It’s a big deal for Howie Mandel and a huge deal for cash strapped game show fans who dream of striking it rich in 30 minutes.
Here’s the deal: “Deal or No Deal” is being syndicated.
Translation: Fans of the show quadruple their chance of getting on the show now that it is going to air five days a week instead of just once a week in primetime.
According to reports, Mandel, the models, the banker and the briefcases will all be a part of the syndicated version of “Deal or No Deal” when it premieres in September.
And that’s not even the best part… show producers say the daily version comes with an incentive for viewers-—a chance to win a $10,000 weekly prize either by playing on the show’s companion website or by calling a special phone number while the show is airing.
Other changes with the syndicated version include a smaller payoff for weekday winners. Currently, primetime players have a shot at the top $1 million grand prize, but the half-hour show airing each weekday will offer a top prize of $500,000. (Not exactly chump change.)
As for Mandel, show producers say he will continue to host the hour long primetime version, which is entering its fourth season next month and remains popular among key demographics (according to NBC execs, “Deal or No Deal” was the peacock network’s most-watched entertainment program of the 2007-08 TV season, averaging more than 11 million viewers per broadcast) in addition to hosting the daily syndicated series.
“My wife could not be more thrilled to have me out of the house and at work Monday through Friday,” Mandel joked to reporters last week.
For those of you who have never seen the game show, the series basically involves playing the odds and hoping lady luck is on your side. Contestants choose briefcases that contain a hidden value ranging from a penny to the top prize. As the game progresses and briefcases cases are eliminated, the contestant must decide whether to keep playing in hopes of snaring a big prize or accept tempting offers made by the show’s “bank,” represented by a silhouetted figure.