Kymppitonni (colloquialism for "kymmenentuhatta" = "ten-thousand") is a Finnish television and radio game show format, created by Spede Pasanen which has been featured on Finnish networks since 1985. The show has been hosted in all of its respective formats by beauty queen Riitta Väisänen. Pasanen developed the programme specifically to improve her public image. Väisänen achieved five consequetive Telvis Awards, for Best Female Performer, for her appearances on the show between 1986 and 1990.
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The format is a panel-style program, where five Finnish celebrities appear in sound-proof booths and try to guess a word given to one of them based on a clue given by the same contestant. The clue giver and the correct guesser achieve points. The awarded points-sum decreases the more correct guesses there are. If all or none of the contestants guess the word, the clue giver receives minus points.
The points were supposedly converted to prize money in Finnish Marks and, after 2001, euros - with the highest prize for one guessed word being 1000 marks (later €200). However, in actuality the contestants only received a standard performance fee, with the over-all winner's fee being larger. On the children's hospital representative round of the show, the contestants donated their prize money to charitable causes.
Broadcast History
Kymppitonni originally achieved fame on Kolmoskanava and later on MTV3 where it attained huge success (including a Venla Award for best "puheohjelma" = "talk show" in 1986). MTV3 planned to cancel the show soon after Spede Pasanen's death in 2001, but this was prevented by public outcry. The show was eventually cancelled in 2005, after a run 1093 episodes.
The programme was relaunched in 2009 on SuomiTV and cancelled again in 2011. The official reason given by SuomiTV was that they wanted to attract a younger audience. On SuomiTV, the programme peaked at 10'000 viewers, with an average 7000 viewers on reruns.
Kymppitonni has been featured on Radio Suomipop since 2012, as a simultaneous radio show and internet video stream. The show was cancelled in 2016 after Väisänen was let go from the network.