Oprah's Big Give is a reality television series that aired Sunday nights at 9:00 PM Eastern/8:00PM Central on ABC, and is hosted by Nate Berkus. The Big Give is produced by Harpo Productions, and created and produced by Oprah Winfrey, and also produced by Bert Van Munster and Elise Doganieri. On April 20, 2008, during the final show, Stephen Paletta was declared the winner and won the $1 million. Outside the United States, the series is distributed through FremantleMedia. On May 13, 2008, ABC decided not to renew the series for a second season.
CreatorOprah Winfrey
Episode 101
Mar 2, 2008
In the series premiere, Oprah meets the ten contestants and hands each an envelope with only the name and picture of a stranger whose lives they must change. Each contestant must use resources awarded to them to drastically improve the life of their assigned person within five days, forcing them to deal with the stress of it all by using ultimate strategy and creativity. At the end of the episode, one contestant is eliminated from the competition.
Episode 102
Mar 9, 2008
The remaining nine contestants are taken to a major U.S. city where they must be creative with the distribution of their money, for which they only have two days. As the pressure mounts, the contestants discover that there is a surprise twist that leaves everyone in shock.
Episode 103
Mar 16, 2008
The eight contestants arrive in Houston, where they are challenged to make 1,000 children's dreams come true. They are split into two groups of four, "Field of Dreams" and "Forgotten Christmas". Andre Agassi and Tony Hawk guest star.
Episode 104
Mar 23, 2008
The contestants are taken to Miami, where they have 1 day to give away $100,000.
Episode 105
Mar 30, 2008
Oprah sends the contestants on a "Big Give Road Test" challenge. Guest star in this episode is the famous race-car driver Danica Patrick.
Episode 106
Apr 6, 2008
The four final contestants arrive in New York. Their task is to fulfill the last wishes of two parents. Guest stars in this episode are eight-time Grammy Award winner Natalie Cole, film star Jada Pinkett Smith and editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine Gayle King.
Episode 107
Apr 13, 2008
Four days given the last three contestants head home to organize family reunions. They are given a budget of 10.000 $. Guest star this time is John Travolta.
Episode 108
Apr 20, 2008
For the finale episode of the first season the last contestants must create "Big Gives" with NO MONEY and very little time. Watch out for a last unexpected twist, that will make everyone talk about. Jennifer Aniston is special guest star in the season finale.
