Earn Big Money

Skip the Comfort, Play Like a Man, Babe

Earn big money on a game show, and chances are...you're a man. Boy, it hurts to share this fact, but the numbers speak for themselves.

Historically speaking, male game show contestants earn bigger money, at least in terms of the top prizes. If you browse Wikipedia's list of the top 75 game show winners (those who earn big money) you'll find less than 20 female names.

In fact, percentage-wise, the list has 75% men and 25% women. So, according to this list, a man is three times more likely to earn big money.

Why is this? Are men three times smarter? Better informed? Luckier. Nope, nope, nope. So, what is it? What do male contestants have that female contestants lack?

Here's my theory. Male contestantans have, dare I say it, balls. They spend more time and energy charging forward and less time seeking validation in the form of something I call "comfort."

If you watch Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, you'll see the comfort dynamic at work. How many times have you seen a contestant, usually a woman, have a pretty good guess of the answer. Maybe she's 90% sure. But 90% isn't 100%, so she reaches for lifeline comfort. More often than not, the lifeline simply confirms what she already knew, that 90% is pretty darn good.

The contestant breathes a sigh of relief, picks the answer she liked in the first place, and wins a modest sum of money. Meredith is happy. The lifeline is happy. The contestant is really happy....until a few questions down the road when she's faced with an even harder question, one that really stymies her. Maybe her best guess is a lowly 40%.

Now, she's faced with a choice -- walk away with her modest winnings, or wing it without lifeline support. Usually, the contestant walks away with a modest sum, let's say $8,000 for example. Sometimes it's more. Sometimes it's less. Now, $8,000 is nothing to sneeze at. But consider this. What if she had saved her lifeline for when she really needed it?

What if she had resisted the urge to seek comfort, and kept her eye on a bigger prize? When I was a contestant, I was determined to "play like a man," meaning I vowed to skip the comfort. My goal? Either earn big money, or go down in a big stinkin' ball of masculine game show flame.

My resolve was sorely tested at the $4,000 question, which asked, "What is the logo for MSN?" I was 90% sure it was a butterfly. Still, I craved the comfort of validation. My phone a friend would surely know the answer. I almost called her. But I didn't. I went with my 90% answer, which, as it turns out, was correct.

For me, skipping the comfort paid off. Because I saved that lifeline, I had it available when I needed it the most, at the $25,000 question. With help from my phone-a-friend, I got past the $25,000 milestone, earning big money.

Then, as luck would have it, I flat-out knew the answer to my $50,000 question. Finally, when I got to $100,000,I still had my 50/50. I used that puppy and walked away with $100,000.

After the taping, I went through my questions one-by-one. This is what I figured out: If I had used the lifeline at $4,000, I would've won only $16,000. This means that skipping the "comfort" at the "butterfly" question increased my winnings from $16,000 to $100,000 -- a difference of $84,000. That's one way to earn big money.

WARNING: This strategy is risky, so follow it at your own risk.

Definitely, ignore this advice if it's at odds with your financial situation or risk tolerance. For example, if you really need that $4,000, then by all means, call your lifeline and take the guaranteed winnings. Similarly, if you're not a risk-taker, don't force yourself too far out of your comfort zone. Don't vow to earn big money -- and nothing else -- if it doesn't fit your goals and dreams.

The Other Downside of Playing Like a Man. One final thought: Let's face it...Maybe it's true that men, balls and all, are more likely to earn big money -- BUT by taking more risks, they're probably more likely to lose big too. Remember that big stinkin' ball of game show contestant flame? I bet a lot of guys can be found in that particular inferno.

It would be interesting to see, for example, combined game show winnings across the board. I'd be willing to bet that the total pile of money won by women combined looks fairly similar to the pile won by all men combined. I bet more women fall in the middle earnings-wise, while men make up the extremes, so everything evens out. Hard to say for sure...

Still, it's food for thought. Comfort food, that is. Pass the pie, please!