Wondering how Helen Hunt and Dan Bucatinsky secured their winnings on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Their game featured early lifeline use, a high-stakes final question, and a pivotal decision to walk away. By trusting their instincts over host Jimmy Kimmel’s guess, they avoided a major drop in winnings.
Here’s how much money they secured on the show.
Helen Hunt and Dan Bucatinsky’s winning amount on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire revealed
Helen Hunt and Dan Bucatinsky won $125,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Season 4, Episode 4, which aired on August 13, 2025.
They played for St. Joseph Centre, which focuses on feeding and housing the homeless, and The Trevor Project, which works toward suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth. The pair chose to walk away on the $250,000 question rather than risk dropping back to $32,000 by following host Jimmy Kimmel’s guess. The question asked which film was set furthest in the future. Kimmel gave an incorrect answer, confirming that quitting was the safer choice.
The duo started the game by correctly answering the first eight questions without using any lifelines. For the $16,000 question about the title of the CROWN Act, they used the 50/50 lifeline. At $64,000, they phoned former Jeopardy! champion, Tim Lopez, who gave the answer immediately. Helen commented, “Wasn’t that the best Phone a Friend you’ve had on this show?” They then advanced to the $125,000 question, which involved math, and used the Ask the Audience lifeline.
With only Ask the Host remaining for the $250,000 question, they heard Kimmel’s reasoning but chose not to take the risk. This secured their $125,000 total, avoiding the $32,000 fallback.
Adam Devine and Anders Holm also competed in the episode, aiming to preserve lifelines for later. At $125,000, they faced a question about which celebrity turned down the role of Han Solo. Anders guessed Robert Redford, recalling seeing it online, but admitted uncertainty before locking it in. They did not use their remaining lifelines, and the correct answer, Al Pacino, caused them to drop to $32,000.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire airs Wednesdays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
