In a special Thursday night, primetime episode, Antony McManus became only the second person ever to win one million dollars on Channel 9’s Millionaire Hot Seat quiz show.
Antony had a perfect start, winning Fastest Finger First to bank $1000 and earn a lifeline for later on. Once in the hot seat opposite host Eddie McGuire, he answered five questions correctly to reach the million-dollar question. With the pressure peaking, Antony used his lifeline and chose to switch the million-dollar question to this:
Which of these classic literary works was published first?
A: The Count of Monte Cristo
B: A Tale of Two Cities
C: War and Peace
D: Les Misérables
He correctly answered A: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, published in 1844.
Antony said:
“I know it’s a cliche, but winning Millionaire Hot Seat has absolutely changed my life. 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, from Melbourne, is an LGBTQIA+ activist and a lover of the theatre and the arts. He and Ron have been a fighting voice for equal rights for their community. After being married 17 times at rallies, on TV and on radio, they were finally able to tie the knot officially in January 2018 when same-sex marriage became legal in Australia.
Antony is the treasurer of the charity Positive Attitude, which provides food and company for people living with HIV and people who feel isolated. The charity has been helping people since 1984 and he is passionate about working in the non-for-profit sector.
In the 1970s, Antony tried his hand at child acting and featured in several commercials and TV shows, including Cop Shop where he played Craig Matthews, and Solo One as Craig Pritchard. He also appeared in The Sullivans.
A whopping total of $87,098,000 has been won on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Millionaire Hot Seat over the past 21 years.
Auditions for 2022 are now open. Visit www.nine.com.au/hotseat to register for your chance to be the next contestant to win one million dollars.
Catch up on Antony’s million-dollar episode on 9Now and watch Millionaire Hot Seat Monday to Friday at 5.00pm on Channel 9.
