The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime
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| The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime | |
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| Format | Game show |
| Starring | Jim Lange - Host Karen Thomas - Model Johnny Gilbert, Marc Summers – Announcers |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndicated |
| Original run | January 6, 1986 – September 11, 1987 |
The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime was a short-lived American game show which offered a $1 million grand prize to winning contestants. Based on a late 1970s unsold game show pilot titled "The Letter Machine," the show aired in syndication from January 6, 1986 until September 11, 1987. The show was hosted by game show veteran Jim Lange, and he was joined by Karen Thomas as co-host during the second season. Future Double Dare host Marc Summers was the show's announcer for its first few weeks[citation needed]; Johnny Gilbert announced the remainder of the series. The show was produced and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures, the first show ever to be distributed by them after Telepictures purchased Lorimar Productions in 1985.
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[edit] Gameplay
The game began with a speedword, in which a letter was revealed one at a time, except for the last letter. If a player buzzed in and gave a wrong answer, his/her opponent was shown the rest of the letters, except one. The couple that buzzed in and answered correctly won money and the right to pick two letters from a giant computer keyboard on stage in an attempt to fill in blank spaces in a puzzle (similar to Wheel of Fortune). Each speedword served as a clue to the solution of the puzzle.
The keyboard contained all 26 letters, plus a star representing punctuation marks or numbers. At the beginning of the round, letters appearing in the puzzle were highlighted on the keyboard, plus one additional letter not found in the puzzle known as "The Stinger" (similar to the "Stopper" on Scrabble). If the star was lit, Lange would mention it before the round began. The star has never been the Stinger, neither has the letters Q, X, and Z. For each letter revealed in the word, money equivalent to the value of the speedword was added to a bank.
If a couple solved the puzzle correctly after selecting two letters, they won the money in the bank. If they could not solve the puzzle, or if they chose the Stinger, another speedword was played.
[edit] Scoring
Each round had a different dollar amount per speedword and revealed letter:
- Round 1 - $25
- Round 2 - $50
- Round 3 and afterwards - $100
[edit] Winning
If time was running short during the last round, letters would be placed into the puzzle (similar to the speedword) until one team buzzed in and solved the puzzle. That team won the round and added the bank to their score.
A minimum of three rounds were played, sometimes more if time permitted. The team in the lead when time expired won the game and advanced to the bonus round. In the event of a tie, a tie-breaking speedword would be played to determine a champion. The winning team kept their money, whilst the losing team left with parting gifts, plus any cash earned in previous shows if they were returning champions.
[edit] Bonus round
The couple entered an isolation booth, wired so they could only hear Lange. After choosing one of three possible categories, the couple had 60 seconds to guess six words or phrases pertaining to that category. For each word, a letter was randomly filled in once every 1.5 seconds. There were no plungers or buttons to stop the clock; once a word or phrase was guessed, the next word or phrase was immediately put into play. Getting all six words or phrases before time ran out won the following take-it-or-leave-it cash prizes on their first two appearances:
- Win 1 – $5,000
- Win 2 – $10,000
A couple successfully completing the bonus round could retire with their winnings, or give back the prize (front-game winnings were safe) and compete against another couple on the next program. A third successful attempt in the bonus round won the couple a $1,000,000 grand prize, paid out as follows:
- Spring 1986: Annuity; $40,000 a year for 25 years.
- 1986-1987: $900,000 annuity, plus a $100,000 prize package including two Mazda cars (either an RX7 and a 323 or a 626 and a Cab Plus truck); 20 pairs of round-trip tickets to anywhere in the United States (on Delta Air Lines); three complete rooms of furniture (a kitchen, living room and dining room); and an outdoor spa.
Should the couple fail to guess all six words or phrases within 60 seconds, their championship ended and the couple left with any previous front-game winnings.
