Half a million dollars.
At least $25,000 in guaranteed prizes.
26 silver briefcases.
Just one question...
...why is there a kid on stage?

Because it's time for Le Banquier Ado. The kid in question is our contestant for the evening, 16-year-old Maxime Lapointe, a young man, who was born at the dawn of the new millennium, thus making him a true millennial. This Grade 11 student and self-proclaimed huge music fan and budding guitarist is here tonight as the youngest contestant in the Le Banquier's history. He wants to win enough money to find a better place to live and get himself some prescription glasses, among other things.

The models have been locked away in a bunker again, and are replaced by a galaxy of stars. They include musicians, actors, comedians, a few YouTubers, and for some strange reason, Gaby Gravel, Julie's personal makeup artist, holding case 6. Also, at this point, comedian Phil Roy, holding case 10, removes his shirt some reason, exposing his sizable girth. Wonderful.

As the game drifts back to Planet Earth, Maxime selects case number 5 for for his birthday, a sure sign that it is now juice and jam time.

Round 1
[19] - $50
[1] - $0.01
[11] - $112,000 - I really want someone to win that amount someday, just because it's so random.
[25] - Sunwing | $100 - Maxime, who has never been a plane before, wins a trip for four to the Dominican Republic worth $8,000.
[12] - $750
[22] - $20

Pretty solid opening round. When the phone rings with the first offer, Phil Roy springs into action and answers the phone himself. He puts it on speaker phone, and we hear the Banker's voice for the first time ever. Unlike the UK Banker, though, the Quebec one sound quite normal. He says he'll only deliver the offer if Phil gives Julie a hug. Phil complies, and we get this:

BANKER'S OFFER

$50,000

Julie says that is one of the highest opening offers in the show's history. For you trivia buffs out there, the highest-ever opening offer was just $2,000 more. Maxime, however, is undeterred by this, and promptly says REFUSÉE.

Round 2
[7] - Vidéotron Mobile
[15] - $150,000
After a brief musical interlude, Maxime is presented with two additional handouts - $2,000 worth of concert tickets from Evenko, and another $3,000 worth from LaVitrine.com for a total of $5,000.
[24] $1,000
[13] - $400,000
[3] - $5

BANKER'S OFFER

$55,000

Maxime says REFUSÉE.

Round 3
[10] - Surprise | $10 - Maxime wins $10,000 from the Royal Bank of Canada to put towards his education.
[4] - $500
[26] - $175,000 - Singer Patrice Michaud, the celebrity holding this case, and one of Maxime's personal idols, invites Maxime to attend his next concert, and also performs a duet with him.
[23] - $200,000

BANKER'S OFFER

$68,000

I think this amount may be the Quebec Banker's Governor, as he seems to offer it frequently. Maxime, however, believes he can bet more out of this game, and thus says REFUSÉE.

Round 4
[20] - $400
[21] - $500,000
[6] - $100,000

BANKER'S OFFER

$52,000

Maxime says REFUSÉE.

Round 5
[8] - $200
[14] - $50,000

BANKER'S OFFER

$63,000

Maxime says REFUSÉE.

Round 6
[9] - $1
Taking out the lowest amount left in play will certainly give the offer a boost.

BANKER'S OFFER

$81,000

Sure enough, it does. Maxime takes some time to think over the offer, and how much the money means to him. One his mind is made up, he says ACCEPTÉE, breaking the flashing button in the process. Whoops. I guess Julie will have to take the value of a new button out of Maxime's winnings .

Speaking of winnings, could our contest have fared better? There's only one way to find out.

Proveout
Round 7
[17] - $5,000

BANKER'S OFFER WOULD'VE BEEN

$112,000

Looks like there would have been a chance to win that amount after all.

Round 8
[2] - $125,000
"One blue left... but sadly not in live play ." Who remembers that?

BANKER'S OFFER WOULD'VE BEEN

$118,000

Round 9
[16] - $300

So Maxime would have potentially faced a final two of $25,000 vs. $300,000, and an offer that would have been in the $150,000+ range (it wasn't shown). Looks like he sold out a bit too early, as Julie reveals $300,000 in case 5. The $25,000 resided in case 18.

But don't feel too badly for Maxime. After all, it's not every day that a young upstart appears on a game show and wins a total of $114,000 in cash and stuff. That will surely help him get those glasses he needs.

Next time, a strong sense of animal magnetism surrounds the Le Banquier stage. Until then, good night, and good deals.

Would have taken $118k there I think, but still a(nother) significant win on Le Banquier!

First time I've EVER heard of someone under 18 playing Deal or No Deal for real money (worded to exclude that weird US game where a kid was playing for a TV and other prizes).

I would've gone one more round and dealt $112,000, but I'm glad Maxime didn't just Deal the first offer or go to the end regardless like many his age would play (see wakey's 2006 posts for proof of the latter ).