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'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire': Therapist JD Barton wins $250k, fans say they enjoyed his 'infectious' attitude

Chef David Chang won a million dollars last week. Following his exit with all that money, JD Barton assumed the hot seat opposite host Jimmy Kimmel and played a game laced with a number of wholesome moments

The previous season of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' turned out to be a disappointment. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show being on the air, celebrities were invited to the show to win a million dollars for charity organizations of their choice. Audiences couldn't connect to these celebrities in the hot seat and each episode received a lot of flak, especially the one with Jane Fonda and Dr Phil. The show came back once again as the pandemic hit, and along with celebrities playing for charities, Covid-19 frontline heroes who made life easier as the world grappled with this crisis were invited as well so that they could win money for themselves.  

Restaurateur and TV personality David Chang played the game during the last episode and he became the first-ever celebrity to win a million dollars, which he donated to Southern Smoke Foundation. Following his exit, therapist JD Barton sat opposite host Jimmy Kimmel, assuming the hot seat, and commenced on his journey towards a million. His endearing personality was something that shone right at the beginning and fans knew this was going to turn out to be very wholesome to watch. He came into the game in the final 15 minutes of last week's episode and due to time constraints, he could only play the initial questions and by the end of the episode, he'd banked $2,000. 

He returned to the game on December 6 with all three lifelines intact. He tackled questions about Crayola's 'State Crayon Collection', a makeup related question, a question about a movie during the shoot of which actor Ben Affleck was asked to shut up for asking why it was easier to train oil drillers to be astronauts and not vice versa. This episode also educated a lot of people about what an Oort cloud is, about Meryl Streep's many Oscars, and also about the fact that there's a musical that opens with a male lead referring to another character as "a bastard, orphan, son of a whore" (Hamilton).

Barton very easily navigated all these questions, sometimes using his friend Jacob for who he traded his 50:50. He won $250,000, much more than the $35K he made last year and $50K he earned in 2020. He looked very elated with the money he'd just won, making a number of risky gambles. He became a quarter-millionaire, playing boldly, never safe. However, the $500K question was the one that had him stumped. "Confusing for English speakers "ano" is the word for yes in which of these languages?" was the question for which he didn't know the answer to. He tried using his final lifeline 'Ask the Host' to help tackle the question but Kimmel himself had no clue about it and Barton decided to check out of the game. He knew he could do a lot with $500K but $250K too was an amount that he didn't wish to lose and he decided to bank it. 

Audiences watching him play weighed in and branded him one of the most favorite players to have appeared on the show. "What a win for J.D.! $250K goes to a brilliant contestant who played the game like a strategist! #WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire" wrote a fan. "J.D. played a really intense and great game. Good for him. @MillionaireTV #WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire" wrote another. "J.D. Barton is one of my MOST favorite players of ALL time! His attitude is infectious! Congratulations on winning the $250,000.00, J.D.!!!!!!!" wrote another. "I don't blame J.D. for walking away. $250,000 is a heck of a win, and he earned it with all the risks he took. #WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire" read another tweet. 

'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' airs on Sundays at 9 pm ET on ABC.