May 15, 2008
NBC has decided to raise the stakes on Deal or No Deal as it continues with its multi-million dollar madness. Beginning on Tuesday, May 22 and ending on Tuesday, June 24, Deal or No Deal contestants will attempt to take fate in their own hands when they get to determine just how many $1 million cases they get to have on their board.
In this most prestigious multi-million dollar madness, host Howie Mandel lets each player in on a little secret with huge consequences: the number of $1 million cases can range from two all the way to 13. In order to choose this crucial and potentially life altering number, players are asked to stand in a clear cylinder and choose from among the many golden balls swirling around. As expected, each ball has a designated number inside that will determine how many additional million-dollar cases will be in play.
May 5, 2008
At present, there are at least 40 versions of Deal or No Deal that are produced worldwide, and most have variations in their rules, staging and game play. In attempt to come up with new ideas to keep the game show fresh, NBC has decided to visit and play on foreign-based production sets, starting off with the Philippines.
On tonight's episode, host Howie Mandel and contestants from the United States will be playing the game according to the rules of the Philippine version of Deal or No Deal.
April 23, 2008
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.
April 22, 2008
Howie Mandel, who currently hosts the international high stakes game show Deal or No Deal, is spinning back to his comedic roots as he stars and produces a new comedy series for NBC. The show, which is called Howie Do It, has been given a straight-to-series order, effectively bypassing the usual “make an expensive pilot” route to primetime that networks have relied upon in the past.
"I can't tell you how excited I am to be in business with NBC once again," Mandel said. "Working with them on Deal or No Deal continues to be a phenomenal experience."
April 16, 2008
Two contestants will need “The Force” with them when NBC airs a special Star Wars-themed episode of Deal or No Deal on April 28. This will be a treat for fans of the worldwide pop culture phenomenon given that the show will be transformed into a gilly of Star Wars characters and themes complete with models dressed as Imperial storm troopers.
In this two-hour "winner take all" episode, two contestants, Elyse McCrillis and Brad Flinchum, will battle against each other for a chance to win close to 2 million dollars. They will each play their own game and whoever has the highest amount at the end of his or her game will take home both winnings, leaving the other with nothing. Viewers will be thrilled to see how these contestants re-think their strategy. Will they play it safe or take the risk and go all the way in order to be the winner?
April 2, 2008
There's a lot to take in here. NBC head Ben Silverman held a conference call today regarding NBC's upfronts. He went over the NBC Fall schedule, the new series that will premiere next season, what NBC's midseason will look like and which shows will return, when they will return and with how many episodes. NBC's big thing is that this schedule is a 52-week schedule, with staggered premiere dates and very few re-runs. Ben Silverman claimed that next season, NBC will premiere more series than any other network ever. That's probably true.