Deal Or No Deal? (Deal or No Deal)

Member Name: lunarc

Product:	Deal or No Deal
Date:	28/10/09 (24 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amusing contestants, can be quite tense

Disadvantages: Predictable format

Deal or No Deal first aired in 2005 and is presented by Noel Edmonds (it's probably fair to say that DOND brought Noel's career back to life!).

Each show features a contestant who is faced with 22 boxes, including one of their own. Inside each box contains a different sum of money, ranging from 1p up to £250,000. The contestant must choose which box to open, one after the other, until only one box is left plus their own one. They then have to choose which of the two to open and the amount of money in the LAST box to be opened contains the amount they will win. However, there is also a "Banker", who periodically phones the contestant (via Noel) to invite them to accept a deal of a sum of money, instead of opening any further boxes. Sometimes these are good deals, sometimes they aren't!

Now, if you think simply about the process of the game (opening boxes one by one) you'd think "Who on earth would sit and watch a bunch of people opening boxes??" because it sounds a bit dull when you think about it! But DOND isn't really just about opening boxes, it's about the PEOPLE opening the boxes! The contestants are either standing behind a box that'll get opening, or they're the one opening the box, and there's an amazing community feel to the group! Sometimes they can be sitting in the line of boxes for weeks and weeks before they get to be the contestant to OPENS the boxes, so they do all get to know each other quite well. Consequently, the show is as much about the interaction between the contestants and their characters. That, plus the personality of the Banker and the fact that you're never quite sure if they should take the deal or not!

It's a fun show to watch, although the format is obviously quite predictable! Some of the people who have played have been very amusing to watch and you really do feel sorry for those who end up going home with 1p!!

Summary: DOND is fun to watch but it gets a little "samey" after a while.