Was a Black Couple Cheated Out of $800,000 on a Game Show?

Gabe Okoye and his girlfriend, Brittany Mayti were set up for the opportunity of a lifetime. Appearing on the television show, "Million Dollar Money Drop," they had a chance to walk home with several hundred thousand dollars by correctly answering a few questions.

The airwaves were buzzing after the couple was allegedly cheated out of the right answer on the Fox Show. The question was "Which of these was sold in stores first: the Macintosh Computer, the Sony Walkman or Post-it Notes?" The couple argued for quite a while over which answer was correct. Brittany wanted to put her money on the Walkman, but Gabe was adamant that the Post-it Note was the correct answer. So, out of the $880,000 the couple had left, $800,000 was put on the Post-it, while the remaining $80,000 was put on the Walkman. In other words, they were saying that they believed the Post-it Note came out first.

Gabe was convincing. He not only knew that the Post-it Note was the right answer, he knew the history of how it was invented. He mentioned that the product was invented by accident, and that it was the reason for the existence of the 3M Corporation. Brittany fought him tooth and nail, and you could feel the couple's stress coming through the TV set.

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The Black Family Portrayed On TV

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Notable Cast Members: Marla Gibbs, Alaina Reed Hall, Jackée Harry, Helen Martin, Hal Williams, Regina King, Curtis Baldwin, Kia Goodwin, Reynaldo Rey, Countess Vaughn
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Sidenote: Former 'Moesha' and 'Celebrity Fit Club' star Countess Vaughn received her big break in Hollywood by simply asking. Vaughn mentioned her dream of appearing on '227' following her 1988 appearance on the talent show series 'Star Search.'

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The Black Family Portrayed On TV

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Seasons: Five
Notable Cast Members: Damon Wayans, Jennifer Freeman, Tisha Campbell-Martin, George O. Gore II
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The Black Family Portrayed On TV

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Seasons: Six
Notable Cast Members: John Amos, Esther Rolle, Jimmie Walker, Bern Nadette Stanis, Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, Janet Jackson
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The Black Family Portrayed On TV

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Notable Cast Members: Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Tempestt Bledsoe, Lisa Bonet, Raven-Symoné
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The Black Family Portrayed On TV

'Family Matters'
Seasons: Nine
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The Black Family Portrayed On TV

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'Soul Food'
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Notable Cast Members: Nicole Ari Parker, Vanessa A. Williams, Malinda Williams, Rockmond Dunbar, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Aaron Meeks, Boris Kodjoe
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The Black Family Portrayed On TV

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Notable Cast Members: Ernest Lee Thomas, Haywood Nelson, Fred Berry, Danielle Spencer, Mabel King, Shirley Hemphill, David Hollander, John Welsh, Earl Billings, Leland Smith
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The Black Family Portrayed On TV

Eventually, after Gabe's pleading, Brittany put most of the money into the bin supporting Gabe's response. You can imagine the couple's dismay as they watched $800,000 disappear right before their very eyes. To most casual observers, it appeared that they were wrong.

It turns out that Gabe is a pretty smart guy. He went home and Googled the answer, finding significant evidence claiming that he was actually correct. It turns out that Post-it Notes were market tested in four cities in 1977, beating out the Walkman by two years. The official Facebook page for Post-it Notes also says that the product was released in 1977. Also, inventor Art Fry mentions 1977 as the launch date of Post-It notes during an interview with the Financial Times.

Jeff Apploff, executive producer for the show, released a statement saying, "The integrity of the questions and answers on our show are our No. 1 priority. In this case, our research team spoke directly with 3M, and they confirmed that although they had given out free samples in test markets in 1977 and 1978, it wasn't until 1980 that Post-Its were officially sold in stores."

It is still not clear if the couple will go back on the show (they have been invited), and while 3M may have given the show's producers one answer, the jury is still out on whether or not the couple got cheated. If you want my opinion, the question is incredibly misleading and unfair. If the product was test marketed in four cities in 1977, that means that it was sold in stores. If there was one customer in one store who bought one Post-It note in 1977, then this couple has grounds for a lawsuit.