The excitement rivaled that of a thrilling Super Bowl, capped off by a shower of confetti during the victory celebrations.

The duo of Alan Barinholtz, known for his role as the fake judge in Amazon’s 2023 prank reality show “Jury Duty,” and his comedic actor son Ike Barinholtz, achieved greatness on “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire” by answering all 15 questions correctly, winning $1 million for charity. This marked the first million-dollar win in the show’s 25th anniversary season, which features celebrity contestants partnered with contestants.

Ike, who stars in “Mindy Project” and is a father of three, expressed the emotional significance of their family achievement.

“If there had been confetti in the hospital when my children were born, I would have considered that the most significant moment of my life,” Ike told YSL News. “But with the confetti here, this felt like a bigger moment than anything I’ve ever experienced.”

Of course, that’s a bit of an exaggerated comparison.

Alan Barinholtz reveals he prepared by studying ABC’s original ‘Millionaire’

Nevertheless, the triumph on “Millionaire” was something to cherish, especially as a form of redemption.

Ike recalled how he felt he “choked” while responding to the $250,000 question during his solo appearance on the previous celebrity season in 2020 hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

“I was Ike’s Lifeline then, so I partly contributed to the mishap, and I wanted to make things right this time,” Alan shared. “However, I still thought if we could at least reach $125,000 this time, that would be fantastic.”

The experienced lawyer, Alan, spent weeks honing his knowledge by watching hours of the original “Millionaire” hosted by Regis Philbin on YouTube. His effort paid off as the duo quickly navigated the early questions, with Ike correctly identifying Dan Aykroyd as the surprise star in the 1985 charity single “We Are the World” music video, which he remembered from childhood.

“As a kid, I watched ‘We Are the World’ and thought, ‘Why is Ray Stantz from ‘Ghostbusters’ there? It made no sense to me,” Ike recalled.

The challenge of the ‘zax’ Scrabble word

As the questions progressed and got tougher, the biggest test came with the final $1 million question: “The highest valued three-letter word in Scrabble is ‘zax.’ What is it?”

The duo turned to the Ask the Audience Lifeline, but uncertainty lingered. Utilizing their last Lifeline, Ask the Host, Kimmel revealed he had a knack for Scrabble and had recently encountered “zax” in one of his games.

He strongly urged them to select “D,” which he identified as a tool for cutting roof slates. However, Ike was still hesitant.

“There’s a chance Jimmy could have been mistaken and later said, ‘I’m really sorry,'” Ike expressed. “But I also considered that Jimmy has a history of pranking me. There was a small chance he might have been joking about his Scrabble knowledge.”

Kimmel wasn’t joking, and he was correct. After a suspenseful 13-second pause to heighten the drama, the computer confirmed that the answer was indeed “D,” and the Barinholtzes celebrated their victory. Alan, usually mild-tempered, erupted with joy as confetti cascaded around them.

The $1 million will be donated to the American Sign Language program at Los Encinos School, which is attended by Ike’s brother, the son of “American Auto” actor Jon Barinholtz.

Ike, who often portrays lovable but dim-witted roles, has showcased his intelligence off-screen as well. He won “Celebrity Jeopardy!” in February 2023 and became a semifinalist — the only celebrity contestant — in the 2024 “Jeopardy!” Tournament of Champions.

Ike shares, “The stress from questions 12 to 15 outweighs any tension you might feel on ‘Jeopardy!’ Plus, you have Jimmy, the host of ‘Millionaire,’ grinning at you, which makes you want to avoid going home.”

However, that smirk from Kimmel turned into tears of happiness during the celebration of victory.

Ike recalls, “Afterward, Jimmy wrapped me in a big hug, and he was emotional too. It was just such a fantastic experience. And yes, there was confetti. Confetti really makes a difference in the moment.”