Deal or No Deal (American game show) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Deal or No Deal
Genre	Game show
Created by	Dick de Rijk John de Mol
Presented by	Howie Mandel
Starring	Peter Abbay Carrie Lauren
Narrated by	Joe Cipriano
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	7 (4 on NBC, 2 in syndication, 1 on CNBC)
No. of episodes	NBC: 273 Syndication: 300 CNBC: 31
Production
Executive producer(s)	Scott St. John Howie Mandel (2018–2019)
Production location(s)	CBS Television City (2005) Sunset Gower Studios (2006) The Culver Studios (2006–2009) Sonalyst Studios (2009–2010) Universal Studios Florida (2018–2019)
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	44 minutes (NBC, CNBC) 22–26 minutes (Syndicated)
Production company(s)	Entertain the Brutes Productions (2005–2010) Truly Original Endemol USA (2005–2010) Endemol Shine North America (2018–2019)
Release
Original network	NBC (2005–09) Syndication (2008–10) CNBC (2018–2019)
Picture format	NTSC (2005–2010) HDTV 1080i (2018–2019)
Audio format	2.0 (2005–2010) 5.1 (2018–2019)
Original release	December 19, 2005 (2005-12-19) – August 7, 2019 (2019-08-07)

Deal or No Deal is a popular American game show based on a Dutch TV format. The show is hosted by the funny Howie Mandel. It first aired on December 19, 2005, on NBC. Each episode was usually an hour long. Sometimes there were special longer or themed episodes.

The game is simple but exciting. A contestant picks one of 26 briefcases. Each briefcase holds a different amount of money, from just one cent to a huge $1,000,000! As the game goes on, the contestant opens other briefcases. This removes money amounts from the game.

After each round, a mysterious "Banker" calls. The Banker offers the contestant money to quit the game. This is called a "deal." If the contestant says "no deal," they keep playing. If they refuse all offers, they can either keep their first briefcase or swap it for the last one left. They win whatever money is inside their chosen case.

Deal or No Deal was very successful for NBC. In its first season, about 10 to 16 million people watched each episode. Later seasons still had many viewers. The show even inspired board games, card games, and video games. It also led to a shorter, daily version of the show. The show took a break in 2009. It returned for new episodes on CNBC in December 2018. The final episode aired on August 7, 2019.

How to Play Deal or No Deal

This section explains the main rules of the game.

Choosing Your Briefcase

At the start of the game, a contestant picks one of 26 numbered briefcases. These cases are held by 26 models. Each case has a secret cash amount inside. The amounts range from $0.01 to $1,000,000. A big screen shows all the money amounts still in play. The contestant's chosen case is placed on a stand in front of them.

Opening Cases and Banker's Offers

In the first round, the contestant picks six other cases to open. As each case is opened, its money amount is removed from the board. After opening six cases, a phone on the stand rings. This is "The Banker." The Banker is a mysterious person who sits in a special box. You never see their face or hear their voice directly.

After the call, the host tells the contestant the Banker's offer. This offer is money to buy the contestant's case. The contestant can say "deal" and press a red button to take the money and end the game. Or, they can say "no deal" and close the button cover to keep playing.

Continuing the Game Rounds

If the contestant says "no deal," they play another round. They open fewer cases in each new round:

• Five cases in the second round.
• Four cases in the third round.
• Three cases in the fourth round.
• Two cases in the fifth round.
• After the fifth round, they open one case at a time.

The Banker makes a new offer after each round. The final offer comes when only two cases are left. These are the contestant's original case and one other. If the contestant rejects this last offer, they can keep their case or trade it for the other. They win the money in the case they end up with.

Understanding the Banker's Deal

The Banker's offer usually depends on the average value of the money amounts still in play. Early in the game, the offers are small. But as more low-value cases are removed, the offers get bigger. Sometimes, the Banker might even offer a special prize instead of or in addition to cash. Friends and family can give advice, but only the contestant makes the final decision.

If a contestant takes an early deal, the host often plays out the rest of the game. This shows what would have happened if they had kept playing. It's exciting to see if they made a good "deal" or not!

Changes in 2018 Revival

When the show returned in 2018 on CNBC, there were a few updates:

• The Banker was a female voice.
• Howie Mandel used an iPhone for the Banker calls.
• Contestants could try to "counter" the Banker's offer once per game. They could ask for a higher amount. If the Banker agreed, the game ended. If not, the game continued.
• In this version, contestants could not swap cases at the very end. They either took the final offer or won the money in their original case.

Money Values in the Cases

Here are the possible money amounts hidden in the 26 briefcases on Deal or No Deal:

Some special episodes had different money boards. For example, some had doubled values. Others had even more possible prizes.

The Models of Deal or No Deal

The show features 26 models. Each model carries one of the briefcases used in the game.

Deal or No Deal on TV: A Look Back

This section covers when and where Deal or No Deal aired.

Original Series on NBC (2005–2009)

The show first aired on NBC in 2005. It quickly became very popular.

Season 1 (2005–2006)

The first season of Deal or No Deal was a big hit.

Early on, the show had great ratings. For example, in December 2005, it averaged about 12.7 million viewers. It often ranked among the top 20 most-watched shows. Sometimes, it even made it into the top 10. A special two-hour episode on April 3, 2006, even beat a big college basketball final in viewership! The season finale on June 5, 2006, had over 18 million viewers. This was the highest rating for the show.

Season 2 (2006–2007)

The show came back for its second season in September 2006. It aired on Mondays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m.

The second season started with a special "Million-Dollar Mission." This meant the top prize could go up to $6 million! One contestant, Matty Sollena, chose a case that had $3,000,000. But he took a deal for $675,000 instead. The show often won its time slot on Monday nights.

Season 3 (2007–2008)

For its third season, Deal or No Deal moved to Wednesdays and Fridays. It often won its time slot for total viewers. The show also aired on Mondays for a while in early 2008. This was because of a writers' strike.

Season 4 (2008–2009)

The fourth season started on August 25, 2008. Host Howie Mandel said that someone would win $1,000,000 this season. And they did! Jessica Robinson became the first person to win the $1,000,000 top prize. She turned down an offer of $561,000 and kept her case, which had the million dollars.

Another contestant, Tomorrow Rodriguez, also won $1,000,000. She had nine $1,000,000 cases on the board at one point!

A famous moment happened with contestant Richie Bell. He kept his case until the very end. He turned down offers over $600,000. It came down to $1,000,000 or $1. He ended up with the $1 case. This moment became very well-known online.

The show celebrated its 200th episode on November 3, 2008. They played fast-paced "speed-round" games. In these games, contestants opened all cases for a round at once. They had only 20 seconds to decide on the Banker's offer.

On May 19, 2009, it was announced that this would be the last season for the prime time show.

Revival Series on CNBC (2018–2019)

On March 13, 2018, CNBC announced they would bring Deal or No Deal back! Howie Mandel returned as the host. Thirty new episodes were filmed in Florida. The new season began airing on December 5, 2018. Some models from the original show, like Patricia Kara, also returned.

Deal or No Deal Island

In May 2023, a new version was announced called Deal or No Deal Island. This show will mix the classic game with elements of a survival show, like Survivor. It will air on NBC. Howie Mandel is an executive producer for this new series.

Where Else to Watch Deal or No Deal

Besides NBC and CNBC, Deal or No Deal has aired in other places.

Cable TV Airings

CNBC also showed reruns of the original Deal or No Deal episodes. These reruns often got good ratings for the network. Later, Game Show Network (GSN) also started airing reruns of the show.

The Deal or No Deal Channel

There's even a special Deal or No Deal channel! It's a free streaming channel that only shows reruns of the NBC game show. You can find it on services like Plex, Pluto TV, and Xumo.

Syndicated Version (2008–2010)

A shorter, daily version of Deal or No Deal started on September 8, 2008. This version was shown on different local TV channels across the country. Howie Mandel also hosted this show. It was similar to the UK version.

Gameplay in the Syndicated Version

This version had a top prize of $500,000. It used 22 briefcases instead of 26. Only two of the original models, Tameka Jacobs and Patricia Kara, were on this show.

The game started with a "Deal Wheel." This wheel picked which contestant would play. The contestant could then choose to keep their case or swap it. They opened cases in rounds, just like the main show. The Banker would call with offers. If the contestant rejected all offers, they won the money in their case. There was no option to swap cases at the very end in this version.

Here are the money values for the syndicated version:

This syndicated version lasted for two seasons. It ended in May 2010.

Deal or No Deal Merchandise and Games

The popularity of Deal or No Deal led to many different products.

Video Games and More

You can find Deal or No Deal as:

• Arcade games
• Board games
• Card games
• DVD games
• Video games for systems like Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Wii
• PC games
• Handheld electronic games
• Even slot machines!

Lottery Tickets

Many states in the U.S. have had Deal or No Deal scratch-off lottery tickets. These tickets offer a chance to win cash prizes. Sometimes, non-winning tickets could even be entered into a drawing to appear on the TV show!

On-Board Cruise Ship Shows

Some cruise lines, like Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruises, have their own Deal or No Deal shows. Passengers can play to win prizes like free cruises or cash. Instead of physical briefcases, "case cards" appear on a screen.

See also

In Spanish: Deal or No Deal (concurso estadounidense) para niños