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| To aid in solving the puzzle, a series of toss-up clues were played. The contestants were shown a row of blanks to indicate the number of words and letters in the clue, and one letter at a time was filled in until a contestant buzzed in. A correct answer awarded money, while a miss filled in every letter except one and gave the opponent a chance to guess. If both contestants missed, or if neither one solved the clue before the next-to-last letter was placed, the solution was revealed and a new clue was played. | To aid in solving the puzzle, a series of toss-up clues were played. The contestants were shown a row of blanks to indicate the number of words and letters in the clue, and one letter at a time was filled in until a contestant buzzed in. A correct answer awarded money, while a miss filled in every letter except one and gave the opponent a chance to guess. If both contestants missed, or if neither one solved the clue before the next-to-last letter was placed, the solution was revealed and a new clue was played. | ||
| The contestant who solved a clue was then given a chance to place two letters in the puzzle by pressing keys on an oversized keyboard. At the start of each puzzle, the keys for all the letters in it were lit up, as well as one "Stinger" letter that did not appear. A key marked with a star was used to indicate the presence of numbers or punctuation marks. If the contestant chose a letter/symbol that was in the puzzle, its proper place(s) would be filled in and money was added to a bank for each appearance. Finding the Stinger ended the contestant's turn immediately without a chance to guess. If both of the contestant's choices were in the puzzle, he/she was given a chance to solve it and win all the money in the bank for that couple. Failing to solve it or finding the |
The contestant who solved a clue was then given a chance to place two letters in the puzzle by pressing keys on an oversized keyboard. At the start of each puzzle, the keys for all the letters in it were lit up, as well as one "Stinger" letter that did not appear. A key marked with a star was used to indicate the presence of numbers or punctuation marks. If the contestant chose a letter/symbol that was in the puzzle, its proper place(s) would be filled in and money was added to a bank for each appearance. Finding the Stinger ended the contestant's turn immediately without a chance to guess. If both of the contestant's choices were in the puzzle, he/she was given a chance to solve it and win all the money in the bank for that couple. Failing to solve it or finding the Stinger lead to a new clue being played. | ||
| One puzzle was played in each of the first two rounds, with clues and letters worth $25 in the first round and $50 in the second. The third round was played for $100 per clue and letter, and continued until time was called. If a puzzle was in progress at the end of the round, the remaining letters were filled in one at a time and the bank continued to grow until one contestant solved the puzzle. Only one member of each couple could play at any given time, with no assistance from his/her partner. Each couple chose who would play the first round; the other member played the second, and the couples again had their choice for the third. | One puzzle was played in each of the first two rounds, with clues and letters worth $25 in the first round and $50 in the second. The third round was played for $100 per clue and letter, and continued until time was called. If a puzzle was in progress at the end of the round, the remaining letters were filled in one at a time and the bank continued to grow until one contestant solved the puzzle. Only one member of each couple could play at any given time, with no assistance from his/her partner. Each couple chose who would play the first round; the other member played the second, and the couples again had their choice for the third. | ||
Revision as of 14:09, 9 February 2022
For the unrelated Australian game show, see The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime (Australian game show). | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | The El Encanto Group |
| Directed by | Jerome Shaw Joe Carolei |
| Presented by | Jim Lange |
| Narrated by | Mark Summers (1986) Johnny Gilbert (1986–1987) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Bob Synes Scott A. Stone Jay Feldman |
| Producer | Joel Stein |
| Production locations | Hollywood Center Studios Hollywood, California |
| Running time | approx. 22–26 minutes |
| Production companies | XPTLA Company Lorimar-Telepictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndicated (daily) |
| Release | January 6, 1986 (1986-01-06) – May 22, 1987 (1987-05-22) |
| Related | |
| All Clued Up (UK version) | |
The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime is an American game show which offered a $1 million (annuitized) grand prize to winning contestants. The show aired in syndication from January 6, 1986, until May 22, 1987. The show was hosted by Jim Lange, and he was joined by Karen Thomas as co-host during the second season. Mark Summers was the show's announcer for the first few weeks and Johnny Gilbert announced the remainder of the series. The show was produced by XPTLA, Inc., and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures.
Gameplay
Two couples competed each day, one of which was usually a returning champion. The two couples tried to win money by solving hangman-style word puzzles, which were displayed on a giant computer screen.
To aid in solving the puzzle, a series of toss-up clues were played. The contestants were shown a row of blanks to indicate the number of words and letters in the clue, and one letter at a time was filled in until a contestant buzzed in. A correct answer awarded money, while a miss filled in every letter except one and gave the opponent a chance to guess. If both contestants missed, or if neither one solved the clue before the next-to-last letter was placed, the solution was revealed and a new clue was played.
The contestant who solved a clue was then given a chance to place two letters in the puzzle by pressing keys on an oversized keyboard. At the start of each puzzle, the keys for all the letters in it were lit up, as well as one "Stinger" letter that did not appear. A key marked with a star was used to indicate the presence of numbers or punctuation marks. If the contestant chose a letter/symbol that was in the puzzle, its proper place(s) would be filled in and money was added to a bank for each appearance. Finding the Stinger ended the contestant's turn immediately without a chance to guess. If both of the contestant's choices were in the puzzle, he/she was given a chance to solve it and win all the money in the bank for that couple. Failing to solve it or finding the Stinger lead to a new clue being played.
One puzzle was played in each of the first two rounds, with clues and letters worth $25 in the first round and $50 in the second. The third round was played for $100 per clue and letter, and continued until time was called. If a puzzle was in progress at the end of the round, the remaining letters were filled in one at a time and the bank continued to grow until one contestant solved the puzzle. Only one member of each couple could play at any given time, with no assistance from his/her partner. Each couple chose who would play the first round; the other member played the second, and the couples again had their choice for the third.
The couple in the lead at the end of the third round won their accumulated money, took/retained the championship, and advanced to the bonus round. If the game ended in a tie, a final toss-up clue was played as a sudden death tiebreaker; a correct answer won the game, while a miss lost it.
Losing couples received consolation prizes, including a copy of the show's home game.
Bonus round
The champion couple selected one of three categories and entered an isolation booth that allowed them to see only the computer screen and hear only Lange's voice. They had 60 seconds to solve six words/phrases that fit the chosen category, with letters appearing at a rate of approximately one per 1.5 seconds until only one blank was left. Passing was not allowed; the couple had to keep guessing the current word until they solved it or time ran out.
If the couple successfully completed the bonus round in their first attempt, they could either accept $5,000 and retire undefeated, or return to face a new couple on the next day's episode. If they chose to return and then completed the bonus round a second time, the offer to retire increased to $10,000. Any couple who won the bonus round three times in a row received the show's grand prize of $1,000,000 and retired.
In the first season, the grand prize was an annuity paid at $40,000 a year for 25 years. For the second season, the couple received a $900,000 annuity and an additional $100,000 in prizes, including a pair of automobiles and 20 round-trip tickets on Delta Air Lines valid for any destination in the continental United States.
If a couple failed to win the bonus round at any time, they were retired as champions and left with only their main-game winnings to that point.
During its two-season run, a total of nine couples won the grand prize.
Merchandise
A single board game based on the show was released by Cardinal in 1986.
International versions
| Country | Local Name | Host | Channel | Year Aired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Colombia
|
El Programa del Millón | Fernando González Pacheco | Cadena Dos | 1986–90 |
 United Kingdom
|
All Clued Up | David Hamilton | ITV | 1988–91 |
 Brazil
|
Domingo Milionário | J.Silvestre | Rede Manchete | 1997–99 |
References
- David Schwartz, Steve Ryan & Fred Wostbrock, The Encyclopedia of TV Game $hows, Checkmark Books, 1999, pp. 161