Deal or No Deal is returning with an all-new format, but that is no guarantee that this revival will be worth the watch.
Is it a bit presumptuous to review a show that is only set to premiere in February of 2024?
Perhaps… but, given the fact that we have already seen two different iterations of this particular game show (not counting all of the international versions) and it has been around in some way or another for over two decades – a pre-review seems quite fitting.
Our take on the new Deal or No Deal spin-off
In case you missed it, the beloved and high-stakes game show, Deal or No Deal, is set to return for yet another season.
However, this new iteration of the game, called Deal or No Deal Island, features so many new twists and turns that it can almost be considered an entirely new show.
Unlike the previous versions of Deal or No Deal where individual contestants are challenged to choose and periodically eliminate various identical briefcases while occasionally encountering a deal from the show’s Banker, in this new version 13 contestants travelling to the Banker’s private Island.
Here they will have to locate hidden briefcases and compete in various challenges in order to protect themselves from elimination – Survivor-style.
There is no way of knowing whether this Deal or No Deal Island spin-off will truly be worth the watch or not until the show actually starts airing.
But we just have to be honest and admit that it does not seem to have that much going for it outside of the brief excitement that the show’s new format and brand-new cast may bring.
Everything you need to know about Deal or No Deal Island
All of the details that we have about this new and unusual season of Deal or No Deal Island can be summarized as follows:
Details | Description |
Premiere date | Deal or No Deal Island will premiere with a special 90-minute episode on Monday, February 26, 2024 at 9:30 p.m. |
Regular timeslot | Subsequent episodes will air on Mondays at 10 p.m. |
Host | Joe Manganiello (Howie Mandel is staying on as an executive producer for the series) |
What Deal or No Deal Island has going for it
Okay, it is not all bad. And before we dive into all of the mystifying questions that we have for the team behind Deal or No Deal Island, it is only fair to acknowledge the things that have us excited about the show’s first episode.
Firstly, the fact that this season has thirteen competitors and a format which is much more complicated than the usual Deal or No Deal-spiel – is bound to make this new version all the more exciting.
And secondly, the show’s now, much larger cast does feature a few very intriguing names.
This includes “Boston” Rob Mariano, who fans may recognize from the Survivor franchise and Claudia Jordan, who is a former Deal or No Deal model (maybe this means there is a chance that we will see Meghan Markle on a future season of the show).
Deal or No Deal Island also has an impressive combined $200 million worth of briefcases up for grabs.
Why the Survivor format?
While we do understand the need for popular television shows to reinvent themselves every few years, this new Survivor-esque format just seems like quite a strange departure from Deal or No Deal’s usual format.
It has long been rumored that the former versions of Deal or No Deal (which were hosted by Howie Mandel between 2005 and 2009, and then again in 2018 and 2019) were pulled off the air because of their declining ratings.
And if you combine this with the fact that the British version of Deal or No Deal was also cancelled as recently as 2023 – it just seems like the higher-ups at NBC are trying to save a failing franchise by forcing it into one of their other tried and proven formats.
Will Deal or No Deal Island actually be any good?
It is still pretty much impossible to predict whether or not Deal or No Deal Island will actually be all that entertaining to watch, but we are pretty sure that Joe Manganiello’s hosting skills will be what makes or breaks this revival.
There is just one problem. While Manganiello is not new to the world of acting and is actually pretty well known for his roles in the True Blood and Magic Mike franchises, he does not have much hosting experience.
This is already painfully obvious just from the short Deal or No Deal Island announcement video, in which his performance pales in comparison the Mandel’s.