| packager: Endemol USA air dates: 12/19-12/24/2005, 2/27-3/3/2006, & Monday 3/6/06-present on NBC primetime, syndicated 9/8/08-present by NBC Universal host: Howie Mandel voice-over: Joe Cipriano HOW TO PLAY: On this cross between Let's Make A Deal and Treasure Hunt, a contestant is brought on stage accompanied by a few companions for moral support. The contestant faces a gallery of 26 models, each holding a briefcase with a cash amount inside. Under regular gameplay, the 26 cash amounts are as follows: $.01, $1, $5, $10, $25, $50, $75, $100, $200 ,$300 ,$400, $500, $750, $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, $75,000, $100,000, $200,000, $300,000, $400,000, $500,000, $750,000, and $1,000,000!! During the week of 2/27-3/3/06, the grand prize increased from $1M, in $500k increments, to $3M. During that week, the $750,000 prize increased to $1,000,000 on Tuesday. On Thursday, the $200,000-$500,000 increased to $250,000, $400,000, $500,000, and $750,000. On Friday, the lowest amount available was tripled (3 cents). On the first season finale, the five largest amounts increased to $500k, $750k, $1M, $2.5M and $5,000,000!!! Other variants to gameplay have included: Having a player risk all winnings on picking one of two cases, one of which hid "double" while the other hid "nothing". The Deal Wheel, which would have the player spin a wheel which would halve, double, or triple the player's winnings, deal or no deal. Multi-Million-Dollar Madness, which would have the player select a ball with a number 2-13, which would be the number of cases out of 26 which would each have $1,000,000. The Million Dollar Mission: For each game with no millionaire, another $1,000,000 case would replace the highest remaining amount under $1,000,000. The player selects one of the briefcases. The model standing beside it brings that case down and places it on the podium centerstage. The player calls out six of the remaining cases, one at a time, to be opened. The video board indicates which amounts have yet to be revealed. After six cases have been opened, Howie receives a phone call from a mysterious banker secluded in an onstage office, who makes a bid to buy back the player's briefcase for a cash amount (sometimes with an extra prize) ranging between the lowest and the highest unrevealed cash amounts. The player may press a red button encased in a glass box and accept the deal, thereby ending the game, or say "No Deal" and open up 5 more cases in the same manner as before. After five more cases have been opened, the banker makes another deal with the player. If (s)he refuses this time, the player calls out four more cases to open up. After four cases, if another deal is refused, three more cases are opened as before. Then, if yet another offer has been turned down, two more cases are opened. If no deal this time, one case is opened after each offer from that point on. After 24 amounts have been revealed and the bank's final deal is refused, the player may either keep his/her case or trade it for the other case. On 9/1/08, Jessica Robinson, a 27-year-old stay-at-home mom, 7 months pregnant with her second rugrat, became the first player to refuse every deal and keep one of 5 $1,000,000 cases! WAY TO GO, JESS!!! The syndicated daytime edition features 22 cases held by 22 contestants competing for the entire week. One model spins a wheel with 22 spaces numbered 1-22 while the other model drops a ball into the wheel. The ball bounces between spaces at the bottom as the wheel spins. When the wheel stops, the ball comes to rest on a number. The player holding that case will play for up to $500,000. The player may keep his or her case or trade it for one of the other cases. Each case holds one of the following amounts: $.01, $1, $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, $200, $300, $400, $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, $7,500, $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, $75,000, $100,000, $250,000, and finally $500,000! The player opens up 5 cases before the first offer. If (s)he says "No Deal" on the first offer, (s)he must open up another 5 cases. If (s)he says "No Deal" to the second offer, (s)he must open up 4 more cases. The third and fourth "No Deal" each have the player open 2 more cases. After that, one case is opened each time the player says "No Deal." For the banker's final offer, the player must take the money in his or her case upon saying "No Deal." OTHER INFO: Howie Mandel is best remembered for his role as Dr. Wayne Fiscus on the '80s drama St. Elsewhere. He also provided the voice of Gizmo in the '84 flick Gremlins and its '90 sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Back to my game show joint or my homepage. |
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