Deal or No Deal

From TeeVeePedia, the Internet TV Encyclopedia.

Generated as part of a joint sponsorship between the Samsonite luggage corporation and the Children's Television Workshop, Deal or No Deal was created as a game show aimed at young children and delevopmentally disabled individuals. Intended as a foil to "smart" game shows like Jeopardy!, Deal or No Deal requires no knowledge or special talents outside of the ability to recite numbers between 1 and 26, not necessarily in any particular order.

Gameplay consists of a chosen contestant selecting a number in the above range, at which point they will be given a luxurious Samsonite briefcase. The contestant will be afforded the opportunity to either continue reciting numbers or accept a monetary bribe to sit quietly in their seat "like a good boy" for the remainder of the hour. The game continues until the contestant either accepts a bribe, can no longer remember any numbers and begins reciting letters or animals, or is scared off of the set by screaming friends and family members. In those events, said contestant gets to simply keep their briefcase and go home, optionally while sucking one of their thumbs.

Deal or No Deal is hosted by Howie Mandel. Mandel, best known for routinely putting a surgical glove over his head, is the only individual present on the program possessing sufficient mental faculties and social skills to be entrusted with a working telephone. This more than anything else suggests the sort of audience demographic Deal or No Deal is perhaps striving for.

Trivia

• An average taping requires more than two dozen identical evening gown models, plus understudies. Each model has her own prompter, insurance against the risk of forgotten lines.
• There is no "Banker": Mandel just makes it up.