Chris Harrison Explains Why He Decided to Host “Who Want’s to Be a Millionaire”
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ABC/Rick Rowell(NEW YORK) — Chris Harrison began his stint as the new host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire earlier this week. The host of ABC’s The Bachelor explains to ABC Radio why he decided to take on the long-running game show, first hosted by Regis Philbin.
“The reason I started hosting Millionaire is my job is to try and take every show that Regis has left opened,” Harrison quips to ABC Radio, before adding, “When something like Millionaire comes up there are very few iconic shows like Millionaire; I mean really just a handful in television history. When ABC calls and says, ‘Hey! Would you?’ They didn’t even have to finish the sentence. Of course!”
Harrison tells The Bachelor fans: don’t worry. He’s not leaving. “Look, I’ve been doing the Bachelor and the Bachelorette franchise for 14 years. It’s been phenomenal and I’m not going anywhere. That’s my baby and I love it,” he adds.
Harrison says hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire isn’t a stretch for him. “Both of my shows are really about life-changing moments and they’re about the journey to get to that life-changing moment. On The Bachelor, obviously I want it to end in love, but Millionaire it’s this steady climb from $500 to a million. And that is my job to take everybody on this ride,” he says.
This season, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire viewers can expect special weeks, such as “College Week,” which will feature student contestants. Harrison said we also may recognize some contestants during another special week.
“I called some of my friends from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette franchise. So they’ll be stopping by as well and some of them do very good,” Harrison reveals. “And they’re all raising money for charity, so it was just fun.”
To find out when Who Wants to Be a Millionaire airs in your city, go to MillionaireTV.com.
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