money, they leave with it.  Otherwise, the name is announced and whosever it is leaves with nothing.  This continues until one person is left standing.  That one person leaves with a guaranteed million AND all the numbers given up by those who took the money.  If they hold the number that matches the one drawn by Mr. Moneybags, that person gets the million...a thousand-fold! 

The first cash buy-out is $20,000, which they get shown.  Joseph is playing for a co-worker in software engineering, though he's not sure how they'll split the cash.  The ten finalists get ten seconds to hit their buzzer to buy-out.  But nobody bites.  Thomas is told by Drew that $20,000 could sure cover for a lot of kitchenware for his bride of a month-and-a-half.  And he may STILL get the chance, since it's Joseph's number that's furthest away.  Joseph leaves with nothing but memories for himself...and NOTHING for his co-worker.

Debb is a financial specialist with three kids, so she knows what this money would mean to her.  The next envelope comes with a $30,000 buy-out.  Once again, the money is shown to them.  Once again, 10 seconds.  Once again, nobody buzzes in.  Drew opens the envelope.  Elaine was the last person picked...but she's not going anywhere right now, because Warren is furthest from the winning number.  He leaves with nothing.

Next envelope is coughed up...and $40,000 is presented to the group.  Bryan entered with eight bottle caps he had originally discarded in his car.  The money is shown, the clock starts...and Debb rings in!  She wins $40,000...but gives up her own number to whoever wins the million.  

Next level: $50,000.  Brandt does freelance home restorations and has never made $50,000 in a year.  Imagine what 50 grand can do to an old house...or even HIS old house.  The money is shown and the clock starts.  And, in one second, Cathryn buzzes in and takes the 50 large!

Now it's up to $60,000 on a 1 in 6 chance for a million and maybe a billion!  Will somebody take the guaranteed cash?  Yes!  Elaine!  All the women have bailed out!  Maybe THEY'RE the smart ones!

We're down to five finalists!  The next envelope is brought, along with $70,000 cash.  Dean's wife wants him to walk away with some money.  Brandt almost missed his flight here.  Richard, being a high school science teach, has figured the odds supposedly.  Now they are given 20 seconds to decide to buy-out.  And, after 15 seconds, Bryan decides to bail.  He has a child on the way, so why risk it?  His number is added to the list.

$80,000 is next.  Richard's kids were the ones encouraging him to playing this and wants to help build a library with the money.  Will some one buy-out?  Yes!  At 13 seconds, Brandt takes the 80 Gs.  He's not phased when Drew says he might've given up the billion-dollar number.

Down to three now.  And, as you may have guessed, the buy-out is $90,000!  "That is MONEY," Drew says as the model shows off the cash, "and the $90,000 isn't bad either!"  Thomas already has his odds calculated.  20 seconds ticks away...but, with THREE seconds left, Dean bails!  Dean gets the 90 large...but at the cost of a billion?

Richard and Thomas are all that's left.  One last envelope.  Richard gonna pay tithes to the church, then help the family debts, then give most of the rest for a foundation for those with cancer in southern West Virginia.  Thomas has LESS noble pursuits: Dodge Viper, family debts and a down payment on a house.

One last buy-out...for $100,000!  They have 30 seconds to decide to bail.  If someone buys-out, the other gets $1 million!  The clock ticks away...the crowd cheers and shouts...Thomas keeps his hands away from the buzzer...Richard keeps his hands down but doesn't move...10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0!  Both of them stay the course!  One man leaves with nothing...and that man...is Thomas!  Richard Bay of West Virginia wins one million dollars!!

But, wait...Richard now has his shot at the billion.  It is revealed that, out of the seven numbers left in play, Richard had the million-dollar number all along, so the $390G taken in buy-outs were good choices.  So Richard's number, the one closest to the billion-dollar number, will be the one to be compared to Mr. Moneybags' number.  Out of 20 million caps and 1000 in the audience, Richard now has his shot at ONE BILLION DOLLARS!

The sixth numbers match: 8.

The fifth numbers match: 3.

The fourth numbers match: 2.  Richard's half-way home.

Richard's third number: 8.  Mr. Moneybags': 8!  He is two-thirds of the way to a billion!

Richards second number is: 2.  Mr. Moneybags':...7.  Awwwwwww...(I'm guessing the first numbers didn't match, since they'd've showed it some time before the second number).  Richard had ?28238, Mr. Moneybags had 178238.

Ah, well, Richard DOES take home a million, six others have thousands in cash, two girls are off on a trip around the world, two guys are off to London, three teenagers are terrorizing their respective neighborhoods in new cars and the most inept of the audience gets vacations for life!  Not bad for two hours' of work.