While Joe Manganiello is chiefly known as an actor who’s starred in projects like Magic Mike, True Blood and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, lately he’s been in the news lately due his divorce from America Got Talent judge Sofia Vergara. Though the media coverage on their separation doesn’t look to be dying down on their separation, in an ironic twist of fate, now they have something in common. It’s been announced that Manganiello has landed his own NBC show, though in this case, he’ll be filling the role of game show host.
The man who brought Flash Thompson to life in 2002’s Spider-Man has been tapped to host Deal or No Deal Island, a spinoff of the original Deal or No Deal where, as described in the official synopsis, “13 players are transported to the elusive Banker’s private island to compete for cash in a season-long, fully immersive competition.” NBC unveiled Manganiello’s involvement with the help of Howie Mandel, Vergara’s fellow America Got Talent judge who hosted Deal or No Deal in both the United States and Canada. Check it out:
As Mandel fully admits in the video, given that he’s a germaphobe, hosting a game show set on an island isn’t in his wheelhouse. Enter Joe Manganiello, who fits Mandel’s criteria of being adventurous, loving games, is good-looking and, yes, not your average Joe… man, that was a rough pun. Mandel ensured that Manganiello is properly to host Deal or No Deal Island by filling that briefcase he gave him with plane tickets, masks, gloves and an “inner thigh.” Manganiello caps off the video by declaring that he, everyone else involved in the spinoff and the audience are “going to have a good time.”
Corie Henson, NBCUniversal Entertainment's Executive Vice President of Unscripted Content, gave the following statement about Joe Manganiello being selected to host Deal or No Deal Island:
When we took the show out of the studio and transported the game to the Banker’s island, Joe was the obvious choice. He loves all kinds of games, lives for adventure and isn’t afraid to stare down a snake or two to help players win a life-changing payday and, hopefully, beat the Banker at his own game.
Deal or No Deal Island was announced back in May, with the spinoff being said to be a mix of its predecessor and Survivor. The spinoff will combine the classic Deal or No Deal game with “thrilling challenges” and “mind-bending” dilemmas as they try to beat the Banker. Manganiello will guide things along by “leading the game play, relaying the Banker’s tempting offers and helping them through the toughest decisions of their lives.”
The trademark Deal or No Deal briefcases are hidden throughout the island and contain millions of dollars split between them. However, each episode, players will have a chance to score what’s described as the “highest-value briefcase” for a chance to “gain immunity” and choose a fellow player to enter The Temple, where they will play a classic, high stakes Deal or No Deal game. By the end of the season, the last player around will “face the Banker to potentially win the biggest prize in Deal or No Deal history.”
Deal or No Deal Island will premiere sometime in 2024 on NBC. Meanwhile, for those with their eyes planted firmly on the 2023 TV schedule, watch judges Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel, Simon Cowell and Heidi Klum, as well as host Terry Crews, in the America’s Got Talent Season 18 finale when it airs tonight at 9 pm ET. You can also stream past seasons with a Peacock subscription.
