La Poule aux oeufs d'or

La Poule aux oeufs d'or (The Hen with the Golden Eggs) is the title of two different Canadian television game shows broadcast during two different periods.

History and format of first version

The first was broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) French-language television network, Radio-Canada, from 1958 until 1966 and hosted by Roger Baulu (replaced by Doris Lussier for the final season), accompanied,at first, by René Caron, and then by Henri Bergeron and by two hostesses.

Two contestants had to respond to five questions, each one being worth a certain amount of money. The winner then had to choose at random an envelope containing a prize that was worth less than, equal to, or greater than the winnings already accumulated. With these total winnings, the contestant can buy an egg, chosen at random, containing a prize. There are two possible outcomes: either she/he loses everything (or merely wins a trifling sum), or she/he wins a prize of high value.^[1]

Broadcast information of second version

The second version has been broadcast on the TVA Network, Wednesdays at 7:30pm (7:00pm until January 2006) since September 8, 1993.^[2] It is a Loto-Québec game, and has been hosted by Guy Mongrain since inception, with Yves Corbeil (before July 2006) and Gino Chouinard (since August 2006) substituting for Guy when he's been away, and assisted by Claudia Ébacher and Anouk Meunier (Julie Naud and Lyne Laramée before July 2007). ^[3]

The show offers a progressive jackpot as its grand prize (shown on set as 'Gros Lot'). It starts at $150,000, in Canadian dollars, and increases by $25,000 for each week not won.

Three games are played every episode, with 2 players per game (6 players per show). The contestants all won their way onto the show by scratching off 3 'TELE' symbols in its namesake scratch lottery game.

Format of second version

The Wheel Game

Before each game, the two contestants spin six wheels (three for each contestant) with numbers from 0 through 9 to determine the winning number for the lottery game. If either of the contestants spin duplicates of a certain number, they originally spun a bonus wheel, which gave them the chance to win a prize, such as a television set, a vacation, or a new car valued at $25,000. (The current variation of this game has the contestant pick golden eggs off a screen until they make a match; the prize matched is the prize won. If the contestant spun three of the same number, they are allowed to pick golden eggs until two matches are made, and they win the prize of the higher value. Also, the car's value is now generally around $40,000.)

Bonus Drawing

The home viewers who play the appropriate lottery tickets win money determined by how many numbers they match on the wheels; if they match all six, they win the full jackpot offered for each game: $25,000 for Game 1, $50,000 for Game 2, and $100,000 for Game 3. They can also pick a bonus number, which earns a bonus jackpot if it matches the number of the egg that was hiding the jackpot.

Egg Face-Off

Once the wheels are spun, the contestants then face boards with numbers from 0 through 9. Behind each number is a hidden dollar amount from $1,000 to $3,500, or a golden egg. The contestants alternate picking numbers, and their first selections are always the numbers they spun on the wheels. In the event that a contestant spins duplicate numbers, the dollar amount behind their first selection is doubled (or tripled if they spin three of the same number). The first contestant to find three eggs advances to the bonus game.

Should both contestants find 3 eggs in the same number of turns, the amounts are re-shuffled and another game is played. Losing contestants keep their winnings plus an additional $1,000 for each of the eggs they found (if any).

Tiebreaker Variation

Later in the show's run, the rule was changed to introduce a new tiebreaker if both contestants find 3 eggs in the same number of turns. Each one picks an egg with a number from 0 to 9, and the contestant with highest number plays the bonus game. Both players are present at the bonus game, however, but only the winning contestant can select an egg. If both contestants pick the same number, they keep selecting until there is a winner.

Bonus Game

In the bonus game, the contestant chooses one of 24 golden eggs. Twenty-three of the eggs have cash amounts ranging from $12,000 to $100,000, while the other one contains the jackpot ("Le Gros Lot"). If the sound of a rooster crowing is heard after they select an egg, the contestant gets a bonus selection.

After the egg is selected, the contestant chooses an envelope from a giant spinner. The contents of the envelope are revealed immediately, and the contestant is offered a choice: they can either take the revealed amount, or go for what is inside their egg. In the event that the contestant gets a bonus selection, and elects to go for the egg, the contents of the first egg are revealed first, and the same offer is made. If the contestant elects to go for the egg again, they automatically win what is inside the second egg.

In the event both players found 3 eggs in the same number of turns, the winner plays the bonus game as normal, but the losing contestant is awarded the amount the winning contestant did not accept. If the rooster crowed, and the winning contestant accepted the money in the first egg, the losing contestant has to decide whether to select the amount revealed in the envelope or go for the second egg, making it possible for him/her to win the jackpot.

Biggest winners and landmark episodes

The show's biggest winner was awarded $1,075,000 on May 26, 2004, after the progressive jackpot went unclaimed for 38 straight shows, beginning Sept. 10, 2003.^[4] On March 2, 2016 the show celebrated its 1000th show.^[5]

On February 15, 2017, the show's second biggest jackpot of $925,000 was won after 31 shows (although one contestant within that period had the jackpot egg but instead chose the envelope). The contestant's total was $936,000.

The third biggest jackpot winner's grand total was $909,500 (including a $900,000 jackpot).

References

External links

• Loto-Québec, La Poule aux œufs d'or (in French)