A couple on the new Fox game show called “Million dollar Money Drop” were disqualified from winning $800,000 for giving what the show thought was a wrong answer, but it turned out that it was the correct answer.
On the episode which was aired last Monday, the couple, Gabe Okoye and Brittany Mayti chose to bet $800,000 that they would know the answer to the question: “Which product was sold first in stores: the Sony Walkman, Post-It Notes or the Macintosh computer?”
The couple was immediately able to rule out the Macintosh, and had to decide between the two remaining choices. After deliberating for a few moments, they decided that Post-It Notes were available in stores before the Walkman.
Due to faulty research on the part of the research department the couple was told they had picked the wrong answer. When the answer was checked later on the internet. It was revealed that the show had the wrong date for the introduction of the Post-It product. According to a statement from the 3M company, who had originally given the show the wrong data, the truth was that, “the product was originally tested for sale in four cities under the name ‘Press ‘N Peel’ in 1977. Then it was sold as ‘Post-its’ in 1979 when the rollout introduction began and it sold nationwide in 1980,” according to the executive producer or the show.
Although the Walkman from Sony also debuted in 1979, the Post-It Notes came out first, making the couple’s answer the correct one.
The show’s executive producer, Jeff Apploff has invited the couple back to the show for another try, releasing the following statement:
“Unfortunately, the information our research department originally obtained from 3M regarding when Post-it notes were first sold was incomplete. As a result of new information we have received from 3M, we feel it is only fair to give our contestants, Gabe and Brittany, another shot to play ‘Million Dollar Money Drop’ even though this question was not the deciding question in their game. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the viewers who brought this to our attention, and we’re thrilled to give Gabe and Brittany the opportunity to return to play the game.”
