Ellen DeGeneres pulled an Oprah on her show on Monday, and gifted her entire audience a round trip to Dubai. The host started off the segment she called Hello Dubai during her show by inviting two audience members to play a mock quiz game.
Once she picked the winner, with the help of an Emirates pilot Ashley, DeGeneres told her excited audience she had a bonus round — for a round trip to Dubai. And they all won!
“I flew Emirates to Dubai and Cape Town and it was the most amazing experience. You’re going to absolutely love it,” she said.
DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi were in the city last year, and were spotted partying at The Act night club at the Shangri-La Hotel.
This is not the first time the talk show host has given away a trip to the UAE. Last year, she picked an audience member, along with actor Vin Diesel, for a 13-day trip to Abu Dhabi to promote the release of Furious 7.
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi at The Act Dubai in 2015. (Image Credit: The Act)
Monday’s giveaway, to promote Emirates campaign The Big Take Off, echoed a similar promotional stunt in 2010 on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Winfrey sent her entire audience for an all-expenses paid trip to Australia to mark the end of her show’s 25th and final season.
The Big Take Off was launched to encourage Americans to use up their vacation days, Emirates said in a statement.
“[The campaign] is a strategic campaign for Emirates this summer travel season, which is based on an insight that Americans do not take advantage of all of their vacation days,” said Rob Gurney, senior vice president of commercial operations (The Americas).
“It’s been demonstrated that after a vacation, you’re better at your job, happier, well-rested, and more culturally-inspired. It’s for this reason that we are extending the campaign beyond national broadcast integration and opening up the opportunity to those residing in the US through a social media-based sweepstake, The Big Takeoff, and special companion fares,” Gurney said.
DeGeneres debuted the Ellen DeGeneres show in 2003 and has since won 36 Daytime Emmy Awards. In January this year it was announced that the show had been renewed for three additional seasons through 2020. The actress will next voice Dory in the Finding Nemo sequel Finding Dory, releasing next month.
