Deal or No Deal (U.S. game show) facts for kids

Game shows are exciting television programs where contestants compete to win prizes or money. Two popular American game shows, Deal or No Deal and 1 vs 100, entertained audiences on NBC and GSN. Deal or No Deal first aired in 2005, while 1 vs 100 began in 2006. Both shows offered unique challenges and big cash prizes, making them favorites for many years.

What is Deal or No Deal?

Deal or No Deal is a game show where a contestant tries to win a large sum of money by choosing from a set of sealed briefcases. Each briefcase holds a different cash amount, ranging from one cent to a million dollars. The game is all about luck and making tough decisions.

How Deal or No Deal Works

At the start of the game, the contestant picks one briefcase to keep. This briefcase's value is unknown until the very end. Then, the contestant opens several other briefcases, one by one. As briefcases are opened, their money amounts are revealed and removed from the game.

The Banker's Offer

After a few rounds of opening briefcases, a mysterious character known as "The Banker" calls. The Banker makes an offer to buy the contestant's chosen briefcase. This offer changes based on the money amounts still left in the unopened briefcases. If high amounts are still in play, the offer might be higher.

The contestant must then decide: "Deal or No Deal?"

• If they say "Deal," they take the Banker's money and the game ends.
• If they say "No Deal," they continue opening briefcases, hoping to get a better offer or win the money in their own briefcase.

The game continues until the contestant accepts an offer or opens all briefcases except their own and one other. At that point, they either take the last Banker's offer or keep the money in their original briefcase.

Hosts and Broadcasts

The original American version of Deal or No Deal was hosted by Howie Mandel. It first aired on NBC in December 2005. The show became very popular and also aired on the GSN cable channel. It had several runs, including a revival on CNBC in 2018.

What is 1 vs 100?

1 vs 100 is a quiz show where one main contestant, called "The One," competes against a large group of 100 people, known as "The Mob." The goal for The One is to eliminate all 100 members of The Mob by answering trivia questions correctly.

How 1 vs 100 Works

Each round, The One and The Mob are asked a multiple-choice trivia question. Both The One and The Mob members secretly lock in their answers.

• If The One answers correctly, any Mob members who answered incorrectly are eliminated from the game.
• If The One answers incorrectly, the game ends, and The One loses everything.

Winning the Game

The One wins money for each Mob member they eliminate. The prize money increases as more Mob members are removed. If The One manages to eliminate all 100 members of The Mob, they win the top prize, which was usually $1,000,000.

Help from the Audience

The One has a few "helps" they can use during the game:

• Ask the Mob: The One can see how The Mob answered the question. This helps them decide their own answer.
• Poll the Mob: The One can pick two answers and see how many Mob members chose each.
• Trust the Mob: The One can choose to go with the answer that most of The Mob picked.

Hosts and Broadcasts

The American version of 1 vs 100 was first hosted by Bob Saget on NBC, starting in 2006. Later, a syndicated version was hosted by Carrie Ann Inaba and then by GSN's own host, Kevin Eubanks. The show was known for its fast-paced questions and the tension of The One trying to beat so many opponents.