<P> Contestants are given a series of lifelines to aid them with difficult questions . After using a lifeline, the contestant can either answer the question, use another lifeline, or walk away and keep the money (although using the "Double Dip" lifeline requires the contestant to immediately answer and using the "Jump the Question" lifeline naturally prevents them from continuing with that question). Except for the first three seasons of the "Jump the Question" lifeline's use, each lifeline can only be used once . In the Hot Seat format, the concept of lifelines is discarded in favor of the option to pass . </P> <P> The show's original three lifelines are "50 / 50", in which the computer eliminates two of the incorrect answers; "Phone a Friend", in which the contestant makes a thirty - second call to one of a number of friends (who provide their phone numbers in advance) and reads them the question and answer choices, after which the friend provides input; and "Ask the Audience", in which audience members use touch pads to designate what they believe the correct answer to be, after which the percentage of the audience choosing each specific option is displayed to the contestant . In countries where the show is broadcast live, friends selected for Phone - a-Friend are alerted when their contestant begins to play the main game, and are told to keep the phone free and to wait for three rings before answering . Phone - a-Friend was removed from the U.S. version beginning with the episode that aired on 11 January 2010, after it was determined that there was an increasing trend of contestants' friends using web search engines and other Internet resources to assist them, which unfairly privileged individuals who had computer access over those who did not, and that it was contrary to the original intent of the lifeline, by which friends were supposed to provide assistance based on what they already knew . From 2004 to 2008, the U.S. version had a fourth lifeline called "Switch the Question", earned upon answering question ten, in which the computer replaced, at the contestant's request, one question with another of the same monetary value; however, any lifelines used on the original question were not reinstated for the new question . Switch the Question returned as Cut the Question for a special week of shows with child contestants aired in 2014 (in the latter case, it could only be used on the first ten questions). </P> <P> During the U.S. Millionaire's Super Millionaire spin - off, two new lifelines were introduced: "Double Dip", which allowed the contestant to make two guesses at a question, but required them to play out the question, forbidding them to walk away or use any further lifelines; and "Three Wise Men", in which the contestant was allowed to ask a sequestered panel of three people chosen by the producers (one of which was usually a former Millionaire winner and at least one being female), appearing via face - to - face audio and video feeds, which answer they believed was correct, within a time limit of thirty seconds . When the clock format was implemented, Double Dip replaced the 50: 50 lifeline, and the show also introduced a new lifeline called "Ask the Expert", similar to Three Wise Men but only had one person (usually a celebrity or a former Millionaire contestant) functioning as an expert instead of a panel of three people, lacked the time limit of its predecessor, and allowed the contestant and expert to discuss the question . Ask the Expert was originally available after the fifth question, but was moved to the beginning of the game after Phone - a-Friend was removed . In fact, the Hong Kong version introduced the "Ask the Expert" lifeline in an extra-length celebrity special in a one - off basis in 2001, while the celebrity contestants may ask a panel of the experts instead of the original Phone - a-Friend lifeline . </P> <P> The U.S. version sometimes used corporate sponsorship for its lifelines . Phone - a-Friend was sponsored by the original AT&T throughout the run of the ABC primetime show and in the first season of the syndicated version, then by the current AT&T for the 2009 primetime episodes . From 2004 to 2006, Ask the Audience was sponsored by AOL, which allowed users of its Instant Messenger to add the screen name MillionaireIM to their contact list and receive an instant message with the question and the four possible answers, to which the users replied with their choices . In addition, the Ask the Expert lifeline was sponsored by Skype for its live audio and video feeds . </P>

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