stebbo
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2006
- Messages
- 466
I thought I'd introduce myself to this board with my proposal which happened in May 2005.
We live in Sydney, Australia, and drove 13 hours north to reach the sunny Sunshine Coast. After a week of chilling out in the surf and sunbaking, we collapsed back at the hotel. My girlfriend Mira had always been a fan of the TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", so having no energy to do anything else, I said "who wants to play 'Who wants to be a millionaire'?"
She excitedly said "How?", so I grabbed the remote control for the hotel TV and switched on the TV. Whilst the TV picture was coming on, she said "but it's on Monday night, not now". The show's intro started nonetheless. "Wow" she said. Little did she know things had been going on behind the scene. You see, I'd been to the "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" website and ripped off their online version of the TV game. I modified it to look like the start of the TV show and customized the gameplay for my purpose. I put questions in there that were not too easy but not too hard either, and instead of monetary prizes, I had loving surprises which would only be revealed when she answered their question correctly. I had the game running on my laptop, secretly hidden behind the television and I had a cordless mouse hidden in my pocket for control.
The intro finished, and to her surprise a game screen came up. "What's this? - how do I play?" she excitedly demanded. I wish I'd taken a photo of us in the hotel room with the TV, but it was the last thing on my mind. Here's a pic what she saw on the TV anyway:
I then took the role of the host of the Australian version of the show, 'Eddy', (who is relatively easy to impersonate), and announced the first question. She immediately said "Lock in answer B" - I clicked the appropriate mouse button sequence in my pocket, answer B highlighted and the familiar "correct" sound was heard. She had won her first prize, a loving hug. But she could only have it if she quit now or chose to continue answering questions until she'd passed the first safe level, question #5.
She decided to continue, and she continued answering correctly and had the surprizes revealed to her along the way. She answered #5 correctly and was jubilant in knowing she's secured those prizes. She went to continue, but the familiar "end of show" horn sounded and I informed her the show would continue tomorrow.
Next night - "When are we playing Millionaire?" she asked hopping up and down.
"It's on at 7.30 - in 10 minutes" I responded.
Soon we were back in action, she answered the next question correctly, but got stumped on #7.
"Do I get my lifelines?".
"Of course". These are the 3 second chance 'cards' the show gives, allowing her to narrow the answer choices from 4 to 2, ask the audience for their opinion, or finally phone a (intelligent) friend.
She asked the audience's opinion, I displayed what they all said, and she went with their choice. She sighed when she heard the 'correct' sound.
She moved on, used another lifeline and continued to reveal the prizes that she'd might be winning. She finally secured those prizes and then reached the second last question.
It was a toughy, a question dealing with a piece of mountaineering equipment - very foreign to her. I relied totally on her ringing her best friend Frankie (an outdoor girl) for help. But somehow Mira started to mumble the right answer, but I really wanted her to ring her friend, so I started to point out what happens if she's wrong. She caved in and rang Frankie.
Frankie confirmed her choice, it was correct and I informed her that the prize, "Something Warm", was hiding in the wardrobe. She rushed over and discovered this coat that she'd dreamed of owning, one that Frankie had secretly told me about weeks before.
She was still on the phone to Frankie when she saw it. Her softly spoken words: "f###, ........... Frankie..., it's that... that brown coat".
It couldn't have gone better to plan. After 10 minutes, Mira calmed down and asked, "There's a final prize? What is it? A car?"
"Let's see". We went to play on but the "end of show" horn sounded.
The next day we checked into a beautiful bed & breakfast getaway retreat in the mountains run by a Japanese couple - it was exactly the style we appreciate, incense, shiatsu, no TV. The next morning just before checking out to head back home, I said "ah, we forgot to finish Millionaire last night".
Mira said "but there's no TV here".
I said "we don't need it - come outside"
We went out to the backyard which overlooked the valley and hills, sun still breakfasting on the morning's fog. I had 'installed' the male host at a secret window with a camera with a big zoom lens and the hostess collected a fresh bouquet of flowers from her garden for me.
I had Mira close her eyes and I handed her the bouquet. I said "The final, million dollar question is.." - I knelt down, flipped open a box revealing a diamond begging for attention and continued "will you marry me?".
She opened her eyes, saw the diamond, realised that this was more than a game and whilst still in shock, told me "yes" and we kissed....
We had the diamond mounted in a ring handmade by Mira's family jeweler who fit the stereotype perfectly - a fantastic grey-haired Jewish man with a permanent monocle attached to his eye. I'll post a pic of the ring one day.
We live in Sydney, Australia, and drove 13 hours north to reach the sunny Sunshine Coast. After a week of chilling out in the surf and sunbaking, we collapsed back at the hotel. My girlfriend Mira had always been a fan of the TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", so having no energy to do anything else, I said "who wants to play 'Who wants to be a millionaire'?"
She excitedly said "How?", so I grabbed the remote control for the hotel TV and switched on the TV. Whilst the TV picture was coming on, she said "but it's on Monday night, not now". The show's intro started nonetheless. "Wow" she said. Little did she know things had been going on behind the scene. You see, I'd been to the "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" website and ripped off their online version of the TV game. I modified it to look like the start of the TV show and customized the gameplay for my purpose. I put questions in there that were not too easy but not too hard either, and instead of monetary prizes, I had loving surprises which would only be revealed when she answered their question correctly. I had the game running on my laptop, secretly hidden behind the television and I had a cordless mouse hidden in my pocket for control.
The intro finished, and to her surprise a game screen came up. "What's this? - how do I play?" she excitedly demanded. I wish I'd taken a photo of us in the hotel room with the TV, but it was the last thing on my mind. Here's a pic what she saw on the TV anyway:
I then took the role of the host of the Australian version of the show, 'Eddy', (who is relatively easy to impersonate), and announced the first question. She immediately said "Lock in answer B" - I clicked the appropriate mouse button sequence in my pocket, answer B highlighted and the familiar "correct" sound was heard. She had won her first prize, a loving hug. But she could only have it if she quit now or chose to continue answering questions until she'd passed the first safe level, question #5.
She decided to continue, and she continued answering correctly and had the surprizes revealed to her along the way. She answered #5 correctly and was jubilant in knowing she's secured those prizes. She went to continue, but the familiar "end of show" horn sounded and I informed her the show would continue tomorrow.
Next night - "When are we playing Millionaire?" she asked hopping up and down.
"It's on at 7.30 - in 10 minutes" I responded.
Soon we were back in action, she answered the next question correctly, but got stumped on #7.
"Do I get my lifelines?".
"Of course". These are the 3 second chance 'cards' the show gives, allowing her to narrow the answer choices from 4 to 2, ask the audience for their opinion, or finally phone a (intelligent) friend.
She asked the audience's opinion, I displayed what they all said, and she went with their choice. She sighed when she heard the 'correct' sound.
She moved on, used another lifeline and continued to reveal the prizes that she'd might be winning. She finally secured those prizes and then reached the second last question.
It was a toughy, a question dealing with a piece of mountaineering equipment - very foreign to her. I relied totally on her ringing her best friend Frankie (an outdoor girl) for help. But somehow Mira started to mumble the right answer, but I really wanted her to ring her friend, so I started to point out what happens if she's wrong. She caved in and rang Frankie.
Frankie confirmed her choice, it was correct and I informed her that the prize, "Something Warm", was hiding in the wardrobe. She rushed over and discovered this coat that she'd dreamed of owning, one that Frankie had secretly told me about weeks before.
She was still on the phone to Frankie when she saw it. Her softly spoken words: "f###, ........... Frankie..., it's that... that brown coat".
It couldn't have gone better to plan. After 10 minutes, Mira calmed down and asked, "There's a final prize? What is it? A car?"
"Let's see". We went to play on but the "end of show" horn sounded.
The next day we checked into a beautiful bed & breakfast getaway retreat in the mountains run by a Japanese couple - it was exactly the style we appreciate, incense, shiatsu, no TV. The next morning just before checking out to head back home, I said "ah, we forgot to finish Millionaire last night".
Mira said "but there's no TV here".
I said "we don't need it - come outside"
We went out to the backyard which overlooked the valley and hills, sun still breakfasting on the morning's fog. I had 'installed' the male host at a secret window with a camera with a big zoom lens and the hostess collected a fresh bouquet of flowers from her garden for me.
I had Mira close her eyes and I handed her the bouquet. I said "The final, million dollar question is.." - I knelt down, flipped open a box revealing a diamond begging for attention and continued "will you marry me?".
She opened her eyes, saw the diamond, realised that this was more than a game and whilst still in shock, told me "yes" and we kissed....
We had the diamond mounted in a ring handmade by Mira's family jeweler who fit the stereotype perfectly - a fantastic grey-haired Jewish man with a permanent monocle attached to his eye. I'll post a pic of the ring one day.
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