Using a mobile app, viewers could play the game against others and potentially earn a chance to appear as a contestant during the prime time episodes.

Critics argued that the confusing format of The Million Second Quiz, along with its lack of drama and technical issues with the show's app during the first days of the series, caused viewers to lose interest in watching it on air.

[3] An indoor set in the same building was also constructed for use during the non-prime time portions of the game and for any inclement weather situations,[4] as occurred on Day 4.

The contestant in the chair earned money at a rate of $10 per second, even when bouts were not being played and during the prime time commercial breaks.

[7] At the end of the bout, the contestant with the higher score wins and either retains the Money Chair or replaces its current occupant.

The "Line Jumper" bout of each episode features a contestant who has achieved a sufficiently high score on the official Million Second Quiz app, allowing them to skip the tryouts and advance directly onto the show.

[7] Contestants outside of prime time play non-stop save for a ten-minute bathroom break every hour,[11] and their bouts are live-streamed on NBC's website.

Seacrest then announced that Kravis's winnings would be increased to $2,600,000 to make him the all-time highest-earning regular-season contestant on a single American game show, surpassing Ken Jennings's $2,522,700 run on Jeopardy!

[2][16] NBC wanted the game's prime time portions aired live from an outdoor location in Manhattan with the city skyline for background.

"[17] Because of the 18,000 lb weight of the hourglass structure in addition to bleachers full of audience members during show times, the building's rooftop required shoring so that the second floor could help carry the large loads.

"[24] O'Connor attributed the poor ratings to the show's confusing format and also quoted a network executive as saying: "I don't know how much worse it can get.

"[24] The New York Times' Mike Hale believed that the general failure of the series was a result of its unclear format, the "banal" subject matter of many of its questions (citing examples that ranged from American history to the name of Kim Kardashian's cat), the fact that second screen interactions with game shows were not a new concept, and that the show and its interactive components were not "convergent" enough.

"[28] Digital Spy's Catriona Wightman doubted the series would be able to retain viewership: "Even while I sort of enjoyed the first episode despite myself, I can't imagine becoming obsessed with it to that extent - is there really enough there to sustain that kind of interest?

"[30] Stevenson also added: "I stumbled out onto 11th Avenue at 2:15 a.m. this morning, two calendar days after my internment began, and...hadn't won any money.

And my unhinged "Story" interview will now live in NBC's video vaults for perpetuity, in any and all media formats now existing or ever to be devised throughout the known and unknown galaxy.