Is this the best game show contestant in history? 21 months unbeaten, $3M in prizes, and 23 cars won

A historic 21-month run came to an end on Sunday when Émilien ran out of time to answer a question on the popular French game show ‘12 Coups de midi’ (The Twelve Strokes of Noon) that airs on TF1. He made a total of 647 appearances since his debut on 25 September 2023 which made him a millionaire and during which time he won nearly two dozen cars.

The 22-year-old from southwest France was studying at university to be a teacher when he started his record-breaking streak. However, he suspended those in order to dedicate himself full-time to being the “Master of Midday” on the game show, the title given to the daily winner out of the four contestants. He’s now taken on a role at ‘12 Coups de midi’.

Is Émilien the best game show contestant in history?

Émilien made history in France becoming the winningest player on a French game show. He won roughly $2.93 million (€ 2.5 million) as well as 23 cars according to the French network. That is more than double the previous record held by Bruno Lafourcade who took home €1 million.

An American comparable equivalent of ‘12 Coups de midi’ would be Jeopardy, which airs every weekday, and likewise is a general knowledge quiz show. Jeopardy first appeared over 60 years ago, but the longest running version began with Alex Trebek as host in 1984.

With the most wins at 74 is Ken Jennings who took home over $2.5 million in regular season games. However, Brad Rutter collect a total of nearly $5 million in all-time prize money winnings, which includes tournaments, according to the show’s Leaderboard of Legends page.

Émilien not completely out of the spotlight

The former champion became a sensation during his nearly two-year run on ‘12 Coups de midi’. Around 5 million viewers on average tuned in to watch his defeat on Sunday.

However, he wasn’t out of the spotlight for long. He was brought back on the show on Tuesday this week to comment on the answers given by current contestants, a role he will take up from time to time from now on.

He was asked by the game show’s host Jean-Luc Reichmann how he was feeling, “Free, relieved? What’s it like?”

“It feels strange because it’s really a rhythm you get into. You’re there, you get used to being in the spot [that the “Master of Midday”] is in now, and it feels weird when the show goes on… without you,” Émilien responded. “I’m truly honored to have had the journey I did—and for a long time, it’s all just been bonus, pure happiness.”

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