Jeden z dziesięciu

Jeden z dziesięciu (often stylized as 1 z 10; literally “One Out of Ten”) is a Polish general knowledge quiz show broadcast on TVP1 (in the years 1994–2018 on TVP2), based on a British format Fifteen to One. It is the second longest running quiz show in the history of Polish television, after Wielka gra (1962–2006), and currently the longest continuously broadcast.

Format
The 10 contestants stood in a semicircle, each behind a lectern with a number from 1 to 10, name badge on top of the lectern and three yellow lights to represent the lives (called “chances” in Polish version) of the contestant. Contestants answer questions, receiving points for correct answers and losing them for incorrect answers or failure to answer. After a contestant is eliminated from the game, his or her lectern is went out. The host asks questions until three contestants remain and they advance to the final round. The numbers are allocated by drawing lots before videotaping.

Round 1
In the first round, each contestant is asked two questions. If they answer the first question incorrectly, they lose a chance. If they answer the second question incorrectly, they lose two chances and are eliminated from the game. To advance to round 2, contestants must answer at least one question. The outcome of round 1 could vary considerably. It was extremely rare that after the first round there were only four competitors left, more often there were ten players left.

Round 2
The first surviving contestant from round 1 who answers the question asked by the host correctly in the round 2 gains the opportunity to nominate another contestant. According to the rules, if the correct answer is given by a competitor from places 1–5, they selects a competitor from places 6–10 to answer, and vice versa. The number of questions in round 2 is unlimited and round 2 continues until only three contestants remain. In round 2 the competitors should nominate another competitor to answer, although the rules don’t prohibit taking the question on themselves. However, this situation has only happened twice in the program’s 30-year history.

Round 3
At the beginning of round 3 each of the three remaining contestants is given a new set of three chances and received one point for each chance they had kept through rounds 1–2. The host reads the questions and the competitor answers after pressing the buzzer, earning 10 points for a correct answer. The first contestant to answer three times correctly gets the opportunity to nominate the next contestant. If the contestant nominates themselves and answers correctly, they receive 20 points. In round 3, the host asks a maximum of 40 questions. Round 3 ends when the last contestants have lost their last chance or when the questions run out. Each contestant who kept their chances after the last question receives 10 additional points for each chance. The winner is the contestant who was the last to keep a chance while the others lost it. If more than one contestant still has a chance after asking the last question, the one with the most points wins. If there is a tie, the players with the most points are the winners and the prize is divided in half. If the competitors have scored enough points, they qualify for the Grand Final at the end of the season. The maximum number of points a competitor can score in a single episode is 803 (3 points for chances retained from rounds 1–2 and answering all 40 questions correctly). In the history of the program so far, only one participant has scored 803 points, in the episode broadcast on November 23, 2023.

Grand Final
The ten players who have scored the most points in the regular final throughout the season take part in the Grand Final. If there is a tie and the number of competitors exceeds 10, the organizer reserves the right to additional eliminations, although it happened that twelve competitors took part in the Grand Final. The same rules apply to the Grand Finale as to the regular episode. The Grand Final is won by the contestant who is the last to be able to answer in round 3, regardless of how many points they scores.

Prizes
The winner of the regular episode wins PLN 5,000 and a stay in a luxury hotel. The winner of the Grand Final receives PLN 40,000 and additional rewards. Contestant who gained the most points throughout the season – even if they didn’t win the Grand Final – receives PLN 10,000. All competitors who qualify for round 3 receive small prizes, such as containers of sweets or watches.

Records
The program is recorded in the TVP3 Lublin studio. Several episodes of one series are recorded in a row in one day. People who want to get into the program must complete a quiz in Lublin consisting of thirty questions, and they can only make two mistakes. If a candidate makes three mistakes, they may be asked an additional questions – if they answers correctly, they can qualify for the program. The waiting time for an invitation to the program after correctly completing the quiz can be up to over a year.

Transmissions
The first episode of Jeden z dziesięciu was aired on June 3, 1994 on TVP2. The host of the program from the very beginning is Tadeusz Sznuk, a well-known Polish radio and TV presenter. The current hostess giving prizes to the participants of round 3 is Sylwia Toczyńska. On January 15, 2018 – after 24 years – the program was moved to TVP1. Jacek Kurski, then the president of Telewizja Polska, informed that this change was dictated by the demands of viewers of the historical TV series The Crown of the Kings who didn’t want to switch channels to watch their favorite programs. Media not associated with the then Polish government noticed that this change was most likely dictated by the falling viewership of TVP1’s main news program, Wiadomości. As of early June 2024, 3368 episodes in 143 series have been aired. The Grand Finale of series 143 was broadcast on June 3, 2024, on the 30th anniversary of the Jeden z dziesięciu premiere.

Reception
As of June 2024, Jeden z dziesięciu is the longest running quiz show in the history of Polish television, and the second one after Wielka gra (1962–2006). Tadeusz Sznuk, known for his great culture and impeccable appearance, is sometimes called “the last gentleman of Polish television”. Participants and viewers have repeatedly pointed out that the prizes for the winners are inadequate to the level of knowledge they must have. In March 2009, the program’s audience was approximately 2.44 million viewers. Episodes broadcast in Autumn 2023 were watched by an average of 1.06 million viewers.