Deal or No Deal was a nail-biting and very entertaining game show hosted by Howie Mandel that had contestants strategically picking from a range of cases in hopes of making $1 million, originally running on NBC from 2005-2009. After a brief reboot from 2018-2019, Deal or No Deal is now set to return to television with a twist. It will be called Deal or No Deal Island, and is said to be a mix between the original series and Survivor.
The new spin on the popular game show will apparently be set on the Banker’s private island where over 100 cases with millions of dollars are split between them, per Deadline. Teams of hopefuls will work together to find the cases and play a tropical twist on Deal or No Deal against the Banker. The last team to survive will compete on the last episode of the season for what the network is calling “the biggest prize in Deal or No Deal history”.
Howie Mandel is reportedly set to executive produce the Deal or No Deal spinoff, but it has not been announced if he’ll host the series too. This year the host has been a judge on America's Got Talent: All-Stars and was among The Masked Singer Season 9 eliminations early in the competition for being Rock Lobster. Mandel also hosted a Netflix series called Bullsh*t the Game Show, which he claimed to enjoy even more than Deal or No Deal.
As a former viewer of Deal or No Deal, I can’t imagine any other host taking on the mantle of the series. That being said, I’m intrigued by this concept either way. After a while, Deal or No Deal got pretty predictable and stiff with it all being in the same room all the time. I imagine having contestants rush around an island for the right cases to play the game will be very entertaining and significantly raise the stakes.
The announcement also comes at a time when unscripted TV might be the network's saving grace amidst the WGA Writers Strike. Numerous major television shows have come to a halt for nearly two weeks now as TV writers strike in hopes of earning higher wages from studios in the streaming era. When writers previously went on strike back in 2007, it gave rise to a major era of reality television.
In addition to NBC ordering Deal or No Deal Island, the network also is producing an America’s Got Talent spinoff and renewed Jimmy Fallon’s Password for a second season. Deal or No Deal Island is set for a midseason premiere, although no exact date has been set at this point. For now, you can check out the 2023 TV Premiere dates to see what television to watch this spring.
