Post by ManekiNeko on Apr 9, 2006 2:05:41 GMT -5
Some of you may remember I used to do reviews for a message board some time ago -- actually, I had close to 80, including two for Extreme Dodgeball and the threads all got deleted, even after I tried to move them. Sad, but true. I quit doing them because I had worked so hard and they all disappeared, plus I had a falling out with the forum owner. That said, I am going to come out of retirement and do another review.
Pick a number between 1 and 26. Not too hard, but is your choice worth a million dollars? One of these suitcases has it -- all you have to do to win it is answer the most basic question: Deal or No Deal?
Debuting in mid-December, this show takes a simple but effective formula found in Let's Make A Deal and kicks it up at least two notches and it works on so many levels. The host, Howie Mandel is more known for comedy than being a serious host but he balances the two rather well.
The game play is very simple: There are 26 suitcases, and each one holds a dollar amount, as listed below:
1¢
$1.00
$5.00
$10.00
$25.00
$50.00
$75.00
$100.00
$200.00
$300.00
$400.00
$500.00
$750.00
$1,000.00
$5,000.00
$10,000.00
$25,000.00
$50,000.00
$75,000.00
$100,000.00
$200,000.00
$300,000.00
$400,000.00
$500,000.00
$750,000.00
$1,000,000.00
A player picks a suitcase and how s/he figures out how much is in the suitcase is by picking other suitcases to figure out what is NOT in the suitcase. Eliminating the dollar amounts gives both the player and his rival, the banker, a chance to figure out what might be in the suitcase. Each of the 26 suitcases is held by a beautiful model (look for, among other people, TPIR Model Claudia Jordan and Extreme Dodgeball alum Kimberly Estrada, along with a beautiful Asian girl named Mylinda.)
After 6 of these suitcases have been picked, the banker calls Howie on a special phone with an offer -- the offer is based on several factors, including what is on the board, the momentum of the game (is the player picking high or low amounts?), even the way the player reacts and he tries to buy the suitcase for as little money as possible using these factors.
After this, the player has to decide whether a deal is made or not made. If the deal is made, that amount is guaranteed to the player, whereas if it is not, another round is played, with 5 more suitcases being picked and the bank calls again with an offer, and the pattern repeats until the person is eliminating suitcases one at a time. As can be shown, selling the suitcase may be a smart move or a monumentally bad one, depending on what's in the case.
If the player has not bowed out, then they are given a choice to switch their suitcases if they only have 2 left, and finally, the suitcase is opened and the dollar amount is revealed.
This formula seems horribly simple, but the simple format of this show is why it has worked in over 30 countries and it does work here. Why should a person have to know what the half-life of Carbon 14 is to win money? If there's one thing I say as a drawback is that Howie Mandel could probably speed the game up more. It's not necessary to drag on for 20 to 30 seconds before a commercial starts. The lighting when the banker calls is very simple (it changes from yellow to red) but it adds to the emotion of the game. This game is truly remarkable in every light.
Although the game is deceptively simple, there are many mathematical odds, statistics and probabilities, as well as dumb luck that weigh into the banker's offer and the way the game goes in general, so it's not as mindless as it seems.
In conclusion, the biggest decision of your life may not be where to send the kids to college or what car to buy when you see it, but a simple question that you probably have overlooked on a daily basis: Deal or No Deal? Watch this if you want to see the drama of Law & Order combined with the skill of Jeopardy!. I give Deal or No Deal
½ (four and a half cats carrying bowls of rice and chopsticks out of a possible five)
Pick a number between 1 and 26. Not too hard, but is your choice worth a million dollars? One of these suitcases has it -- all you have to do to win it is answer the most basic question: Deal or No Deal?
Debuting in mid-December, this show takes a simple but effective formula found in Let's Make A Deal and kicks it up at least two notches and it works on so many levels. The host, Howie Mandel is more known for comedy than being a serious host but he balances the two rather well.
The game play is very simple: There are 26 suitcases, and each one holds a dollar amount, as listed below:
1¢
$1.00
$5.00
$10.00
$25.00
$50.00
$75.00
$100.00
$200.00
$300.00
$400.00
$500.00
$750.00
$1,000.00
$5,000.00
$10,000.00
$25,000.00
$50,000.00
$75,000.00
$100,000.00
$200,000.00
$300,000.00
$400,000.00
$500,000.00
$750,000.00
$1,000,000.00
A player picks a suitcase and how s/he figures out how much is in the suitcase is by picking other suitcases to figure out what is NOT in the suitcase. Eliminating the dollar amounts gives both the player and his rival, the banker, a chance to figure out what might be in the suitcase. Each of the 26 suitcases is held by a beautiful model (look for, among other people, TPIR Model Claudia Jordan and Extreme Dodgeball alum Kimberly Estrada, along with a beautiful Asian girl named Mylinda.)
After 6 of these suitcases have been picked, the banker calls Howie on a special phone with an offer -- the offer is based on several factors, including what is on the board, the momentum of the game (is the player picking high or low amounts?), even the way the player reacts and he tries to buy the suitcase for as little money as possible using these factors.
After this, the player has to decide whether a deal is made or not made. If the deal is made, that amount is guaranteed to the player, whereas if it is not, another round is played, with 5 more suitcases being picked and the bank calls again with an offer, and the pattern repeats until the person is eliminating suitcases one at a time. As can be shown, selling the suitcase may be a smart move or a monumentally bad one, depending on what's in the case.
If the player has not bowed out, then they are given a choice to switch their suitcases if they only have 2 left, and finally, the suitcase is opened and the dollar amount is revealed.
This formula seems horribly simple, but the simple format of this show is why it has worked in over 30 countries and it does work here. Why should a person have to know what the half-life of Carbon 14 is to win money? If there's one thing I say as a drawback is that Howie Mandel could probably speed the game up more. It's not necessary to drag on for 20 to 30 seconds before a commercial starts. The lighting when the banker calls is very simple (it changes from yellow to red) but it adds to the emotion of the game. This game is truly remarkable in every light.
Although the game is deceptively simple, there are many mathematical odds, statistics and probabilities, as well as dumb luck that weigh into the banker's offer and the way the game goes in general, so it's not as mindless as it seems.
In conclusion, the biggest decision of your life may not be where to send the kids to college or what car to buy when you see it, but a simple question that you probably have overlooked on a daily basis: Deal or No Deal? Watch this if you want to see the drama of Law & Order combined with the skill of Jeopardy!. I give Deal or No Deal
½ (four and a half cats carrying bowls of rice and chopsticks out of a possible five) 
