Deal or No Deal (Australian game show)

Deal or No Deal
The logo for Deal or No Deal Australia The logo for Deal or No Deal Australia
Created by	Endemol
Starring	Andrew O'Keefe
Country of origin	Australia
No. of episodes	814 (As of 8 June, 2007)
Production
Running time	30 minutes per episode (inc. commercials)
Original release
Network	Channel Seven
Release	2003 – present

Deal or No Deal (also known as The Deal), is a game show which airs in Australia on the Seven Network and in New Zealand on Prime (though New Zealand launched its own version for TV3 in June). It was the first international version of the gameshow, with the exception of the original Dutch version. It was the first of the Deal or No Deal versions to have the name.

Many changes have been made to Deal or No Deal since its debut in 2003. This included changing from a weekly format to a daily format; interactive features inviting home viewers to play along with "Double Deal Friday" and "Deals on Wheels"; and an addition of special features to the game (such as "Double or Nothing" and "Supercase"). The show has included many special episodes including several hour-long prime-time specials (such as the Psychics Special and the Unluckiest Players) and the successful Dancing with the Deals which occurs twice every year.

Format

This section refers to the Australian format of Deal or No Deal. For the general format of Deal or No Deal see Deal or No Deal Format.

Preliminary round

Multiple choice questions being asked on Deal or No Deal, 2006.

The show begins in a studio with six groups of 25 people sitting in stands. One group is then randomly selected, plus one additional person from the remaining groups. In the chosen group, one person, based on personality, is picked to be the main contestant. The contestant selects one of the briefcases to be placed at the front, and the other briefcases are distributed to the other 25 contestants on the podium.

In 2003, the preliminary round went for longer. Instead of randomly selecting a block of 25 people, the members of the eight blocks collectively competed against each other in a short quiz to determine which group would get selected. Also, rather than choosing the sole fastest contestant in the individual question round, the two fastest contestants were chosen to compete head to head in answering one final question before the eventual victor proceeds to the main game.

In 2004 to 2006, all 26 contestants then moved onto the podium, where they had to answer three multiple choice questions, each question worth 10 points. After the three questions, whoever had 30 points, and answered the questions the quickest, got to play for the money.

The contestant chosen is shown twenty-six numbered briefcases held by identical models (similar to other versions; with dresses and wigs), each containing a hidden amount of money (see Briefcase values).

Opening the cases

File:DealorNoDeal AndrewOKeefe and Models.jpg

"Deal" host Andrew O'Keefe standing between two models holding their briefcases.

The contestant begins the game by opening six cases. To open the case, the podium player holding the case must first guess the amount that they have in their briefcase, winning $500 if their guess is proved correct upon opening the briefcase (From 2004-2006, the correct guess was worth $1,000, excluding megaguesses). This process is repeated for the next five cases. After the first five cases, the major contestant is given a "Bank Offer", which is a certain amount of money (see below for more info). The contestant now has to decide between a "Deal" or "No Deal". If the contestant says Deal, they win the money that is offered, and they must open the rest of the cases. If the contestant says No Deal, then gameplay continues. The list below explains how many cases must be opened for each round:

• Round 1: 6 cases to open
• Round 2: 5 cases to open
• Round 3: 4 cases to open
• Round 4: 3 cases to open
• Round 5: 2 cases to open
• Round 6-9: 1 case to open

Bank Offers

The Bank Offers are based on, but not equivalent to, the arithmetic mean of the remaining briefcases. That is, if there are mainly large valued briefcases remaining, then there is a high chance that the contestant's briefcase is valuable, and so the Bank Offer will be generous. Conversely, if the player has been less fortunate and opened the more valuable briefcases, then the Bank Offer will be low.

End of game

If the player continues to the end without making a "Deal", the game ends with their own briefcase being opened and the amount in that briefcase being won, otherwise they win the offer they said "Deal" to. Exceptions to the end of the game include the introduction of either a Supercase, Double or Nothing cases or a second Chance. See below for more info on them.

Special features

The Australian version of Deal or No Deal has a number of special features to make the show entertaining:

Supercase, Chance, and Double or Nothing all occur at the end of the game. Due to time restrictions, these three occur rarely. Also, only one of these features is used per episode.

• Supercase (2004-present): Occasionally at the end of the program a Supercase is brought out. Contestants have the opportunity to either keep the deal they made or take whatever value is hidden in the Supercase. The supercase contains one of the following values: 50c, $50, $500, $5000, $10,000, $20,000, $30,000, $50,000. Supercases appear in most episodes when contestants take a deal of approximately $10,000 when there are at least five cases left on the board, and rarely appear in any other circumstances. This means that the Supercase offers a 50/50 chance at bettering or equalling the $10,000 deal. If contestants take a $10,000 deal with fewer than four cases left on the board, Supercases are rare because there is not generally time left in the show to run it. During the 2006 season, the way of telling the contestant that a Supercase will be brought out changed, where instead of the Supercase panel flashing, a Supercase alert flashes beside the 'Cases remaining' panel, and remains there until it is actually brought out.
• Chance (2004-present): A Chance is an opportunity for the contestant to exchange the deal they took during the game for whatever is in their briefcase. It happens rarely, and only when the two remaining unknown case values are an extremely small and extremely high amount. For example, the contestant takes a deal of $8,000, but is offered a Chance with the remaining unopened briefcases being $500 and $50,000. If the contestant takes the Chance, they win either $500 or $50,000, depending on which value is in their selected case. If they don't take the Chance, they keep their $8,000 deal.
• Double or Nothing (2006-present): If a contestant is lucky enough to play it, what they must do is gamble all of their money, for an opportunity to increase your win, or decrease. For example, if a contestant wins $14,000, then when the models open the case, if Double is revealed inside, their final deal is $28,000. If Nothing is revealed, then they win Nothing. On June 23, 2006, a new Double or Nothing was featured, where two small suitcases (labeled I and II) were offered to the contestant; one had the word "Double" inside, the other had "Nothing". The contestant must pick one of the cases, and wins depending on what was inside the case. Up until 2007, the contestant had the opportunity to choose how much to gamble. If they won $14,000, and chose to gamble $3,500, then if Double is picked, then they win $17,500. If Nothing was picked, then they only win $10,500.
• Megaguess (2005-present): At random intervals during the game, and sometimes before the final case in the gallery is opened, the bank will offer a "Megaguess", which increases the "correct guess" bonus for the next case is increased to $2,000, $5,000, or $10,000.
• Double Deal Friday (2005-present): Home viewers are invited to ring a phone number charged at AU$0.55 and register their details. Every Friday, a home viewer was randomly selected to win the same prize as the studio contestant each Friday. The host of the show, Andrew O'Keefe, has mentioned that Double Deal Fridays receive over 100,000 calls each week.

Former

• Daily Prize (2004-2005): One of the briefcases (except for the CAR, $100,000 or $200,000 cases) contained gold-coloured dollar signs around the cash value inside the case. The person who was holding this case (be it a podium player or the contestant) received the Daily Prize of $500. The Daily Prize was removed in 2006, although prizes were still awarded several times during that year: in a special Saint Patrick's Day-themed episode; on Mother's Day; and during the last week of the 2006 season.
• Deals on Wheels (2006): Deals on Wheels was introduced shortly after Double or Nothing ceased. Home viewers were invited to phone or text a choice of one of three briefcases. One case contained $1,000, and the others each had 50¢. Unlike Double Deal Friday, this happened daily. This was only available during the period that Double or Nothing was not available during 2006.

Briefcase values

All values are in Australian Dollars.

2003

Value
5c	$1,000
25c	$2,500
50c	$5,000
75c	$7,500
$1	$10,000
$5	$25,000
$10	$50,000
$25	$75,000
$50	$100,000
$75	$250,000
$100	$500,000
$250	$1,000,000
$500	$2,000,000

2004

Value
50c	$1,000
$1	$1,500
$2	$2,000
$5	$3,000
$10	$5,000
$25	$7,500
$50	$10,000
$75	$15,000
$100	$25,000
$150	$50,000
$250	$75,000
$500	$100,000
$750	$200,000

2005

Value
50c	$1,000
$1	$1,500
$2	$2,000
$5	$3,000
$10	$5,000
$25	$7,500
$50	$10,000
$75	$15,000
$100	CAR
$150	$50,000
$250	$75,000
$500	$100,000
$750	$200,000

• (CAR (Renault Mégane II) valued at $33,000)

2006/2007

Value
50c	$1,000
$1	$2,000
$2	$3,000
$5	$4,000
$10	$5,000
$20	$10,000
$50	$15,000
$100	$20,000
$150	CAR
$200	$50,000
$250	$75,000
$500	$100,000
$750	$200,000

• (CAR (Peugeot 307) valued at $30,000)

Evolution of the show

2003

File:DealornodealAUS2003.JPG

The two million dollar format in 2003.

The first incarnation of Deal or No Deal originally debuted in late 2003 as an hour-long program. Screening on Sunday night, it indirectly competed with the Nine Network's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? by offering a maximum prize of $2,000,000.

In order to fill the longer timeslot, the initial stages of the game were significantly longer than in the current half hour format. This included an interview with the man who supposedly placed the values into each briefcase, assuring that selection were indeed random. The preliminary round was also longer than the more recent format.

Another difference to the current version is the amount of money awarded to podium players for a correct guess. In the original format the amount of money received depended on how many cases had already been opened. The reasoning behind this is that a correct guess when only a few cases are opened is rarer to achieve than when only a few cases remain.

Although somewhat successful, this incarnation of the show only lasted for one season. However, several hour-long special episodes of the show (such as "Unluckiest Players" - the return of the contestants who have won the least amount of money) have aired in prime time.

The highest prize money won from this show was $515,000. This is the highest prize money ever won in Australia's Deal or No Deal, and this record will never be broken unless the format is changed again, as the current version's maximum potential prize (as of January 2007) is only $400,000, which can only be won by choosing the case containing the $200,000, refusing all of the deals, and then risking it all and doubling in "Double or Nothing". This is likely to never happen.

2004

In 2004 Deal or No Deal was shortened to a half-hour format and moved to weeknights at 5:30pm, directly competing against the Nine Network's The Price Is Right. Due to the increased number of episodes airing (5 per week over the course of the year rather than 1 per week) the maximum cash prize was lowered from $2,000,000 to $200,000 and the number of blocks reduced from eight to six (200 potential contestants to 150). Deal or No Deal received high ratings in its newly revised format. Shortly after the popularity of Deal or No Deal began to rise, The Price Is Right altered its showcase round to a similar format, where contestants were forced to choose between cash incentives or the showcase periodically as the prices were lit up. Despite this Deal or No Deal continued to grow in popularity, and is believed to be a factor involved in the ratings resurgence of Seven News (which follows directly after Deal or No Deal).

2005

Changes made to the 2005 format:

• The amount board was changed (see above).
• The $25,000 amount was replaced with a car (valued at approximately $30,000)
• The Daily Prize was replaced with a $500 cash prize.
• The audience cry when briefcases 13 and 26 were selected were abandoned.
• Contestants opening a briefcase only had to unlock one buckle instead of two.

2006

File:Dealaustraliaa.JPG

Bank offer being presented on Deal or No Deal, 2006.

Changes made to the 2006 format:

• The interior of the cases all featured their "board" colour instead of only the green amounts
• Double or Nothing was introduced.
• Briefcase values and colours were slightly altered (see above).
• Megaguesses were changed to now include $2,000, $5,000 and $10,000 amounts.
• Correct guesses on the podium have been halved to $500.
• The daily prize is no longer won during the game. However, it has been featured on three separate occasions. One on March 17 on a special Saint Patrick's Day themed episode, another on the Mother's Day special on May 12. The third daily prize was a trip to Hawaii, given on November 30 as part of the last week of shows for 2006.
• The cry of boo-yeah is back.
• The "oooohhh" sound is sometimes shouted out by the audience when a player selects briefcase 13 to be opened.

These changes made in 2006 are to entice viewers to watch the show against the Nine Network's new game show, Bert's Family Feud, which replaced The Price Is Right.

2007

The 2007 version of Deal or No Deal did not introduce any new features to the show and the briefcase amounts remained the same. The only changes this year were:

• The background music heard on the TV during the critical stages of a game is a haunting piece, with a heartbeat.
• The logo has been changed to a version similar to the American logo. The studio also received a slight makeover.
• Some animations used during the game have been changed.
• The preliminary quiz has been cut, possibly due to time restrictions. The contestant is now apparently chosen at random.
• The cheques received at the end of the show have got a new look. The numbers of the dollar amount are no longer handwritten but are printed using a computer and are placed on the cheques as removable numbers.
• Supercase amounts have been modified. The amounts are now 50c, $50, $500, $5000, $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 and $50,000.
• Double or Nothing was modified slightly. The contestant can no longer choose how much to gamble, if they choose to play they must gamble the total amount.
• 'Walter P. Smythe' now has the ability to call up Andrew O'Keefe through a mobile phone during the show.
• Many on-screen graphics (particularly the correct guess) have been modified to resemble the American version's logo and font.

During the first week of the show the Dealettes were dressed up to resemble Ugly Betty to promote the premiere of the show on Channel Seven.

Trivia

• The very first briefcase ever picked was 19 and had $50,000. The very first briefcase ever picked from the podium was briefcase 11 and it contained $2,000,000.

• In 2003, the first time that the bank offer was made was equal to the highest amount. The last two cases were $0.50 and $25. The bank offer was $25 and the contestant said deal. She had just $0.50 in her case.

• In 2003, one episode after the last point, the lowest ever bank offer made was $0. This happened when the last two cases contained either $0.50 or $5. The contestant said no deal and in the end won $5.

• In 2003, the highest ever amount a contestant ever had in a briefcase one time was in number 15 and it contained $1,000,000.

• So far, the top prize of $200,000 has been risked seven times and was won twice, to Dean Cartecchini on 17 June 2004 and Anh Do (Dancing With the Deals) on 19 September 2007. Dean played the game down to $200,000 and $5. Dean was offered $102,500. He declined the deal and thus winning $200,000 (in case #12) for the first time in Australian Deal History. Three years later on Dancing With The Deals (Celebrity Version of DOND), after eliminating $100,000 early in the game, Anh took out the highest prize winnable after declining a $125,000 deal. Anh had the $75,000 and the $200,000 left, but Anh declined the deal and opened his case (#23) to reveal the big green $200,000 and the big green $200,000 sign was bought out for the first time ever.

• One contestant turned down every offer to the end, when he had the car and $200,000 remaining. He was offered $110,000 but said 'no deal' and he revealed the car in his case.

• The highest bank offer, when no offer has been accepted yet, occurred on 25 August, 2006, when Dave Kenny was offered $125,000 with the $75,000 and the $200,000 remaining in play. However, he said "no deal" to the offer and in the end he won $75,000. This happened again on DWTD when Arn Do was offered $125,000. He declined and risked it to win either $75,000 or $200,000. In the end, he won $200,000.

• The highest bank offer ever on the Australian show was where a young woman took a $15,000 deal early in the show and the final offer was $140,000. She ended up having $75,000 in her case. This was the show's greatest misfortune in which the fortune dealt with large amounts.

• The 50c has been received four times in the show's history; to John DeLaine in 2004 (he later appeared on the Unluckiest Player's show, where he won $70,000 through a Supercase), to Travis Ross on 7 July, 2005, a contestant on 21 March, 2007, and another on 10 April. When the "Double or Nothing" feature was introduced and made "nothing" the lowest possible result, it was won six episodes later, on 7 February 2006, by Peter Popas. He said "no deal" all the way through to his $2 briefcase then gambled the $2 and "nothing" was revealed in the double or nothing case - he was then handed a giant novelty cheque with the word "NOTHING" written on it. Incidentally, there were also no podium winners on that episode and the daily prize was dropped for the 2006 season, meaning that the show did not have to pay any money at all. The "nothing" cheque was also brought out on 22 March 2006 when Andrew Vein said "no deal" all the way through to his $150 briefcase, then gambled the lot and "nothing" was revealed in the case.

File:DOND Australia Josh's 10c offer.JPG

Josh's 10c Bank Offer

• Undoubtedly the unluckiest man to ever enter the "Deal-o-Drome" was a man called Josh Sharp. He said at the beginning of the show that he was "the unluckiest man he knew". He then proceeded to knock out the $200,000, $100,000, $75,000 and $50,000 cases, in that order, with his first four selections. The bank offered him 10c, 20% of the lowest case on the board. The odds of this occurring are 1:358,800, and it would statistically take around 1,800 years for it to happen again. The 10c was the lowest bank offer ever on Deal or No Deal, the second lowest was 72c (see below). Also, on the first episode of Australian Deal or no Deal, the player eliminated the $2,000,000, followed by $1,000,000, then $500,000, $250,000 and $100,000. Andrew O'Keefe referred to it as a bad way to start the show. Video of this was shown on the Unluckiest Players special in 2004 as the contestant also appeared on that show.

• July 20 2007 a person won $50,000 through a Supercase. He took a $7000 deal earlier in the game and had $1000 in his briefcase. He was given a Supercase and chose to play it. With a 1 in 8 chance in walking away with 50c or $50,000. The big one of $50,000 was revealed inside the box and a large green $50,000 sign was bought out.

• July 27 2007 was a win out from nothing with a person recovering to win big from 2 of the 3 lowest bank offers ever. His first Bank offer was 72c, the second lowest bank offer ever after losing the Car, $200,000, 50c, $20,000, $150 and $100,000 in the opening round but recovered over the next 2 rounds and said no deal to nearly $9000 with 3 cases to open and $75,000 and $50,000. They both went and the bank offer was 73c, the third lowest ever. The contestant played on and no dealed to the very end and had $2 and $5000. His wife who had briefcase No 2 got a $5000 megaguess and guessed for $2 in her box. Both winning $5000 each in one of the biggest comebacks from nothing.

• August 2 2007 After losing $100,000 and $50,000 on his first two selections of the game a brave contestant turned down every offer to the end. In the final round The CAR and $200,000 were remaining. His bank offer was $110,000, he barely took the deal only to realise he had $200,000 inside his case #10, so close!. Still the $110,000 offer was the biggest prize won in 2007 at the time and second biggest in the $200,000 format.

• September 17 and 18 2007, the $20,000 amount was won back to back to the home viewers. Both times it was inside Briefcase No 13.

• September 19, 2007. $200,000 was won to a home viewer.

• The highest bank offer was $125,000 on two occasions.

• The highest first bank offer was $13,000.

• The car has so far, won at least five times. First on March 4, 2005, a Peugeot 307, after it being offered to the contestant, Marianne Ellison of Brisbane. Because the car was won on "Double Deal Friday" (see above) the home viewer received $30,000 in cash instead. Because the car has only been won twice it was added to the Supercase for a better chance of winning it (see above). After that the car was a Renault Mégane, which was won on December 23, 2005 (this date is from the repeat series). On February 23, 2006, during the first season of Dancing with the Deals, Russian born boxer Kostya Tszyu had two cases left, $5000 and the car ($32,990) at which point he was offered a deal of $12,000. He said "no deal" and opened up his suitcase, revealing the car and winning the Peugeot 307 and $30,000 for his home viewer. On 10 August, 2006 the car was offered to the contestant with five cases left in play, two of which were the car and $200,000. She said "deal" to the offer. In the end she found out that her case had almost nothing ($2). Contestants winning the car are given the keys as well as a giant novelty cheque with the word "Renault" on it. From the 2006 season onwards the cheque simply reads "Car".

• The first Dancing with the Deals contestant to have the $200,000 in their case was David Graham, who took a deal of $61,000 with the $200,000 still in play. By the end of the game it was revealed that it was in his case.

However Anh Do was the second person to select the $200,000 case (and the second to actually win the amount) (No 23) and the first to win $200,000 for the home viewer.

• Over the years the anonymous banker has been personified as the faceless, evil and miserly 'Walter P. Smythe' by Andrew O'Keefe. The name Walter P. Smythe is signed on all of the giant novelty cheques. O'Keefe also constantly refers to the Deal or No Deal studio as the "Deal-o-Drome". Starting in the 2007 season, Walter P. Smythe now has the ability to call up Andrew during the game via a mobile phone.

• On the 16th of September 2007, an episode of Kath and Kim featured Sharon (Magda Szubanski) as the main contestant and Kim (Gina Riley) as one of the podium players. This episode starred Andrew O'Keefe as a special guest. Sharon Strezlecki won $20,000 however footage of the winnings was never shown.

Deal or No Deal Specials

$12 Million Month

Starting August 31, 2004, Deal or No Deal: $12 Million Month marked the introduction of the Supercase and Chance features. It also held several hour-long prime time specials such as the Psychics Special, Conflict of the Couples and Unluckiest Players. This was due to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games which replaced Deal Or No Deal in August.

Dancing with the Deals

File:Dwtd.jpg

File:Drew jen dwtd.jpg

Dancing With The Deals - contestant Jennifer Hawkins & host Andrew O'Keefe

Dancing with the Deals was Deal or No Deal's first attempt at a celebrity special series (and was highly successful). Celebrities that were featured came from the entertainment show Dancing With the Stars, which is broadcast on the same network as Deal or No Deal. The series was broadcast from February 13 - February 24, 2006. The celebrities featured were:

Week 1:

• February 13: Molly Meldrum - $26,000

• February 14: Kate Langbroek - $49,999

• February 15: Jennifer Hawkins - $2,000

• February 16: Luke Ricketson - $14,000

• February 17: Noeline Brown $2

Week 2:

• February 20: Simone Warne - $3,000

• February 21: Alicia Molik - $7,000

• February 22: Grant Denyer - $1,000

• February 23: Kostya Tszyu - Car

• February 24: Toby Allen - $7,000

In the lead up to the 5th series of Dancing With the Stars Seven again plan to run a series of celebrity specials under the Dancing with the Deals moniker. The celebrities featured were as follows:

• September 18: Andrew Gaze - $5,001

• September 19: Tamsyn Lewis - $22,000

• September 20: Anthony Koutoufides - $5,500

• September 21: Arianne Caoili - Car

• September 22: Chris Hemsworth - $10,000

In 2007, five celebrities again appeared on Dancing with the Deals special in the lead up to the sixth series of Dancing with the Stars which commenced on February 20.

• February 19: Todd Woodbridge - $24,000

• February 20: Kate Ceberano - $100

• February 21: Tim Campbell - $23,999

• February 22: Tatiana Grigorieva - $1

• February 23: David Graham - $61,000 ($200,000 was in selected case)

The week beginning on September 17, 2007 saw the next five celebrities featured in Dancing with the Deals in the lead up to the seventh series.

• September 17: Michael Klim - $20,000

• September 18: Patti Newton - $20,000

• September 19: Anh Do - $200,000

• September 20: Elka Graham - $7,500

• September 21: James Courtney - $

Products

Products based on the Australian Deal or No Deal include a board game, electrionic game and DVD game.

The board game, made by Crown and Andrews is a game that features all parts of the game show. The contents include the 26 briefcases (a flat item that has a number and a slot to put the card of the cash amounts), the board showing the amounts, 26 covers, host and contestant cards, amount cards, instructions and money.

See also

• List of Seven Network programs
• Deal or No Deal

External links

• Official website
• Southern Star Productions - Deal or No Deal
• Flash Game Version of Deal or No Deal
• Deal or No Deal Flash Game
• Deal or No Deal series 1 2003 at the National Film and Sound Archive
• Deal or No Deal series 2 2004 at the National Film and Sound Archive
• Deal or No Deal series 3 2005 at the National Film and Sound Archive
• Deal or No Deal series 4 2005 at the National Film and Sound Archive