640 000 Kr Kysymys

640 000 Kr Kysymys (English: The 640 000 Kr Question); better known colloquially by its subtitle Tupla tai kuitti (English: Double or Quit) was a Dryicoran game show based on the US classic . The show aired from 1959 until 1995 on DTV 1, and gave away what at the time was Dryicor's biggest TV cash prize of 640 000 Kr (worth just over US$740,000 in 2023).

It was one of DTV's biggest successes and was often the most-watched broadcast of the calendar year in its early years. It only ended due to presenter Petteri Karkoinen retiring after 36 years hosting the show. DTV later picked up Haluatko miljonääriksi? in 1999, which soon filled the void left by Tupla tai kuitti. In 2023, it was announced that DTV were rebooting the show.

Format
Contestants first chose a subject category (such as "Boxing", "Lincoln", "Jazz" or "Football") from the Category Board. Although this board was a large part of the set, it was seen only briefly, evidently to conceal the fact that categories were sometimes hastily added to match a new contestant's subject. The contestant was then asked questions only in the chosen category, earning money which doubled (640 Kr, 1 280 Kr, 2 560 Kr, 5 120 Kr; then 10 000 Kr, 20 000 Kr, 40 000 Kr, 80 000 Kr, 160 000 Kr, 320 000 Kr, and finally 640 000 Kr) as the questions became more difficult.

The contestant could quit at any time and retire with their money, but until they won 5 120 Kr, they lost all winnings for answering a question incorrectly. Missing a 10 000 Kr, 20 000 Kr, or 40 000 question left the contestant with 5 120 Kr. Starting with the 8 000 Kr question, the contestant was placed in an "isolation booth", where they could hear nothing but the host's words. As long as the contestant kept answering correctly, they stayed on the show until they had won 640 000 Kr.

Reception
Critical and public reception often left winners as celebrities. Thorgeir Hermansson became the first person to win the top prize on 24 May 1964 and became an instant celebrity.

Revival attempts
After the series' cancellation in 1995, DTV tried to substitute it the very next year with Tuplata, based on a very similar British format. While it was a ratings success, it didn't quite capture the public's imagination in the same way as Tupla vai kuitti, and the show was cancelled the next year. Eventually, it was revived by Kanal 4 in 2010, and lasted until 2018.

In 1999, DTV picked up Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which became a massive hit and successfully recreated the 1960s quiz show frenzy created by TVK, so much so that Haluatko miljonääriksi? was considered a worthy successor to The 640 000 Kr Question. Its eleventh question is worth 640 000 Kr.

In 2023, Puolueeton leaked that DTV were casting for contestants for a revival of a classic quiz show, increasing speculation that Question was coming back. On 30 October 2023, DTV announced that they had commissioned a revival of Tupla vai kuitti, with recording in Spring 2024 for an Autumn 2024 broadcast.