Philbin guest hosts 'Millionaire'

Regis Philbin will be guest hosting the syndicated version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" in place of its regular host, Meredith Vieira, from Nov. 30 - Dec. 4.

According to an article on HollywoodReporter.com, "This marks the first time Philbin, the host of ABC's primetime ‘Millionaire,' has hosted the weekday editions of the show. During Philbin's ‘Millionaire' episodes, ‘Live' executive producer Michael Gelman will serve as the expert for the ‘Ask the Expert' lifeline."

Philbin taped the shows earlier this month prior to his announcement on Monday's "Live with Regis and Kelly" that he will undergo hip replacement surgery next week.

Philbin began hosting the popular prime-time ABC game show in 1999. Its popularity peaked in 2000 but quickly declined as a result of the show airing four nights a week on the network. "Millionaire" was cancelled soon after.

Yet, in 2002, the game show was revamped when ABC's sister company, Buena Vista Television (now Disney-ABC Domestic Television), produced a daily syndicated version with one of the co-hosts of "The View," Meredith Vieira. This version has earned Vieira two Emmy Awards for Best Game Show Host.

This week-long stretch will be the first time Philbin will be hosting the syndicated version of "Millionaire."

To commemorate the show's 10th anniversary, in August 2009, the show returned to prime time for a two-week long event hosted by Philbin.

Philbin first gained national television exposure in 1967 as Joey Bishop's sidekick on "The Joey Bishop Show."