Deal Or No Deal

[This blog is about the UK version; many countries have their own versions]

Wikipedia:
”Deal or No Deal is the United Kingdom version of the Endemol game show, which began airing on Channel 4 on October 31, 2005. It is presented by Noel Edmonds and normally airs from 4.15pm to 5.00pm on weekdays and early on Saturday evenings in a varying time slot, usually lasting 45 minutes and very occasionally an hour.


22 Boxes. One Question. Deal or no Deal.

Wikipedia:
At the start of each episode, one of the 22 contestants, each standing behind one of the red boxes is selected to be that episode's player. The selection appears to be random, though this is never stated and in fact selection is done by the production team (indeed, by 2007 it was being explicitly mentioned on the programme that contestant selection was non-random). In any case, the contestants themselves do not know who is to take the seat until it is revealed at the beginning of the show. They then take their box and walk to the centre of the set, taking their place at the main table, in what Noel often refers to as the "crazy chair". Once sat down the player introduces themselves, and after confirming that they selected their box at random, the game begins.

The player's box contains their (potential) prize. One at a time, the player chooses one of the 21 boxes remaining (other than their own) to be opened, eliminating the value inside it from the list of possible amounts in the player's box (displayed on a large screen opposite them). Clearly it is in the player's interest to uncover smaller amounts of money, hoping that their prize is a larger amount. Boxes are opened by the remaining 21 contestants; these contestants are also regularly spoken to by the host and offer support and advice to the player, though they play no active role in the game. These contestants, however, return for the following episode, along with a new contestant replacing the previous episode's player, so that all contestants eventually play the game, and the returning contestants build continuity between shows.

There are six rounds: in the opening round the player opens five boxes, then three in each subsequent round. After the required number of boxes have been opened in a round, the Banker (an unseen character who acts as the player's antagonist and whose money is notionally at stake in the game) offers to buy the player's box. The specific offer is made dependent on the remaining box values: if several larger amounts are gone, the offer is likely to be low, as the probability is higher that the player's box contains a small amount of money. Occasionally, the first offer (or on very rare occasions a later offer) has been replaced by an offer to the contestant to swap their box for one of the remaining unopened boxes. The Banker is never seen, relaying his offers to the presenter via telephone. The presenter tells the player the offer and asks the eponymous question. The player responds either "deal" or "no deal".

Responding "deal" means that the contestant agrees to sell the box for the amount of money offered, relinquishing the prize in their box. The game is now over, though play continues to show the hypothetical outcome had the player not dealt. Saying "no deal" means the player keeps their box, and proceeds to the next round, again hoping to reveal small amounts in the remaining boxes.

After six rounds, only two boxes remain. If the player rejects the final offer, they take the prize contained in their box (though often before the prize is revealed, the Banker offers the opportunity for the player to swap their box with the other remaining unopened box and take the prize contained in it instead).


Yeah. I know so far I’d added little to this blog. But it’s hard to explain what the game is without confusing you. Actually, Wikipedia has probably just done that for me.

So what’s so good about DOND. Noel Edmonds is terrible, he annoys me and is the reason I can’t watch many good shows, but on this show I can just ignore him; it’s just AMAZING! But what else? Nothing. But it’s addictive, when you see someone with only 10p and £3000, just reject an offer for £506, it draws you in, but I don’t know why. And there’s the emotion you feel when they only get the 10p. But not everything bad happens; Laura Pearce on the 7th January 2007 left with the top prize of £250,000 [about half a million dollars], after it was in her box. It can’t be the host!

But there’s the other side of the scale, do the following names ring a bell:
-Nick Bain
-Trevor Bruce
-Fadil Osman
-Dave Ellis
-Sally Kettle
-Connell Gibson
-Gerogio Felicini
-Sharron Coates
-Tony Wynne-Jones
-Paul "PJ" Johnson
-Adam Field

They all won 1p. They took the final risk. They lost.

Game Variations:
1) In specials [eg/ Christmas, 500th episode] the top prize is put up to £500,000
2) Box colours [Easter; yellow. St Patrick’s Day: Green. Etc…]

Specials:
1) Christmas, New Years, 500th Episode, Halloween…etc…
2) Comic Relief. Catherine Tate’s Gran character took to the seat, accepting the bankers offer of £199 and losing all top 5 values in the first round, before admitting to have cheated and looked in her box.
3) First Anniversary: Jon Culshaw, famous for such progams as “Dead Ringers” [comedy spoof sketches] did his famous Noel impression for the beginning of the game before joining the audience, while dressed exactly like the host.
4) Battle of the sexes. With 2 weeks of all male contestants, then 2 weeks of females to try and determine which of the sexes was better at the game; basically who was luckier, and it turns out the men are

Over 600 shows. So I can’t be the only one who likes it…for no reason. I’d recommend watching it, in whatever format your country shows it in [if it shows it], but I can’t tell you why. In a proper review I’d have to tell you, but I can’t. It’s amazing, breathtaking and addictive yet has no purpose.

I have no idea why I love it; but I do.
Posted on October 8th, 2007 at 06:40pm

Comments

Post a comment


You have to log in before you post a comment.

Site info | Contact | F.A.Q. | Privacy Policy

2024 © GeekStinkBreath.net
Register