'Money Drop' contestant Gabe Okoye 'distraught,' 'haunted' over not-wrong answer [poll]

 

Gabe Okoye, one of the "Million Dollar Money Drop" contestants who lost $800,000 on the show's premiere after giving what would turn out to be a correct answer, has been "haunted" by and "distraught" over the moment.

Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, Okoye, 25, and girlfriend Brittany Mayti, 23, described how the agony of losing the cash at the September taping was even worse than it looked when the show aired Dec. 20.

"I was haunted for a long time between the taping and the actual airing. I was distraught," Okoye told THR. "I'd like to know someone who has lost money like that and just smiled about it." Mayti, he said, supported him the whole time after the loss, even after he'd talked her into betting on his answer.

"Money Drop" contestants start with $1 million and must work as a team to wager the cash on the answers to seven questions. If they answer seven questions correctly, any money that was placed on those correct answers is theirs to keep.

The question, which hinged on when Post-it Notes went on the market, wasn't the final one for the couple, who lost their remaining $80,000 on the next query. "They never had a chance to win that money. Ever. No matter what," said host Kevin Pollak, who also told THR he hasn't enjoyed the controversy. "They got the last question wrong. This story is a moot point."

Still, just before Christmas -- citing "incomplete" information that didn't include the sticky notes being test-marketed three years earlier than their launch under the Post-It name -- the show's producers invited the couple to return to the show to compete again.

"Now he's like, 'I'm glad you were supportive since it turns out I was right,'" Mayti told THR, laughing. "If I had been mad at him, I would be looking not good now."

Personally, we love that Okoye knew so much about the history of 3M's Post-it Note -- because it's a pretty cool story involving creative work the company allowed to be done on company time.

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-- Christie D'Zurilla

 

 

Comments

[f]

No they sould sue instead. Just the mear fact that they have been re-invited, admists fault. They should receive at least 50% of that money, call it a "Lindsay that's okay, we forgive" special!

[john]

they should hire a lawyer and sue for emotional distress

[Robert Hopkins]

The fact is that I Like, this poor contestant, Learned this while working on my degree. If the people who reserch the show cant get their facts in orer they need to pass him 1 Million dollars and cancel the show.

He was right give him his money.

[Ray]

Give them the money or I will sue.

[Mitch Willaby]

Kevin Pollack is a dumbass for saying what he said. Every question the game asks is very gray and incomplete...done on purpose for the sake of arguing as game did. 1) Had the couple had advanced MENTALLY they would of dispursed the $880,000 knowing that they have a larger spread 2) The last question WHERE KEVIN DUMBASS says they would of lost anyway...was due to the fact that they pretty much let it go and gambled it away on one answer. 3) To be somewhat fair....the couple should be given the $800,000 and continue from there (BUT who knows where the REAL INTENT of inviting them is...the questions placed could be a lot harder to knock'em and shut'em up....4) The game is a failure and the producers lack common sense...and I totally lost respect for Kevin dumbass Pollack

[KT]

they should compete again but start out where they left off...its not fair that they have to start again because if the show didnt mess up they could have gone further and probably won more money.

[Disappointed]

Horrible, I won't be watching this show. At a minimum, this couple needs to be issued 800K and be put back into the EXACT same spot. Anything else is unacceptable. What an idiot host when he says they lost on the last question. They had $800K to distribute over multiple answers and cold have guessed partially correct. $0 is not an option.

[MLB]

I would say they have to give them the 800k and the last question like THEY SHOULD'VE HAD IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!! Then if I was the couple I would put 250k apiece in Two Boxes and 300k In the won that Thought was the right one!

[Jake]

Everyone here is talking about how horrible this situation is and how stupid the host is, when they clearly don't know how the game is played. On every question, one drop (each drop represents one of the possible answers) must be left clear. On the last question, there are TWO drops. Therefore the contestants must place all of their remaining money on one possible answer, creating an all-or-nothing situation. They placed their money on the wrong drop and lost the small amount they had left. If the show hadn't messed up the Post-It question, the couple would have had a lot more money going into the final question, but they would have placed it all on the wrong drop, as we saw, and they would have lost it all anyway. The host of this show knows what he's talking about, and you are ridiculous for thinking he doesn't.

[Angry Guy]

@Jake, as far as the host not knowing what he's talking about, I disagree with you. If I were in there position and I had lost $800,000 on an answer that WAS correct, I'd be too distraught to think about anything else. I truly believe if they had been able to keep the $800 G's they would've mentally stood a better chance at actually winning it. Kevin Pollack is such a terrible host. Get somebody good, like Howie Mandel or something!

[Christopher]

Why should they be given another chance to compete?

[Nick Jones]

All the comments about suing, shows what's wrong with this country. They should accept the invite back, and be happy. If they had gotten the following questions correct, its a different circumstance, and I'm sure instead of an invite, they would have received the full million. Everyone is always trying to make a quick buck, this show being an ultimate example...but please, give the lawyers a break, I'm tired of their awful commercials

[Wicked]

I completely understand what Nick Jones means when he says that's whats wrong with this country. People sue over very stupid things. However...when a game show is aired on national television, that countless people watch, their integrity is on the line. Just like if you were in a business, you would be fired for making the company look so dumb from not even having the right answer to you're own questions. So this situation is different than a lot of the other ignorant lawsuits. I personally would sue, and I would win because of the impact it makes on a persons life when you're treated wrongly on national television. I wouldn't be greedy, and I wouldn't expect to get 800k. But I would expect SOMETHING to show the company feels bad for what they did. They know statistically it's hard to win the game, which is why they are giving them a second chance. It's cheaper for them to lose and make them look like idiots again.