It's time for more fantastic Frenchness on Le Banquier, the game show with most sponsors allowed by law.
We've got another themed episode this week, as our contestant is a huge fan of La Voix, the Quebec version of The Voice. Meet 37-year-old Katherine Carrol, a married mother of two. She originally applied to be on Le Banquier during its first season in 2007, and only made it onto the show now.
The usual bonuses are in play, including the new Maxi Case, which awards a trip. The usual models are at home collecting paychecks, so 26 former contestants from La Voix are holding the cases instead. Katherine picks case 13, and we've got ourselves a game.
Round 1 - 6 to open[22] -
$25,000[12] -
$1[7] -
$100[17] -
$175,000 - Tabarnac.
[11] -
$500[15] -
$75 / Maxi Case - Katherine wins a trip for four to Hawaii, courtesy of Maxi.
Katherine says
REFUSÉE.
Round 2 - 5 to open[26] -
$0.01 - This came after repeated chants of "Un sou, un sou" from the audience.
[9] -
$500,000 - Tabarnac.
[21] -
$200,000 - Tabarnac.
[8] -
$50 / Surprise - Katherine wins a new home theater from Brick worth
$10,000.
[10] -
$20Over $700,000 wiped out in one round. Will Monsieur Le Banquier drop the offer as a result?
He went up? Bizarre. It doesn't faze our contestant, however, as she says
REFUSÉE.
Round 3 - 4 to open[25] -
$150,000 - Tabarnac.
[2] -
$1,000[5] -
$300,000 - Tabarnac.
[4] -
$100,000 - Tabarnac.
A total of $551,000 eliminated in that round. Surely the offer will decrease this time.
But before we find that out, we have to listen to Katherine participate in a singing duel with Annie Villeneuve, just like on La Voix or The Voice. Surprisingly, Katherine sings quite well, prompting Marc Dupré, one of the coaches on La Voix to present her with a day at a recording studio worth
$4,000.
Then, Charles Lafortune, one of the show's hosts, sweetens the pot with a V.I.P. pass to attend all of La Voix's live shows this season. Ben, if you're reading this, I have seen the light, and I now fully support your stance against unnecessary handouts on game shows.
Fun fact: Host Julie Snyder's production company, Les Productions J, produces both Le Banquier and La Voix. Coincidence? Most likely.
Seventy-seven hours later, Julie suddenly remembers that Le Banquier is supposed to be a game show, and we finally get the third offer.
Monsieur Le Banquier finally did go down, and rightfully so. But Katherine is here for more, so it's a quick
REFUSÉE from her.
Round 4 - 3 to open[18] -
$200[24] -
$5[6] -
$400The Quebec equivalent of an all-blue round on the UK version. Here comes the offer.
I would deal at this point, as the game is teetering on complete disaster, even with the Capital One freebie still in play. Katherine, on the other hand, thinks she can squeeze more money out of this game, so she says
REFUSÉE.
Round 5 - 2 to open[3] -
$750[16] -
$400,000 - Tabarnac, and game basically over.
With
$50,000 and
$125,000 among the last remaining reds on the board, Katherine receives this offer:
Katherine says
REFUSÉE.
Round 6 - 1 to open[1] -
$10After some deliberation, Katherine realizes that the game is unraveling faster than a cheap sweater, so she says
ACCEPTÉE.
Could she have done better, though? Let's find out.
Proveout
Round 7 - 1 to open[19] -
Capital One - Just missed out on the bonus. Katherine becomes the first contestant to deal with the Capital One bonus still in play.
BANKER'S OFFER WOULD'VE BEEN | $51,000 |
Round 8 - 1 to open[14] -
$125,000With the last of the Power Eight gone, Julie opens case 13 to reveal
$5,000.
The other cases:
[20] -
$300[23] -
$50,000But we're not finished there. A special red button is brought out on a tray, and Katherine presses it to receive a 2015 Nissan Micra SR. Great, another gratuitous handout. This is getting ridiculous already. And yes, Nissan is another one of Le Banquier's 2,000 sponsors.
Katherine sung her way to
$83,720 in cash and prizes tonight. Will our next contestant fare better? Find out next week, as we celebrate 50 years of Le Journal de Montreal on Le Banquier. Until then, merci, et bonne soirée.