It's Your Chance of a Lifetime
Encyclopedia
It's Your Chance of a Lifetime was an American
game show that aired on Fox in June 2000. Australia
n TV personality Gordon Elliott hosted the show, with Mark Thompson serving as announcer (only to do the opening intro and contestant call-in at the end).
opposite it on June 7, Fox moved that episode to the following day. The remaining two shows also were moved to the next day, as well.
FOX had announced that the show would air Wednesdays at 8:00PM/7:00PM CT beginning June 14, following the premiere week. A telephone number for the contestant hotline was shown at the end of every episode that aired, but the network decided against producing more episodes during that week.
A solo player competed for a chance to win over $1,000,000 by correctly answering 10 questions (winnings over $200,000 were paid in the form of an annuity
). The first question was dubbed the "Credit Card
Question," with a correct answer eliminating any credit card debt the contestant had rung up (the bill itself was shredded onstage). The highest possible credit card debt was $10,000.
The next question was worth $5,000, and a contestant had to answer correctly to advance. If correct, the contestant would have a maximum of eight questions to answer, being forced to bet at least half of what they had at that particular point in the game. The catch was that each question came from one of ten different categories, and the contestant never knew where they would come from. However, the contestant could always see the list of categories still in play and was told which one would be used for the next question, so he/she could bet accordingly.
The ten categories used in the game were: Pop Culture, Famous Events, Movies, Famous Places, TV, Pop Music, Toys And Games, People, In The News, and Animal Kingdom. Once a question was asked, the contestant had two minutes to give a response (and locking it in by pressing a button whose light encircles the monitor); otherwise, it was considered an automatic miss.
Along the way, each contestant had two forms of assistance known as "Second Chances." One "Second Chance" allowed the contestant to switch the question for one in a category of his/her choice, and the other allowed the question to be made multiple choice (allowing the contestant to see 3 answer choices for the question). Once a contestant reached the last three questions, a "Last Chance" was awarded, allowing the contestant to choose one of the two options for a second time.
A contestant could stop after any correct answer, but an incorrect answer deducted the amount of the wager and ended the game for the contestant, keeping whatever money was left over in the bank as well as the money from the Credit Card Question. Even a miss on the Credit Card Question ended the game, as happened on one occasion.
A possible $1,280,000 was available to a contestant, although the closest anyone came was Dr. Tim Hsieh's $1,042,309 (including the credit card question). Betting $470,000 on his last question in the Pop Music category, he was asked which musical act had the biggest-grossing concert on December 31, 1999. With both Last Chances left, he decided to pass on it (the answer: Phish
). Hsieh was then asked a question in the TV category about the name of the band manager on The Partridge Family
; after using his other Last Chance to give him 3 possible answers (Reuben Kincaid, Alan Brady, and Parker Lewis), he correctly said Reuben Kincaid, and won the million dollars-plus.
Versions have also aired in Norway
, France
, Israel
, and other countries.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
game show that aired on Fox in June 2000. Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n TV personality Gordon Elliott hosted the show, with Mark Thompson serving as announcer (only to do the opening intro and contestant call-in at the end).
Broadcast information
It's Your Chance of a Lifetime aired from June 5 to June 10, 2000, but was canceled before it was to begin as a weekly series the following week. The show was supposed to have aired five nights in a row from June 5 to June 9; however, when ABC decided to put a special episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
opposite it on June 7, Fox moved that episode to the following day. The remaining two shows also were moved to the next day, as well.
FOX had announced that the show would air Wednesdays at 8:00PM/7:00PM CT beginning June 14, following the premiere week. A telephone number for the contestant hotline was shown at the end of every episode that aired, but the network decided against producing more episodes during that week.
Rules of the game
It's Your Chance of a Lifetime was conducted as follows:A solo player competed for a chance to win over $1,000,000 by correctly answering 10 questions (winnings over $200,000 were paid in the form of an annuity
Annuity (finance theory)
The term annuity is used in finance theory to refer to any terminating stream of fixed payments over a specified period of time. This usage is most commonly seen in discussions of finance, usually in connection with the valuation of the stream of payments, taking into account time value of money...
). The first question was dubbed the "Credit Card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
Question," with a correct answer eliminating any credit card debt the contestant had rung up (the bill itself was shredded onstage). The highest possible credit card debt was $10,000.
The next question was worth $5,000, and a contestant had to answer correctly to advance. If correct, the contestant would have a maximum of eight questions to answer, being forced to bet at least half of what they had at that particular point in the game. The catch was that each question came from one of ten different categories, and the contestant never knew where they would come from. However, the contestant could always see the list of categories still in play and was told which one would be used for the next question, so he/she could bet accordingly.
The ten categories used in the game were: Pop Culture, Famous Events, Movies, Famous Places, TV, Pop Music, Toys And Games, People, In The News, and Animal Kingdom. Once a question was asked, the contestant had two minutes to give a response (and locking it in by pressing a button whose light encircles the monitor); otherwise, it was considered an automatic miss.
Along the way, each contestant had two forms of assistance known as "Second Chances." One "Second Chance" allowed the contestant to switch the question for one in a category of his/her choice, and the other allowed the question to be made multiple choice (allowing the contestant to see 3 answer choices for the question). Once a contestant reached the last three questions, a "Last Chance" was awarded, allowing the contestant to choose one of the two options for a second time.
A contestant could stop after any correct answer, but an incorrect answer deducted the amount of the wager and ended the game for the contestant, keeping whatever money was left over in the bank as well as the money from the Credit Card Question. Even a miss on the Credit Card Question ended the game, as happened on one occasion.
A possible $1,280,000 was available to a contestant, although the closest anyone came was Dr. Tim Hsieh's $1,042,309 (including the credit card question). Betting $470,000 on his last question in the Pop Music category, he was asked which musical act had the biggest-grossing concert on December 31, 1999. With both Last Chances left, he decided to pass on it (the answer: Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
). Hsieh was then asked a question in the TV category about the name of the band manager on The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
; after using his other Last Chance to give him 3 possible answers (Reuben Kincaid, Alan Brady, and Parker Lewis), he correctly said Reuben Kincaid, and won the million dollars-plus.
International versions
| Country | Name | Host | Network | Date premiered | Prize |
 Australia |
The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime (Australian game show) For the unrelated American game show, see The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime.The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime was an hour long prime time quiz show that aired in Australia. It was later adapted for an American audience as It's Your Chance of a Lifetime.- Overview :The $1,000,000 Chance of a... |
Frank Warrick Sandy Roberts Sandy Roberts Sandy Roberts is the weeknight sports presenter of Seven News Melbourne.Roberts grew up on a sheep farm in Lucindale, South Australia. After completing school he moved to Adelaide where he worked as a sports writer for the Adelaide Advertiser... |
Seven Seven Network The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach... |
1999 2000 |
A$ Australian dollar The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu... 1,280,000 |
 Germany |
Die Quiz Show | Jörg Pilawa Jörg Pilawa Jörg Pilawa is a German television presenter.-Life:Pilawa studied after his school at Gymnasium Hummelsbüttel first medicine and then history, but he did not finish his university studies. From 1987 to 1994 Pilawa worked for Radio Schleswig-Holstein... Christian Clerici Matthias Opdenhövel |
Sat.1 Sat.1 Sat.1 is a privately owned German television broadcasting station. Sat.1 was the first privately owned television broadcasting station in Germany, having started one day before RTL Television.... |
2000–2004 | €256.000 |
 Italy |
Quiz Show | Amadeus | Rai Uno Rai Uno Rai 1 is the primary television station of RAI, the national public service broadcaster, and the most watched television channel in Italy. It was born as Rai Tv from 1954 to 1961, called Programma Nazionale from 1961 to 1979, after called Rete 1 from 1979 to 1982, then called Rai Uno from 1982 to... |
2000-2002 | IT₤ Italian lira The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro... 512 million Million One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106... |
 Lebanon |
لمين الملايين؟ Lamin El malayin? |
Serge Zarqa | MTV Murr Television Murr Television is a Lebanese television station based in Naccache, a suburb of the capital Beirut. It is owned by Lebanese politician Gabriel Murr and directed by his son Michel Murr... |
2001–2002 | 100,000.000L.L Lebanese pound The Lebanese pound is the currency unit of Lebanon. It is divided into 100 piastres but inflation has eliminated the subdivisions.... |
| لمين الملايين جونيور Lamin El malayin Junior |
Carole Sakr Karol Sakr Karol Etienne Sakr also known as Karol Sakr is a famous Lebanese female singer, who was most known for her English songs back in the 1990s. She is the daughter of the Lebanese exiled politician Etienne Sakr, a former member of the Lebanese Forces and leader of the far-right Guardians of the Cedars... |
2002 | |||
 Poland |
Życiowa szansa | Krzysztof Ibisz | Polsat Polsat Polsat is Poland's second biggest television channel, founded on December 5, 1992 and owned by Zygmunt Solorz-Żak.Polsat belongs to the Polsat Group , which also owns other channels:*Polsat HD*Polsat 2 International*Polsat News*TV Biznes... |
2000–2002 | 1,000,000 zł Polish zloty The złoty , which literally means "golden", is the currency of Poland. The modern złoty is subdivided into 100 groszy . The recognized English form of the word is zloty, plural zloty or zlotys... |
Versions have also aired in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and other countries.