Diastema did him in.
Biting his lip while he stared at his options on the screen, Eric Gunther nervously made a guess as he sat in the Hot Seat. The seconds quickly ticked down.
Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Final answer.
Gunther, a UF advertising senior, walked away from the game show "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire," which aired Monday night on ABC, with $25,000.
"It's always been something I've wanted to do," said Gunther, who is graduating in fall 2009. "It's kind of cool. It'll be a great story to tell. It was so weird to see it on TV."
Gunther is paying his own way through school, but he said he is not too concerned with loans and bills right now.
"They have low interest," Gunther said. "They're not the biggest worry right now."
Some of the $25,000 Gunther won will go toward a trip to Italy he is planning, he said.
He said he looks forward to starting his life with a little financial freedom, but he does not plan on putting a majority of the money toward paying off loans.
The show was hosted by celebrity guest host Samantha Harris, the co-host for ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."
Harris said the show was a night of firsts, referring to her first time hosting a game show and Gunther's first time on a game show.
Gunther won the $25,000 after incorrectly guessing the answer to the $50,000 question:
A diastema is a type of problem commonly corrected by which of these medical professionals?
A: Dermatologist, B: Podiatrist, C: Orthodontist, D: Cardiologist.
Gunther used the "Ask the Expert" lifeline, a new feature on the show that allows contestants to connect with a former contestant via Skype video, to answer the question. The "experts" are selected by "Millionaire" sponsors.
Howard Johnson, a former "Millionaire" contestant who won $250, 000 when he appeared on the show in 2005, was the expert for this episode.
Johnson told Gunther to "definitely go with A (Dermatologist)," telling him he was 80 to 90 percent sure that he was correct.
Despite the fact that Gunther thought the answer was cardiologist, he went with Johnson's suggestion.
Both Gunther and Johnson were wrong. The answer was orthodontist.
"I'm not disappointed," Gunther said. "That's part of the game show. You don't know if he will know the answer or not."
