Fifty-yard field goals don’t get any sweeter than
this, as TSN today announced details for the return of its fourth annual,
international award-winning million-dollar giveaway, Wendy’s Kick for a Million. The big event will air live nationally on TSN
and TSN HD on October 3 during the CFL on
TSN: Wendy’s Friday Night Football halftime show featuring B.C. @ Toronto, as one lucky fan will get the chance to
kick a 50-yard field goal for $1 million.
The highly-anticipated promotion returns with a
brand-new format, as four randomly selected participants – two from Eastern
Canada and two from Western Canada – will now compete in regional quarter-final
events in Toronto and Vancouver,
with the winning participants moving on to the semifinal in Toronto. The winner of the semifinal event will appear live on TSN on October 3 with
the chance to turn a 50-yard field goal into a $1 million payday. Similar to last year, the participants are
allowed to practice prior to the event (see Contest Format below).
“Wendy’s Kick
for a Million has evolved into a huge, must-see event. It gives every day sports fans a chance to be
part of the action and win big,” said Phil King, President, TSN. “The success of Wendy’s Kick for a Million has led to other innovative and lucrative
contests on the network and has become the industry benchmark for all sports
fan contests in Canada.”
The contest begins today and runs through September 7. Fans are invited to enter online at
TSN.ca/Wendys, with bonus entries being awarded for playing the Wendy’s Field
Goal Challenge game and referring friends. Fans can also watch TSN for Wendy’s Kick
for a Million commercials containing keywords that can be entered online
for additional entries. In addition,
fans can play the Instant Win online game for a chance to win a $5 gift card
from Wendy’s.
Lucrative prizes for this year’s Wendy’s Kick for a Million final event are bigger and better leading up to the
$1 million reward. The prizes are as
follows:
· 20 yards – $25,000 Future Shop
gift card
· 30 yards – Gridiron Edition Nissan Titan
· 40 yards – $100,000 cash
· 50 yards – $1,000,000 in a
one-time payment
In addition, three randomly chosen fans in
attendance at the game will have the chance to win a trip for two to the 2008
Grey Cup in Montreal,
which will air on TSN on November 23, if the participant successfully kicks the
20-yard field goal.
“We are thrilled to once again bring our customers
and CFL fans this exciting event, bigger than ever before,” said John Talbot,
Marketing Manager, Wendy’s. “The way
Wendy’s Kick for a Million has
connected with fans across Canada
is incredible.”
In 2005, the first year of the contest, 25-year old
mechanical engineer Brian Diesbourg of Belle
River, ON, became an
overnight success by splitting the uprights at 50 yards and winning the $1
million grand prize. Earlier this year,
Diesbourg was joined by Darwin Head from Prince
Albert, SK, when Head
became the latest fan to win $1 million live on TSN in the Chevrolet Malibu Million Dollar Shootout.
Contest
Format
On September 12, four randomly chosen participants
will be drawn from the pool of entries – two from Eastern Canada (Ontario, Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island) and two from Western
Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest
Territories and Nunavut).
On September 27, the Eastern Canada participants
will practice together for one hour at Rogers Centre in Toronto
with Argos kicker Mike Vanderjagt, while the
Western Canada participants will receive a one-hour practice session at B.C.
Place in Vancouver
with Lions kicker Paul McCallum. Later
that evening, the Eastern and Western Canada participants will go head-to-head
in quarter-final events at halftime during the Calgary @ Toronto and Hamilton @
B.C. games, respectively, for the chance to represent his/her region in the Wendy’s
Kick for a Million semifinal in
Toronto. Each participant will attempt a
field goal from the 15-yard line. If
both are successful, they will move back five yards and kick again. Both quarter-final events will continue until
there is only one regional participant successful at a given distance. Highlights and results from the
quarter-finals in Toronto and Vancouver
will be seen during the 4th quarter of the Argos and Lions games respectively.
On October 2 (one day prior to the televised event),
the winners of the Eastern and Western Canada quarter-finals will receive a
second one-hour practice session with Vanderjagt (Eastern participant) and McCallum
(Western participant) at opposite ends of the field at Rogers Centre. The two will then compete against each other
in the Wendy’s Kick for a Million semifinal following the same format as the quarter-finals. The successful participant advances to the main
event the following day.
On October 3, the one remaining participant will
attempt to kick field goals from 20-, 30-, 40- and 50-yards, live on TSN and
TSN HD during the CFL halftime show.
CLICK HERE for more information/