For the first time, someone has finally answered kykNET’s million-rand question on the hit quiz show, “Wie word ’n miljoenêr?”, the Afrikaans version of Sony Pictures’ popular Who wants to be a millionaire?
Contestant Herman Bosman, 47, used his final lifeline – a call to his 75-year-old mother, Vida Bosman – to tackle the jackpot question in the 12th episode of the show’s fourth season on Wednesday evening.
Encouraged by his father to enter the game show, Herman made history by being the first person to win a million rand on the game show, since its TV debut.
Herman runs a flower farm in George with his partner, Anthony Rau, is a nuclear engineer who studied chemical engineering at the University of Pretoria and completed his PhD at the University of Michigan in the U.S.
Riaan van Heerden, the show’s host, asked Bosman: “Which relic, preserved in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, remained intact after the 2019 fire?”
Herman’s mother Vida did not let her son down and correctly told him the answer was “the crown of thorns.”
The contestant shared that he was conservative with his lifelines, saving his “Phone a Friend” for the final question, which proved to be a smart move.
“I included my mom as one of my “Phone a Friend” contacts, and I had a feeling this was the kind of thing she’d know. I was also prepared to walk away with R500 000 rather than make a wild guess.
“When she said she remembered something about a crown, I was certain she’s right,” said Herman.
Herman and his mother Vida share a special bond - with his love of reading being inherited from her. “She never came back from the library with just one book – it was always a whole stack. And she remembers everything: books, music, names, dates.
“After the show, I realised this was a real family effort. My dad encouraged me to apply, and my mom helped with the million-rand question. Hooray for Team Bosman!”
Herman admits that when the confetti cannons went off, everything happened so fast, with very little time to actually comprehend that he had actually won a million rand. “The million rand is, of course, incredible, but honestly, the best part was getting all the questions right.
“I’m very competitive with these kinds of contests, and now I can always boast that I was kykNET’s first million-rand winner.”
A million rand may seem like a lot of money but Herman says he has more plans than he has money for. “The money will all go back into our farm and flower business.
“We’ll need to think carefully about where to start. But the farm bakkie has already been bought shortly after the recording of the show, and so far, it’s driving like a dream!”
IOL Entertainment