Do you still remember Millionaire Juss? This is how the horror program was written more than 20 years ago

Ville Loponen appeared as a rich heir, Miljonääri-Jussi. EERO LEISMAMA

Presented in 2004 Millionaire Jussi -the premise of the reality TV show was juicy. In the series, 14 women traveled to a French castle to pursue a “rich heir”, a millionaire named Jussi. At its best, the program gathered more than a million viewers on TV screens.

Except that in reality Jussi wasn’t Jussi and the whole millionaire status was made up.

Jussia was played by Ville Loponen, a student and restaurant worker from Mikkeli.

The program was hosted by Erja Häkkinen and produced by Petteri Ahomaa.

Caused a stir

The program caused quite a stir back in the day and it also commendably stayed in the headlines.

For example, the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority asked Subtv, which showed the program, an explanation about one episode of the series. According to an old story in Iltalehti, the women of the show shared their sexual experiences in the episode.

According to the story, the episode that started at 9 p.m. shocked the most sensitive viewers because the women talked about group sex in the episode, for example. Many considered 9pm too early for this kind of content.

The production of the program was also criticized for the “amateur-like result”. Ahomaa defended the production in an interview with Iltalehti in 2004.

– Critics bark at the program, but Solar Films receives praise. The show conveys that it really is reality TV. We followed the contestants around the clock, so if the lights and other technology had been set up slowly before filming, the program would no longer be reality TV, Ahomaa described.

There were also false news about the women in the show. One of the show’s contestants, Petra Viitanen found a fake interview of himself on an Estonian server, which he commented on in Iltalehti in March 2004.

– The online publication had a striking title: “Millionaire Jussin Petra and Jenni in an open interview!” In the story, among other things, it was claimed that Jenni would be sold for 300 euros and that we would have had lesbian sex with each other, Viitanen commented.

The story was not true.

In the same story, Viitanen also stated that the events seen on television were not the whole truth.

– For example, I immediately thought after meeting Ville that, as far as I know, there is no millionaire named Loponen in Finland. Things like this were of course left unmentioned on television, one of the show’s competitors, Petra Viitanen thought to Iltalehte in March 2004.

This is how Loponen was selected to participate

Häkkinen and Ahomaa recently visited to reminisce about the program Star factoryon the podcast.

Ahomaa told in the podcast, among other things, how Loponen was initially selected for the program.

Ahomaa’s now deceased mother helped. Ahomaa and his mother were eating in a restaurant where Loponen worked as a waiter.

– Mother knew what I was looking for. He said there’s that one. Take him, Ahomaa says.

Ahomaa gave Lopose a business card. Loponen arrived at the office of the production company Solar Films, where he was told what the format is about. Loponen immediately went along.

The women for the program, on the other hand, were found in a nightclub.

– The patrols went on the road. Not only to Helsinki, but we went through western Uutta County, Ahomaa opens the process in the podcast.

Ahomaa assured the women that they would be well taken care of at the manor.

– Then they met at our office. The travel tickets were handed over immediately, Ahomaa recalls.

Millionaire Jussi was based on an American Joe Millionaire program. The original version was shown at the same time as the filming of the Finnish version started in France.

The program won Phuong “Funi” Bui. After winning, Bui got to New York and a Caribbean cruise with Lopose.

At the end of the program, the contestants and Loponen still met in Vanajanlinna after the shooting.

The history of the program was limited to one season in 2004.