Who want to be a millionnaire?

John Carpenter (born 24 December 1967) was the first $1,000,000 winner on the United States version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The historic event occurred on November 19, 1999. He held the record for the largest single win in United States game show history, until it was broken by Rahim Oberholtzer on another U.S. quiz show, Twenty One. John was also the first $1,000,000 winner (or top prize winner) across all international versions of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire series (and the only one to win the grand prize on any version of Millionaire during the 1990s).

Prior to his appearance on Millionaire he was a collections agent (Revenue Officer) for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. When he revealed his profession as an IRS officer on Millionaire, Carpenter became the first contestant to be booed on the show (although the booing was done in a playful manner).

While only one other contestant had reached the final question even with the use of three lifelines, Carpenter proceeded to reach the final question without using one. This was only on the twelfth episode of the first series. The $1,000,000 question was "Which of these former U.S. presidents appeared on the television series "Laugh-In?" The choices, in order, were: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon (correct answer), Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. Carpenter used his Phone-A-Friend lifeline to call his father with the following conversation:

“Regis: ...John you've got thirty seconds, starts right now.
John: Hi, Dad.
Tom: Hi!
John: Um...I don't really need your help, I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna win the million dollars..."
(crowd laughs, cheers)
John: [with 7 seconds remaining] ...because the U.S. President that appeared on 'Laugh-In' is Richard Nixon and that's my final answer.
Regis: Well, my gosh. What can I say except: Debbie [Carpenter's wife], you're going to Paris, and this is the final answer heard all around the world, he's won a million dollars!

Carpenter took part in Millionaire's "Champions Week", where he won $250,000 for himself and his charity.

He appears as himself in an episode of Oz (Season 4, Episode 9, "Medium Rare"), original air date January 7, 2001. He plays a contestant in a fictional TV game show called "Up Your Ante" that the prisoners in Em City are watching. The show within the show is hosted by Gordon Elliott, with Eartha Kitt appearing as a celebrity participant. He loses on the million dollar question, though, mistaking the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, as "Ouagagougou."

In 2004, he participated in Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire, as one of the "three wise men."

He also made an appearance in a SNL skit where he spoofed himself. Donald Trump, played by Darrell Hammond, called Carpenter to tell him that he came off as rather arrogant, referring to the time Carpenter called his father during the real quiz show.

More recently, he appeared as part of the Mob (seat #16) on NBC's 1 vs. 100 on October 27, 2006. He was singled out by the first contestant for help with $51,800 at stake on the question "Which of the following is not a real person to have a salad named after him: Bob Cobb, Caesar Cardini, or François Niçoise ?" Carpenter answered "Bob Cobb", which Carpenter correctly recognized as The Maestro of Seinfeld fame; the contestant agreed but the Cobb salad was indeed named after a Robert Cobb. (The correct answer was François Niçoise.)

In 2006 the Swedish popband Leo Vene & Friends released a song named after him. But if the lyrics, which appears to be a hymn to a broken-hearted loner, is about John or not is not to be said but the bands singer Leo have repeatedly told the story about him and his win at gigs.

John was a contestant on the GSN Game Show, Grand Slam where he lost in the quarterfinals to Michelle Kitt.