But Popeyes, the US restaurant chain offers player $10,000 of free food after she makes viral mistake on Family Feud Canada

This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

A Canadian game show contestant who lost a chance to play for $10,000 because she thought Popeye’s favourite food was chicken – not spinach – was offered $10,000 of free food by Popeyes, the US restaurant chain behind a hugely popular chicken sandwich.

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Eve DuBois made her mistake on Family Feud Canada on Friday, accompanying her answer to the question about the popular cartoon sailor with a dance of heedless triumph.

Her opponent, Logan Tomlin, answered correctly.

“I thought you meant Popeyes chicken,” DuBois told host Gerry Dee, who responded by repeatedly squealing “chicken” and mimicking DuBois’s dance move.

DuBois’s mortification, which prompted gasps from family members playing with her and laughter from the audience, duly went viral.

Virality is a state with which the Popeyes restaurant chain is familiar, shortages of its chicken sandwich having become the subject of worldwide conversation, and sometimes violence at individual locations, in 2019.

Naturally, it saw a chance to act.

In a tweet, Popeyes told DuBois: “Our survey says you got that right. DM us to claim your $10,000 worth of Popeyes. #LoveThatChickenFromPopeyes.”

Popeye the sailor’s fondness for spinach, which gives him great strength, is well known. In the US, his name and likeness appears on cans of the leafy green vegetable sold by Allens.

On its website, the company says: “When you think spinach, you think Popeye!”