'Millionaire' Sued by Loser

By Stef Mcdonald

09/18/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

A contestant who won $1000 on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" is suing the ABC game show for $2 million, claiming a poorly worded question thwarted his chances of advancing in the game. Mensa member and computer programmer Robert Gelbman, who appeared on "Millionaire" in August, filed his suit in State Superior Court in Manhattan on Wednesday, reports the Associated Press. The 34-year-old Florida resident claims a $32,000 question about the order of the signs of the Zodiac was ambiguously worded. Gelbman used his "50/50" lifeline and asked that two choices be eliminated. Still, he answered incorrectly. "The problem is that the question doesn't specify whether it's based on the Zodiac cycle or the calendar year," Gelbman told AP. ABC offered no comment on the lawsuit.