It's time for another episode of Le Banquier, the only version of Deal or No Deal that doesn't totally suck.

Before we begin tonight's recap, I'd like to make you, the denizens of DoND.co.uk, a deal. Going forward, I will no longer be providing commentary on the UK version of Deal or No Deal. I feel it's unfair to comment on a show that I seldom watch, as all it does is make me look stupid. The only version you'll see me provide commentary for will be Le Banquier, which I watch regularly.

Okay, now that we've taken care of that bit of business, let's get to the recap. Tonight's show is billed as the Gala des ARTIS. The ARTIS awards are basically Quebec's answer to the Emmys or the BAFTAs, and 2014 marks the 30th anniversary of the very first ARTIS awards ceremony, which was held in 1984.

The models are again AWOL, so instead, 26 ARTIS award winners are guarding the cases, which resemble old-school TV sets. Julie Snyder herself has won a few ARTIS awards over the years for her work as a TV host.

One person who hasn't won an ARTIS award is Trois-Rivières' own Francis Desrochers. He runs an online menswear store called WayOutfitters.com, and plans to use his winnings to boost his business. Francis wants to go all the way, making him the first French Canadian OHO. He takes the first step toward potentially winning big money by choosing case 11, and we're off.

...Actually, we're not, because Véronique Cloutier, herself an ARTIS award winner, presents Francis with a VIP pass to attend the ARTIS awards show, plus an ARTIS statuette of his very own.

With that gratuitous handout now out of the way, we can now begin the game for real.

Round 1 - 6 to open
[12] - $100
[4] - $150,000 - Tabarnac.
[16] - $0.01
[18] - $5
[6] - Maxi Case - A funny moment occurs when Patrice L'Écuyer, who brings out the case that holds the trip with Dominique Michel, tries to open the case, but can't. Julie drops it on the floor several times, but it still refuses to budge. She calls a break to get the case opened.

When the show returns a few minutes later, the problem is resolved, and Patrice opens the case to reveal a trip to Australia. The hidden amount in case 6 turns out to be $500.

[23] - $10

BANKER'S OFFER

$51,000

Francis says REFUSÉE.

Round 2 - 5 to open
[7] - $400,000 - Tabarnac.
[20] - $200,000 - Tabarnac.
[15] - Surprise / $400 - Francis wins a complete men's wardrobe from Le Château valued at $10,000.
[3] - $500,000 - Tabarnac.
[9] - $200

Over $1 million wiped out in a single round. I think that's a record. Naturally, that will effect the offer.

BANKER'S OFFER

$39,000

Francis says REFUSÉE.

Round 3 - 4 to open
[19] - $75
[21] - $50
[22] - $5,000
[13] - $50,000

BANKER'S OFFER

$52,000

Francis says REFUSÉE.

Round 4 - 3 to open
[1] - $100,000 - Tabarnac.
[26] - $300

At this point, Francis is presented with a prize package from Capital One that consists of a makeover, an interview on TVA during the ARTIS awards, access to the red carpet, an invitation to the after party, a night for him and a companion at a hotel and front-row tickets to the awards ceremony. The total value of the prize package is $8,000.

[17] - $1

BANKER'S OFFER

$61,000

Francis says REFUSÉE.

Round 5 - 2 to open
[14] - $1,000
[24] - $750

BANKER'S OFFER

$87,000

Francis says REFUSÉE.

Round 6 - 1 to open
[2] - $300,000 - Tabarnac.

BANKER'S OFFER

$67,000

Francis says REFUSÉE.

Round 7 - 1 to open
[25] - $20 - The left side of the board is now clear. Francis is now guaranteed to win at least $25,000. Plus, the Capital One bonus is still in play.

BANKER'S OFFER

$89,000

Francis says REFUSÉE.

Round 8 - 1 to open
[5] - Capital One

10 grand in the hand, and this from monsieur le Banquier:

BANKER'S OFFER

$113,000

Francis says REFUSÉE .

I guess Francis wasn't kidding around when he said he wanted to go all the way. Let's see how this pans out.

Round 9 - 1 to open
[10] - $25,000

Holy boats, that's phenomenal! Francis is now guaranteed to leave with a six-figure amount. He's boldly going where few Le Banquier contestants have gone before. With $125,000 and $175,000 remaining, the final offer is presented.

BANKER'S OFFER

$157,000

Francis says REFUSÉE .

Francis is really going for it. Julie points out that this is the first time that a contestant has made to the end with an all-six-figure finish. Previous contestants were far less lucky. In fact, the only other contestants that made it to this point were the four blue winners.

Unlike the U.S. and UK versions, Francis is not offered the chance to switch cases. But it doesn't matter, because Francis has already given us one of the most exciting games in Le Banquier's history. Julie and the last remaining celebrity case holder open cases 8 and 11 simultaneously to reveal the following:

[8] - $175,000
[11] - $125,000

Thus, Francis becomes the first contestant in Le Banquier's history to get an all-red finish, and $125,000 is his reward. That's awesome. Along with the Capital One bonus and the other prizes, Francis leaves the stage a wealthy man with $163,000 in cash and stuff, which will certainly help WayOutfitters.com.

Next week on Le Banquier, we salute Canadian war veterans. Until then, merci, et bonne soirée.

WOW. Francis is only the 2nd player to go to the end on this version, and I'm somewhat glad he didn't get an OPW (Banker Spanking) from doing that as he turned down 3 offers above the average in the process. Basically, the only way you'd go to the end on this version is if you REALLY want to, and Francis undoubtedly had that desire. I would've dealt the $113,000 offer without question, and only thing that drove me on to that point was the unclaimed Capital One bonus.

I think the main reason why Francis went all the way was because he knew that if he claimed the Capital One bonus, he'd be able to leave with at least $10,000. Plus, he'd already won some nice things along the way, and on this version, that factors into the final total.

As we've seen on this version, the Banker is incredibly generous, usually making AMOs throughout the game. These are the kinds of offers we used to see in the U.S. version's proveout rounds.

I probably would've dealt at $113,000 myself. I was screaming at the TV when Francis declined that offer. I thought he was crazy, but he was clearly in unstoppable OHO mode. It was his desire to go the distance from the beginning, even if it meant becoming blue winner number five. Very few contestants have made it to this point, so it's nice to see someone actually go for it. Even Julie, the celebrities and Francis' supporters were shocked by his decision(s).