In a throwback to a memorable episode of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", viewers were left stunned when a contestant stumbled upon what should have been the easiest $500,000 question.
The incident has sparked widespread discussion and amusement among fans of the popular game show.
The contestant in question was Toby Moore, a statistician from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who had successfully answered 13 consecutive questions, accumulating an impressive sum of $250,000.
However, his luck took a turn when he faced a seemingly straightforward question about Pokémon.
Host Regis Philbin asked, "Which of the following characters is not considered a 'Pokémon'?" The options were A) Jigglypuff, B) Frodo, C) Squirtle, and D) Pikachu.
While most viewers would have immediately recognized that Frodo is a character from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and not a Pokémon, Toby was uncertain.
To aid his decision, he used the '50:50 lifeline,' which left him with Jigglypuff and Frodo as the remaining options.
After further deliberation, Toby decided to play it safe and walk away with his accumulated winnings of $250,000.
Social media was flooded with comments labeling the Pokémon question as "one of the easiest questions ever" and questioning how anyone could have missed it.
Some viewers speculated that Toby may not have been familiar with Pokémon or the popular fantasy series, while others suggested he should have used the "phone a friend" option or relied on common knowledge.
Years later, this memorable moment continues to be regarded as a classic in the history of US primetime television.
The incident also sparked discussions about the significance of the prize money. Considering the episode aired in 1999, the $500,000 prize would have been equivalent to a substantial amount of money at that time.
In today's currency, it would be worth around $900,000.
