Deal or No Deal is an international television game show created by John de Mol for Endemol Netherlands in which the core idea in all countries is the same: one contestant in a high thrills face-off with mystery suitcases in a bid to become a millionaire.
The series originally premiered in the Netherlands in 2001. Versions of the show air in almost 70 countries.
The UK version of Deal or No Deal premiered on Channel 4 on 31 October, 2005.
Deal or No Deal (UK) premiered in South Africa on DStv's BBC Entertainment channel on Monday 13 September 2010, at 17h35. New episodes broadcast daily, on weekdays. There are 100 episodes in the first season.
Synopsis
The show starts with 22 identical sealed boxes, each containing a label that represents a different sum of money. The boxes are all loaded and sealed by an independent adjudicator. No one but the independent adjudicator knows what is in the boxes.
At the beginning of each programme, one contestant is chosen from the line up, either from the West Wing or the East Wing.
The game commences when the contestant chooses the first five boxes to open.
The contestant picks one box which potentially contains their prize. They then spend the duration of the show opening the remaining cases, one by one, revealing the money they contained.
The contestant must eventually decide whether they accept the sum of money that is concealed within their own box, or accept an offer from The Banker. Could their box contain a life-changing sum of money, or just pocket change?
When a box is chosen to be opened, the box – and the cash sum inside it – is then out of play. The aim of the game is to try and pick boxes that contain the lowest amounts of money, adding hope that the contestant's box contains a high amount of money and in turn provoking The Banker to offer the contestant a better deal.
The Banker is always watching the player, trying to analyse their psychology, and has no idea what the contestant's sealed box contains. The Banker's sole purpose is to try and ensure the player leaves the studio with the smallest amount of money possible.
Based on the amounts of money the player has eliminated and their perception of the player themselves, The Banker makes a cash offer to buy the sealed box.
Whenever The Banker makes an offer, the player is left with a desperate dilemma... accept the deal, or risk losing everything.
If the contestant rejects every deal that The Banker makes, they are left with just two boxes: their own and the other remaining box. At this point they may switch boxes if they choose, before finally opening their box to discover what is within.
Were they wise to gamble and reject The Banker's offer?
If a contestant chooses to accept The Banker's offer by saying "Deal", the game is still played out in exactly the same way to determine whether the contestant dealt at the correct moment, or whether had they keep on playing they would have in fact walked away with a greater sum of money.