Deal or No Deal

On Monday's episode of Deal or No Deal, President Bush made a guest appearance in support of an Iraq war veteran.  Unfortunately, his presence didn't bring much luck to the contestant or the show.

Deal or No Deal, NBC's international high stakes game show of chance and odds, matched its lowest Monday rating ever despite the highly publicized visit by the 61-year-old commander-in-chief.  The two-hour episode attracted 10 million viewers and only earned a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49 and a 7 share, which is 27 percent down from its prior season average.

The installment featured contestant Capt. Joseph Kobes, a U.S. Army transportation officer who served three tours of duty in Iraq.  Described as “the ultimate American” by Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel, Kobes won a Purple Heart and Bronze Star and volunteered for his second and third deployments.  Bush had taped a special message for contestant but during his game, in which Kobes said "no deal" one too many times, going from a $144,000 offer to accepting a mere $26,000.

"I'm thrilled to be on Deal or No Deal with you tonight," Bush said during his taped message. "Come to think of it, I'm thrilled to be anywhere with high ratings these days.  Howie, I don't know if you're free to come to come to Washington anytime soon, but I have to reach an agreement with Congress on the federal budget.  How'd you like to host a $3 trillion Deal or No Deal?"

Nevertheless, Kobes ended up tripling his take-home total to a respectable $78,000 during a spin of the "deal wheel" at the end of the episode.

Because of Deal or No Deal's Monday ratings, as well as Medium's viewership, NBC came in only in third place, after ABC's Dancing with the Stars, Samantha Who? and The Bachelor, and CBS, which won the night with comedies like The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and Two and a Half Men.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Hollywood Reporter
(Image courtesy of NBC)