NBC’s Million Second Quiz wrapped up its run with a $2.6 million winner. The Ryan Seacrest show was a multi-platform event that NBC hoped would help in the ratings, but its finale failed to even beat a weak X Factor episode.
Columbia Law School grad Andrew Kravis, 25, won the contest, notes USA Today. He beat NYU student Brandon Saunders after having spent 250 hours in the “winner’s row.”
Kravis actually only won $326,346, but NBC threw in over $2 million as well as an extra bonus for being the winner. NBC claims that his $2.6 million prize was the highest in game show history. Kravis said that he wants to go to Europe and pay off his student loans with his winnings.
All that money may make Kravis happy, but NBC certainly has to be disappointed by the show’s ratings. According to HitFix, the finale only drew 4.77 million viewers and a 1.2 18-49 rating. That failed to top an X Factor episode that had 6.07 million viewers and a 1.9 18-49 rating, which is a series low.
As well as being unable to compete with X Factor, the show couldn't beat CBS’s 8:30 p.m. Big Bang Theory repeat, which drew a 2.1 18-49 rating and was the top-rated show of the night.
Meanwhile, TheWrap is reporting that NBC got 300,000 people to play the game online. The network said that it will not share any of their personal info to advertisers.