But first, rewind to September 14, 2003. Richard Bay, a teacher from West Virginia, wins $1,000,000, matches four digits to the Billion Dollar Number... but misses the fifth, leaving $1 billion in a secret government vault, still waiting to be claimed. And once again, it all depends on the draw... of a chimp.

Damon Wayans (of the famous acting siblings, of course) presides over the event, in which one of 200 people is a guaranteed millionaire AND a potential billionaire. After plugging his own show, we get down to business. Two hundred people, from a pool of 14 million entries, aged 18 to 80, representing 43 states and a multitude of occupation... and one of them is a millionaire... and could be a billionaire. But first, we have to whittle to seven. And to help with that, former Hollywood Squares and current America's Funniest Home Videos host Tom Bergeron, replete with expert voice.

The 200 have chosen five unique six-digit numbers. Then, our chimp in waiting, you know him, you love him... Mr. Moneybags selected a six-digit number of his own under tight security. Whoever holds his number in their hands is holding ten-figures. Beat that, Ken Jennings.

Earlier tonight, presiding over the selection of the Billion-Dollar Number were representatives from the Florida Lottery, an accounting firm, and of course the Pepsi-Cola Company. Numbers were derived from six 10-sided dice (or as they're called in RPG circles, D10s). After each dice roll, a corresponding billiard ball was placed in a bag until there were six. The bag was jiggled, and Mr. Moneybags drew from that bag to create the number in its final order. The number created was 112437. To confirm, the final Billion Dollar Number is 112437.

The chance of any one of the 200 holding that number exactly are about 1 in 1000. But having the number isn't just a matter of luck, it's also a matter of skill as we play... Billion-Dollar Chicken. For this, we need the closest seven to the number if not exactly matching it.

But first, a teaser to the reunion of Destiny's Child. Tease.

And now, the final seven:
Kevan Scholer; Wallace, NC
Marlo Hennen; Wilton, IA
Jon Kenny; Nadic, MA
Christina Boucher; Sacramento
Alice Nicely; Valdez, NC
Dennis Froehlich; Sturgess, MI
Deborah Aycock; Selma, NC

Beat that.. Three from my home state. Now it's time to play Chicken. Here's Tom with the rules: you can take a cash buyout and quit or stay hoping that your number is THE number, but the last person standing wins $1,000,000 and a chance to play for a billion.

First payout: $20,000. Tom has the name of the person whose number is furthest from the Billion-Dollar Number. Alice is first with the offer... she doesn't take it.  No one does. And it's a good thing... unless you're Deborah, because Deborah is the one with the unlucky number. Bye, Deborah!

Another envelope, another name, another cash enticement... $30,000. Marlo with the five sons gets the offer. Then Jon. Now, the ten seconds... No takers still. Alice should've taken this one. She's out now.

More cash later, but right now, Destiny's Child (also known as Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, and that other one) is taking the stage to perform, "Lose My Breath", their first new single in three years (gosh, it seems like a long time when I put it that way).

Now that we've had vocal satisfaction, one of our final five will receive monetary satisfaction. Either the million... or a $40,000 buyout. This time, everyone gets 20 seconds. STILL no takers. Big mistake... for Christina.

Next up: a $50,000 buyout. Marlo wants to stay. Everyone else follows suits. Unfortunately, Kevan follows the trail of tears out of the arena.

Pepsi-laden guts, but can guts turn down... $60,000? Still no takers... Tom teased Marlo. She should've picked up on it as she is outta there. Which brings us to Jon and Dennis. One of them is a millionaire. One of them COULD be a billionaire. So now, it's a $100,000 staredown.

But before we get to that, we revisit last year's final showdown with Thomas Koerner and Richard Bay, the two finalists. Thomas turned down $100,000, as he regrets not brushing his hair that day, while Richard offers to keep true to your heart.

One more name. $100,000 to take. Either take the buyout or risk going home with nothing. Jon can buy the '67 Olds he wants. Dennis can buy a lot of wetnaps for his cleaning habit. Do you want to give $1,000,000 to your opponent just for a paltry 100 grand? You have 30 seconds to decide. And after that... NO ONE DECIDES, so it's up to Tom to reveal who has made the ultimate mistake...

Dennis leaves with nothing. Jon Kenny is America's newest millionaire, and now he has a chance to win $1,000,000,000. For the ultimate game of chance, we go to the big board, as we find out if Jon's number is the Billion Dollar Number... Jon thanks his wife, Pepsi, and his supermarket.

We start with the sixth number... The 7 matches... The fifth... The 3 matches... The second (tense)... The 1 matches... The third number... the 2 matches.... Going to the fourth... 1. Doesn't match. Remember, the number was 112437. Jon's number: 712137.

But hey, Jon has a million bucks. That's not scratch there. The other 199 can only drown their sorrows in Pepsi products and dream of what could've been.

Or at least practice for next year's contest, should Pepsi choose to mount it.  Right now, though, it's off for a cold Mountain Dew. See ya soon!