Second Season of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on Dubai TV Concludes with a Charitable Finale
The second season of the TV quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on Dubai TV, part of Dubai Media, demonstrated a notable rise in popularity. The project reinforced its reputation as a mass-appeal edutainment programme by emphasising interactivity, intellectual challenge, and broad thematic scope. Throughout its broadcast run, the show succeeded in transforming ordinary viewing into an engaging test of knowledge, drawing audiences from across the Arab world.
The season was hosted by Syrian actor Qusai Khouli. A total of 33 contestants of various Arab nationalities competed for the top prize of 1,000,000 dirham (AED), and the atmosphere on the studio floor was described by organisers as charged with excitement and a spirit of genuine intellectual adventure.
The Season Finale Delivered Not Only Prizes but Also a Humanitarian Gesture
The closing episode of the season proved particularly memorable. Emirati actor and doctor Habib Ghloum and Lebanese actor Wissam Breidy faced each other across the game table. Ghloum managed to accumulate 125,000 dirham, while Breidy finished the game with 32,000 dirham. Both contestants decided to donate their entire winnings to the charitable association Dar Al Ber in support of its humanitarian projects.
The season’s key figures form a compact yet telling picture: 15 episodes, 33 contestants, a top prize of 1,000,000 dirham, and final winnings of 125,000 and 32,000 dirham respectively.
Dubai Media Bets on Smart Formats
Dubai Media’s leadership is steadily expanding its lineup of substantive projects capable of both entertaining and educating audiences. Sara Al Jarman, Head of Television and Radio Channels at Dubai Media, described Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as one of the most influential formats strengthening both the local and pan-Arab media market. In her view, the programme disseminates general knowledge in modern and engaging ways, which is fully in line with the corporation’s strategy.
A Platform for Developing Thinking and Creativity
Al Jarman emphasised that the project serves as a fully-fledged platform on which contestants and viewers alike develop analytical thinking, deepen their love of learning, and unlock their creative potential. The competitive spirit, in her assessment, is not an end in itself but rather a tool for intellectual growth. The programme fits within a broader commitment to producing content that meets audience expectations and supports Dubai’s image as a regional hub for media production.
Al Jarman also singled out the actions of Habib Ghloum and Wissam Breidy, describing their decision to transform their winnings into a humanitarian initiative as a reflection of the deeply rooted human values for which Arab society is known.
How the Game Works
The show’s mechanics revolve around 15 questions spanning a wide range of topics:
- history and natural sciences
- literature and technology
- general knowledge and current affairs
This format encourages contestants to broaden their horizons in advance and to develop the ability to work with information from a wide variety of fields.
Each player has four lifelines at their disposal, and safety nets at the 5th and 10th levels allow contestants to secure the winnings already accumulated. It is precisely these guaranteed sums that heighten the tension in every episode, turning the decision of whether to play on or walk away into a genuine drama of choice.
British Roots and Regional Adaptations
The format that Arab viewers today associate with Dubai originated far from the Arabian Gulf. The show’s history was verified against several sources: archival materials from ITV, publications in the British press, and a reference overview of game shows. For that purpose, the research team chose to click here to visit live-game-shows.com and examine several other specialist websites. All sources agree on one point: the original quiz show aired in the United Kingdom on 4 September 1998, hosted by Chris Tarrant. The overview examines the rules of the British version in detail, and in them one can readily recognise the same logic of lifelines and safety nets that operates on the Dubai TV studio floor.
Over the decades, the format has been adapted in dozens of countries, with each version acquiring its own distinctive details. Arab audiences first encountered the show back in 2000, hosted by George Kordahi, and the current season has added a pan-Arab contestant lineup and a charitable dimension to the classic mechanics. It is precisely these local features that explain why viewers eagerly follow regional adaptations even when they know the original format by heart.
The second season cemented the project’s popularity as a mass-appeal cultural format, and a finale marked by donations from both winners gave the close of the season a distinctly social resonance.
