“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ”Contestant Explains Why She Feared She Wouldn’t 'Ever' Get Paid Her $64K Winnings

Angela AndaloroSun, May 3, 2026 at 10:28 AM UTC

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Regis Philbin hosting 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'Credit: American Broadcasting Companies via Getty -

Stephanie Stradley, a contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 2002, opened up about her experience on X

Stradley recalled worrying that her show might not air after production didn't give her a clear timeline

Stradley did eventually receive her cash prize when the episode aired, nearly six months after filming

Trusting the process can be hard when you're competing on a game show.

Stephanie Stradley, who was a contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for a special "Ladies' Night" episode in 2002, recently opened up about her game show experience. In response to a recent story by Jeopardy contestant Patrick Nolan, who admitted to worrying he'd play against friend and mentor Greg Shahade, Stradley shared memories of her own worries over her game show experience.

"When I was on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, I signed a contract that said if I revealed any of it before the shows aired, I would get nothing," she wrote on X. "I filmed in December, but they did not air the shows until May. They kept telling me different dates that didn't happen."

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"Why? Millionaires' ratings were down from over-saturation. I worried they may not ever pay me, and there was this new show they were airing instead, The Bachelor," she continued. "I was so so mad at that show. Have never watched it because they delayed my money, and the concept grosses me out some."

Asked if everything worked out in the end, Stradley explained that while it took time, her episode did air. "It just showed up one day after the second episode with no notice. Check was in an overnight envelope leaning against my front door," she shared.

Stradley was also asked if anything in the contract now sticks out as strange to her today. She replied, "Not really. The money and confidentiality part was huge tho. Like I was super worried they'd never pay me because there was language that made that ambiguous. They weren't very good at telling us when the show would air, so that made watch party planning hard, ha."There was also mention of how she celebrated the episode, noting that "between airing and the show, I got prego, so no champagne. She is my miracle Millionaire baby."

Stradley walked away from the show with $64,000. While there was a little stress around the scenario, she shared, "It changed my life in a lot of cool ways, beyond the money."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”