Sale of the Century/Awesome

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.



All Versions

  • Any time a contestant wins the Lot, or whatever the top prize is, depending on the version.


Jim Perry (1983-89)

  • March 1983: Mort Kamins wins the Lot, becoming the fourth (and likely last) player to win the Lot in the pre-Cash Jackpot era, and setting an early winnings record in the process.[1] He went on to win the Tournament of Champions later that year, winning nearly $250,000[2] throughout his tenure.
  • August 1983: Barbara Phillips becomes the only player on the daytime version (Cash Jackpot era) to win the Lot, winning a then daytime record of $151,689 (including a $68,000 Cash Jackpot).
    • What makes Barbara's victory even more incredible was she was initially going for just the Cash Jackpot, which she needed only twenty-six more dollars to win. However, if she accumulated $116 (which was more than what any other player had accumulated in a single game up to that point), she would win everything. Barbara ended up with $120, sealing her victory by answering all of the "Final Three" questions correctly.
  • February 1985 (nighttime): John Gose becomes the first Lot winner of the syndicated version, needing $95 in his final game to win everything ($156,339; including a $72,000 Cash Jackpot), and winning with exactly $95.
  • February 1985 (nighttime): Helaine Lowie wins the Lot ($142,974; including a $64,000 Cash Jackpot), earning her victory in dramatic fashion after going into the Speed Round trailing by $5.
  • April 1-8, 1985 (nighttime): Alice Conkwright, who completely decimated her opponents (including, on her first day, a champ who was going for the lot) and refused every Instant Bargain offered to her. This steadfast refusal led to several Funny Moments, discussed on that tab.[3]
  • April 8, 1985 (daytime): Mark DeCarlo becomes the first player to win the Lot in the Winners' Board era, winning $115,257 in cash and prizes, despite trailing throughout most of the show and winning only after his opponent missed a tie-breaker question.
  • September 1985 (nighttime): Tim Holleran wins the lot, becoming the all-time American winner (tournaments notwithstanding) with $166,875 (including a $90,000 Cash Jackpot).
  • October 1987: Tom O'Brien becomes the all-time daytime winner, winning $152,847 in cash and prizes.
  • May 1988: Rani White, becoming the only player in the Winner's Big Money Game era to win both the car and the $50,000, winning a grand total of $140,011 in cash and prizes.

Tony Barber (Australia, 1980-91)

  • September 4, 1980: Vincent Smith becoming the first Lot winner, winning over $64,000 in prizes[4] after claiming the $25 cash card in the final Fame Game. He had such a huge lead over his opponents that they didn't even bother playing the final three questions.
  • January 1981: Future "Sale" super-champion Cary Young wins the Lot, leaving with over $78,000 in prizes.
  • April 15, 1982: Andrew Lockett wins the Lot, despite stumbling midway through his final game, winning a then-record $85,000 in prizes.
  • December 1982: David Bock becomes the first Lot winner in the Cash Jackpot era, winning a then-record prize total of $245,129 (including a $106,000 Cash Jackpot).
  • 1983: Virginia Noel; at the beginning of this Speedround (called "Fast Money" at that point), the scores were $15-$15-$85. With questions worth $5 each, she buzzed-in first on all 14 questions to win with $155.
  • October 12, 1983: Hayward Mayberley won the Lot worth $343,536 (including a $206,000 Cash Jackpot), which was a record at the time.
  • July 1984: Barry Jones (not the politician from Victoria, this particular Barry Jones is from Western Australia) wins the Lot worth $210,101 (including a $90,000 Cash Jackpot).
  • 1985: Ian performed a similar feat in the Speedround — the scores were $15-$25-$170. This promo refers to it as being the highest one-day score.
  • November 12, 1986: In his final game, future Aussie Sale question-setter David Poltorak answered 35 of the 55 questions posed on that show (16 of which being the Speedround), winning with a staggering $200, a record which stands to this date. He then went on to win a then-record Lot of $376,104 (including a $244,000 Cash Jackpot).
  • October 15, 1990: Kate Buckingham wins a then-record Lot of $471,640, including a $318,000 Cash Jackpot. Ironically, on her first show, she defeated John Sargent, who was playing for the Lot himself.
  • More of a Crowning Moment of Awesome for the Commonwealth of Australia, as in every single international tournament, the Aussies came out the victorious.
    • August 1985: Team Australia (consisting of future Sale judge Fran Powell and the aforementioned Virginia Noel) sweeps Team USA (consisting of Frances Wolfe and the infamous Alice Conkright) in three straight games in the Australian/American Challenge.
    • April 1986: Like the Australian/American challenge from eight months earlier, Australia wins the Ashes by sweeping the United Kingdom (represented by Susan Kaye and legendary British quiz show contestant Daphne Fowler) in three straight games.
    • October 1986: Cary Young (part of the Australian team that won the Ashes six months earlier) wins the Commonwealth Games against players from Canada and New Zealand.
    • March 1987: Cary Young continues his dominance, winning the first World Championship against players from the United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand, in addition to his own country.
    • 1988: David Bock (who was the other member of the Australian team that won the Ashes) wins the second World Championship.
    • 1989: Brian MacDonnell of Australia wins the third (and final) World Championship.


Glenn Ridge (Australia, 1991-2001)

  • June 1, 1992: Robert Kusmierski wins a record Lot of $676,919, which includes a record Cash Jackpot of $508,000.
  • March 23, 1999: 21-year-old Ben Wong, who often won his games with over $100, wins the Lot ($340,249; including a Cash Jackpot of $178,000) despite trailing throughout most of the show. Wong was the last Lot winner before the premiere of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
  • May 31, 2000: Tom Beck becomes the first Lot winner of the "New Century" era, winning a grand total of $420,573 (including a Cash Jackpot of $250,000).


Temptation (Australia, 2005-09)

  • March 2006: Yolanda Stopar, who not only won eight games to retire undefeated on March 8 as a Grand Champion and take away the Lot (prizes worth $132,577), but did so with a perfect record in the Bonus Round (ten questions in a minute to add $50,000 to a pot starting at $50,000, which could only be taken if a player wins the lot) across all seven attempts to max out her jackpot at $800,000 (and was the only contestant to ever win said maximum).
  1. ↑ (The Lot was all of the prizes plus enough cash to total $95,000 exactly)
  2. ↑ ($249,982 to be exact)
  3. ↑ (Just for the record, she won $141,406 in cash and prizes, including a $77,000 Cash Jackpot.)
  4. ↑ (grand total--$73,099)
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