‘Twenty One’ Contestant Disputes Answer That Cost Him the Game

The resurgence of prime-time quiz shows has brought with it high ratings but also various headaches, including the occasional angry contestant irked by what he feels to be an ambiguous or misleading question.

The latest charge comes from Chris Franciosa, a 31-year-old substitute teacher and actor from Venice, Calif., seen on the Jan. 24 episode of NBC’s “Twenty One.” He was asked: “Which of the following countries is ruled by a queen? 1) Finland 2) Denmark 3) Sweden 4) None of the above.”

Franciosa answered “Sweden,” but the answer was Denmark and he lost the game. Franciosa said he investigated the topic further (including a visit to the Danish Embassy’s Web site) and found both Sweden and Denmark have queens, but the producers said the Swedish monarch is a figurehead while the Danish one is not.

“At best, it’s an ambiguous question,” Franciosa said. “The answer should have been either both Denmark and Sweden or ‘None of the above,’ because the queens really don’t ‘rule’ in either country.”

Franciosa spent several days dealing with NBC’s attorneys, who, he said, “were very officious, very lawyer-like. They didn’t say much.” He insisted he’s not a sore loser, adding, “I made $1,000 for just showing up.”

He is also not alone in terms of such disputes. At least two contestants on ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” have been invited back because of questions later deemed faulty, and others have gone public to voice similar complaints without such luck.

Regarding the royalty ruckus, an NBC spokeswoman said, “We stick by the question and the answer.” In addition, the network pointed out that all contestants sign an affidavit saying they will concur with the producers’ determination on any disagreement.

“I know I was told that I couldn’t sue them,” Franciosa said, acknowledging he signed such a waiver prior to playing the game.

NBC is no doubt extra-sensitive regarding any accusations of impropriety or unfairness tied to the program, which was at the center of the quiz show scandal of the 1950s--ultimately leading to the genre’s demise in prime time and inspiring the 1994 feature film “Quiz Show.”

“They were so concerned about the appearance of any sort of cheating,” Franciosa said. “They were really freaked out about it.”

NBC made one recent change in “Twenty One” unrelated to the latest brouhaha, reducing the prize structure after giving away more than $1.1 million to a law student on the Feb. 2 episode--a record sum for any TV quiz show. Network officials stated that the shift had nothing to do with concern about doling out too much money but rather a desire to add suspense to the game by making it more difficult for people to claim such large sums.