I’ve seen this show (UK version) twice, and that was enough. I don’t like it at all, and don’t want to see it again. But there is one point about which I’m mildly curious. It seems to be exactlt one contesatant per show, right? Or does it roll over? It was one per show in the two I’ve seen. So, in the first five minutes or so the contestant opens about three or four boxes, then the host phones the banker, and makes an offer, deal or no deal. What happens if the contestant accepts the first deal on offer? How do they fill the rest of the show?
I have seen the American version with Howie Mandell a few times. The impression I get is that the shows are taped, not shown live. I know I’ve heard other game shows tape several contestants, then decide later which one to air on television. I would imaging Deal or No Deal is the same way. In the event that one contestant took the first deal offered, they would probably either not air that particular contestant, or follow with another who also ran a bit short.
Another possibility is there’s a lot more footage than what’s shown on the television, but what you see has been carefully edited to fit the time slot. So if a contestant ran slightly short, they’d put more footage of Howie, or the interaction with the banker, etc. If the contestant was running a bit long, they’d cut out some of the chatter.
I’ve seen the UK version many times.
I’m drawn to it, simply because it’s so funny. Edmonds keeps banging on about 'the history of Deal or no Deal" like it has more longevity than the Roman Empire. (He first used this phrase about six months into the first series.) Furthermore, it helps if you have a good reason for needing money, like a sick dog that needs an operation (preferably with pictures). Contestants with the ability to jump up and down in ecstasy if they draw a blue number are also a plus for the producers.
Anyway, the earliest deal I’ve seen was struck with 11 boxes remaining. The contestant, as with any deal on any show, then continued selecting boxes as if he hadn’t dealt, just to see ‘what would have happened’. That process, plus the host/banker chat mentioned by Apocalypso, filled up the show to the required length for broadcasting.
At least on the American side, they adjust the offers such that you’d have to be an idiot to take one of the early ones.
… Although it sometimes turns out that the offers just go down from that first. But that’s usually due to plain old bad luck.
exactly, the “Banker’s offer to buy the briefcase” approaches the “expected” value of remaining breifcases the longer the contestant stays in the game.
The expected value of the briefcases may decrease but that is only because the larger valued ones have been revealed.
Do they explain the ruler before each show? I have no idea how the briefcases work.
And from the point of view of making compelling television, that’s a lot more fascinating than you think, even if they use some bogus methods to stack up the tension. It’s a brilliant idea for a show and I wish I’d thought of it.
There really aren’t that many rules to speak of. You pick a briefcase at the beginning to set aside. Then you randomly select suitcases hoping to eliminate the smaller amounts and drive up the “banker” bids.
The only way to win the million dollars is if it’s in the first randomly selected suitcase which is set aside. Most people sell out long before it ever gets down to the last case (you pretty much have to be a moron not to).
It’s a game which requires no skill, thought, strategy or intelligence, and it’s virtually impossible not to leave with a six figure prize unless you’re a true mental defective.
One of the most obnoxious things about the show is the pretense that the "banker’ is a not only a real person but is also, for some unexplained reason, a villainous character who the audience is supposed to boo and hiss. This is an angle which makes no sense to me at all. Putting aside the contempt shown to the audience by playing this inane character off as a real person, it also makes no sense to boo him. It’s like you’re supposed to think he’s a spoilsport or something by offering them more money than they’ve ever seen in their lives. I don’t get it at all. Is the implication that there should NOT be a “banker,” and that everyone should just get whatever is in the first suitcase they choose?
I hate this game. I also hate that they have to bring every contestant’s entire extended family down onto the stage with them and milk every decision for 45 minutes while they consult with their sisters and aunts to figure out what she be the next utterly random suitcase selected.
Not quite. If you get down to exactly 2 boxes - the one you picked at the beginning, and one left with a model, and you turn down the banker’s final offer, you then get an offer from Howie to keep your suitcase or switch it with the one the model has.
In the US version, I’ve definitely seen episodes with more than one player, and the second player didn’t finish at the end of the episode and continued to the next one. IIRC, this usually happened during some of the weeks when the show was on every night, or at least multiple nights.
Having been on a game show, and having lived in LA, I can tell you the rules there.
For most of those shows, they are taped for editing purposes and you don’t actually get your prize until the show has actually aired on television - in other words, if you win they might not give you your money/prize(s) for a few weeks. They do this in case the show should be canceled, or it is determined that there was an irregularity or something that they only caught after the fact.
I have never heard of them screwing a winner over - so this is not a scam to avoid paying off big winners, it is just a legal technicality.
BYW, in the USA, you have to pay taxes on your winnings (just like when you win a slot machine big in Las Vegas) - so if you win that nice new Mercedes*, be prepared to pay some hefty fees before you drive around the neighborhood and show it off. Many who can’t afford the several thousand dollars in taxes might opt for a cash payment instead of the actual prize - which would be less than the retail price. Same goes for Deal or No Deal - should you actually win that million dollars, Uncle Sam will be holding his hand out when that check arrives.
*Some game shows include these fees and will say, “You won a new Mercedes, PLUS tax and licensing!” but that is pretty rare these days.
Thanks for the replies, everyone. They’ve been more entertaining than the actual show.
You have the replies. Those are yours. You can either take them and go home now, or you can risk them all to see what’s going to be posted on page 2. What do you think, guys? Should he risk it all or go home?
You have thirty seconds to decide.
I hadn’t seen the show in years and then caught it on daytime TV at some burger joint. Apparently they replaced 18 of the 20 female models with random folks from the audience. That’s just one less reason to watch the show in my book.
Are you sure they were audience members? On the UK version the other cases are held by contestants in waiting (I think).
I can’t challenge the lack of models as a reason not to watch.
I missed the very beginning. I think you’re right. They grabbed 20 people, had one of the two remaining models spin a wheel (or otherwise generate a number) and that person took their briefcase up front to play. The other 19 stood around looking like doofs and opening their cases on command. I just assumed they were all grabbed from the audience like The Price is Right rather than preselected before attending the show.
So you have negative one reasons to watch the show?