Deal or No Deal (Australian game show)

Deal or No Deal was an Australian game show that aired on the Seven Network from 13 July 2003 to 4 October 2013. It was the first international version of the game show, after the original Dutch version. It was the first of the versions to use the "Deal or No Deal" name. The show was recorded at the studio facilities of Global Television located in the Melbourne suburb of Southbank. The top prize of $200,000 was won by four contestants.
Many changes were made to "Deal or No Deal" during its run. These included, among others, changing from a weekly format to a daily format, which resulted in the reduction of the top prize from $2,000,000 to $200,000; interactive features inviting home viewers to play along with "Double Deal Friday"; and additional special features added to the game (such as "Double or Nothing" and "Super Case"). The show included many special episodes including several hour-long prime-time specials (such as the "Psychics Special" and the "Unluckiest Players Special") and the successful "Dancing with the Deals" which occurred in conjunction with "Dancing with the Stars".
The program celebrated its 1,000th episode on 8 September 2008; that day's contestant won $43,000.
The narrator that introduced the show between 2003-2011 was Marcus Irvine, who was also the voiceover on "The Weakest Link". In 2012, Irvine was replaced by John Deeks as narrator.
No new episodes were produced since 2013, with only repeat episodes airing at 5:00 pm weeknights from October 2013 to September 2015. It was announced in March 2014 that no new episodes will be produced, and in August 2015 it was announced that the show, along with "Million Dollar Minute", would be axed and replaced by a new one-hour game show titled "The Chase Australia".
Format.
The show begins in a studio with six groups of 25 people sitting in stands. One group is then randomly selected, who moves onto the podium. In the chosen group, one person, based on personality, is picked to be the main contestant. The contestant selects one of twenty-six identical, numbered sealed briefcases to be placed at the front, and the other briefcases are distributed to the other 25 contestants on the podium. Each briefcase contains a hidden amount of money (see table on right). To find out which amount of money his case is holding, the contender will open all the other cases successively during the game.
The contestant begins the game by opening six cases. To open the case, the podium player holding the case must first guess the amount that they have in their briefcase, winning $500 if their guess is proved correct upon opening the briefcase. This process is repeated for the next five cases. After the first six cases, the major contestant is given a "Bank Offer," based on (but not equivalent to) the arithmetic mean of the remaining briefcases: the higher the values in the remaining briefcases, the higher the offer. The contestant now has to decide between a "Deal" or "No Deal". If the contestant says Deal, they win the money that is offered, and they must open the rest of the cases to see if they made the right decision. If the contestant says No Deal, then play continues. The contestant chooses another five cases, followed by another bank offer, then four cases, and so on (in each round the player has to open one case less than in the previous round; from round 6 on he will open just one case per round). This pattern continues until all briefcases have been opened. If the player continues to the end without making a "Deal", the game ends with their own briefcase being opened and the amount in that briefcase being won. Exceptions to the end of the game include the introduction of either a Super Case, Double or Nothing cases or a second Chance. See below for more information on them. After every game a large blue fake cheque is given to the contestant displaying the amount of money won, but if someone wins one of the green amounts, the cheque will have a green coloured background for the following amounts: $50,000, $75,000, $100,000 and $200,000. Also, a light blue cheque is given to a contestant for the 50c amount if they win 50c. Occasionally, the money is given directly to the contestant, such as a single $1 coin if somebody wins $1.
Because of the rule of podium players guessing what is in their cases, contestants are not allowed the opportunity to swap cases if they turn down every bank offer (unlike most international versions).
Features.
The Australian version of "Deal or No Deal" has a number of special features to make the show entertaining: "Super Case", "Chance", "Double or Nothing" and "Risk it All" all occur at the end of the game. Due to time restrictions, these four rarely occur. Also, only one of these features is used per episode.
Super Case.
Occasionally at the end of the program a Super Case is brought out. This feature was introduced in 2004. Contestants have the opportunity to either keep the deal they made or forfeit it and take whatever value is hidden in the Super Case. The Super Case contains one of the following values: 50c, $50, $500, $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $30,000 & $50,000. (In 2005 the amounts were, 50c, $100, $500, $1,000, $10,000, $20,000, CAR & $50,000. For Double Deal Friday the amounts were, 50c, $100, $1,000, $2,000, $5,000, $10,000, $20,000 & $30,000). Super Cases appear in most episodes when contestants take a deal of approximately $10,000 when there are at least five cases left on the board, and rarely appear in any other circumstances. This means that the Super Case offers a 50/50 chance at bettering or equalling the $10,000 deal. If contestants take a $10,000 deal with fewer than four cases left on the board, Super Cases are rare because there is not generally any time left in the show to run it. During the 2006 season, the way of telling the contestant that a Super Case will be brought out changed, where instead of the Super Case panel flashing, a Super Case alert flashes beside the 'Cases remaining' panel, and remains there until it is actually brought out. In 2010 the Super Case has been used more frequently.
Chance.
This feature was introduced in 2004. A Chance is an opportunity for the contestant to exchange the deal they took during the game for whatever is in their briefcase. It happens rarely, and only when the two remaining unknown case values are an extremely small amount and an amount of at least $5,000. For example, the contestant takes a deal of $6,500, but is offered a Chance with the remaining unopened briefcases being $750 and $10,000. If the contestant takes the Chance, they win either $750 or $10,000, depending on which value is in their selected briefcase. If they don't take the Chance, they keep their $6,500 deal.
Double or Nothing.
Double or Nothing was added in 2006. If a contestant is lucky enough to play it, two suitcases (labeled I and II) are offered to the contestant; one has the word "Double" inside, the other has "Nothing". If the contestant chooses to play they must pick one of the cases. If Double is in the chosen case, the contestant doubles their winnings. If Nothing is in the chosen case, they lose all their winnings.
The format for Double or Nothing has been altered several times. When it was first introduced, there was only one case brought out (which was the same case as the Super Case). It had only either "Double" or "Nothing" inside, and the contestant could choose how much to gamble. If "Double" was inside, the contestant wins how much they gambled as a bonus. If "Nothing" was revealed, they would lose how much they gambled from their Deal. The "two cases" format was introduced on 23 June 2006. During the 2007 season, Double or Nothing returned, though the contestant could no longer choose how much to gamble, instead having to risk their entire Deal if they wanted to play Double or Nothing. If the contestant opens the case with "Nothing", they do not win any money.
Risk it All.
Risk it All was introduced in 2010. This feature allows the contestant who took a deal for under $10,000 and has only two amounts smaller than their deal in play, to win a cash prize of $15,000. If the contestant takes the Risk it All, they can guess which amount is in their case. If they guess correctly, they win the $15,000. If they guess incorrectly, they lose all their winnings.
Switch Case.
Switch Case was introduced in 2010. At any point during the game, the banker may offer this switch. If the contestant takes it, they can swap their chosen case for any unopened case on the podium. It usually occurs during the middle of the game.
Dash for Cash.
Dash for Cash was introduced in 2013. Near the end of game if the contestant has a maximum prize of $5,000 or less the banker may offer a prize around half of the current maximum prize on the board rather than a normal offer. There are usually two more prizes higher than this offer. The contestant may take the money and will forfeit the remainder of the game.
Second Chance.
Second Chance was introduced in 2013. At the end of the game on rare occasions the banker may offer a second chance. A dealette gives a button to the contestant, who can press it to swap their done deal and for one of the amounts offered to him during the game, selected at random.
Mega-Guess.
This feature was introduced in 2004. At random intervals during the game, the bank will offer a "Mega-Guess", which increases the "correct guess" bonus for the next case to either $2,000, $5,000, or $10,000. The Mega-Guess is usually used at the end of the game to fill in remaining time. This generally happens when the podium player is a friend or relative of the main contestant. The end of game Mega-Guess has adopted a small gag where either the podium player, main contestant, or O'Keefe himself must beg the banker to give the player a Mega-Guess.
The Mega-Guess feature has been altered several times during its history. When first introduced, during the "$12 Million Month" special, it had a fixed amount win of $10,000. When it returned in the 2005 season, the amount won was reduced to $5,000. In the 2006 season, it was altered to its current format, where either $2,000 (Blue), $5,000 (Maroon), or $10,000 (Green) could be won. The $5,000 Mega-Guess has the most common appearance, sometimes showing up several times during a game, followed by the $10,000 Mega-Guess which would appear once early during the game, and sometimes at the end. The $2,000 Mega-Guess usually appears for podium players celebrating birthdays or people from states other than Victoria after a contestant selects them.
In July 2008, a $25,000 Mega-Guess was offered for the 25,000th case opened in the show's history, but it was not won.
Daily Prize.
This feature was introduced in 2004, but was removed in 2006. One of the briefcases (except for the CAR, $100,000 or $200,000 cases) contained gold-coloured dollar signs around the cash value inside the case. The person who was holding this case (be it a podium player or the contestant) received the Daily Prize of $500. The Daily Prize was removed in 2006, although prizes were still awarded several times during that year: in a special Saint Patrick's Day-themed episode; on Mother's Day; and during the last week of the 2006 season.
Double Deal Friday.
Double Deal Friday ran in 2005 but was dropped after 2008. Home viewers were invited to ring a phone number charged at $0.55 and register their details. Every Friday, a home viewer was randomly selected to win the same prize as the studio contestant. Host O'Keefe had mentioned that Double Deal Fridays received over 100,000 calls each week. "Dancing with the Deals" (the celebrity version of DoND retiring contestants on that season's edition of Dancing With The Stars) followed a similar format to Double Deal Friday, except that the celebrity didn't win the prize.
History.
The case game significant for "Deal or No Deal" was invented in the Netherlands by Dick de Rijk, a creator of television formats working for the TV production company Endemol, and was firstly aired on December 22, 2002 as the new final game of a game show called "Miljoenenjacht" (The Hunt/Chase for Millions), a show that was originally based on a German TV show called "Die Chance deines Lebens" (Your Chance of a Lifetime), launched in 2000 in Germany as well as in the Netherlands. The revised format was an instant hit and was extended from six to eight shows, which lead to the executives of Endemol offering the format at MipTV 2003, an important annual television trade fair taking places in Cannes, France, where the Dutch host Linda de Mol presented a promotion version of the show. The Australian network Seven purchased the format, and the first episode was aired on 13 July 2003, making it the first international adaptation of the Dutch show. Curiously, the show debuted on the same day when the Argentinian version "Trato Hecho" hosted by Julian Weich was launched. 
The first Australian incarnation of "Deal or No Deal' as an hour-long program. Screening on Sunday nights, it indirectly competed with the Nine Network's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" by offering a maximum prize of $2,000,000. In order to fill the longer timeslot, the initial stages of the game were significantly longer than in the current half hour format. This included an interview with the independent adjudicator from KPMG who supposedly placed the values into each briefcase, assuring that selection were indeed random. The preliminary rounds were also longer than the more recent format as they were adapted from the Dutch original show "Miljoenenjacht". 200 contenders were divided into two teams of 100 players each. After a trivia question round, the victorious team was further split into four blocks of 25 which would then play another quick trivia round. The twenty-five competitors from the winning block, along with one more player selected at random out of the 175 eliminated contenders, then played a third quiz round - now as individual players to achieve themselves as many points as possible. The two best-scoring players finally faced of in one last elimination game where a single question determines the winner who would proceed to the case game. After the winner has chosen his case, the 25 podium players who did not make it to the final were each given one of the other cases and were granted a chance to predict the content of their respective case when it was nominated by the final contender. Correct guesses were rewarded with a special cash prize which was $6,000 in Round 1 and was decreased by $1,000 for each subsequent round (from Round 6 on, the prize remained at $1,000) Also, as quite unusual for this format, there were also roll-over contenders who were able to finish their game in the following week when they were running out of screening time - Nathan Cochrane, for example, won the right to play the case game in the second show of the series and was allowed to continue to play for the third show where he won $515,000, which stood as the biggest amount of money ever won on the Australian version of Deal or No Deal, and at the time was the biggest amount of money won on any Australian TV show. Being aired once a week on Sunday, the first series lasted until January/February 2004 when it was skipped due to decreasing ratings.
On February 2, 2004, a new version of "Deal or No Deal" was launched - therefore the show was shortened to a half-hour format and moved to weeknights at 5:30 pm, directly competing against the Nine Network's "The Price Is Right". This incarnation of the show was more successful than the first, due to the increased number of episodes airing (5 per week over the course of the ratings period rather than 1 per week). The maximum cash prize was lowered from $2,000,000 to $200,000 and the number of potential players reduced from 200 to 150 (divided into six blocks of 25 instead of eight). The preliminary game was also shortened - now, 25 players from a randomly-selected block plus one more competitor (selected also at random out of the remaining 125 players) played a quick trivia question round to determine who would proceed to the case game. The case-opening players were granted a shot at $1,000 (later $500) by predicting their case's content. "Deal or No Deal" received high ratings in its newly revised format. In summer 2004, several special editions of the show were aired as the "$12 million month" in addition to the regular early-afternoon episodes; these shows aired on prime-time were extended to one hour and the top prize was raised back to $2 million and uses the modified version of 2003 board with the 5c, 25c, 75c and $250 values removed and $2, $200, $300 and $750 values added. These special editions included the "Biggest Winners - Dream Team" Special, the "Conflict of the Couples" special, as well as special editions with "Unluckiest Players" and "Psychics". Shortly after the popularity of "Deal or No Deal" began to rise, "The Price Is Right" altered its showcase round to a similar format, where contestants were forced to choose between cash incentives or the showcase periodically as the prices were lit up. Despite this "Deal or No Deal" continued to grow in popularity, and contributed largely to the ratings surge of "Seven News" (which followed directly after "Deal or No Deal") on the east coast. The popularity of the show led to Nine Network game show rivals "The Price Is Right", "Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune" and the half-hour version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" being cancelled. However, the ratings of "Deal or No Deal" later dropped due to the popularity of the rival Nine Network show "Millionaire Hot Seat".
Rival Nine Network for many years had produced various game shows for the 5:30 pm timeslot, notable game shows include "Burgo's Catch Phrase" hosted by John Burgess, and "The Price Is Right" Hosted by Larry Emdur. Both game shows were successful in the ratings, in 2005 "The Price Is Right" was cancelled, due to Larry Emdur signing a contract with the Seven Network, Emdur hosted "Wheel of Fortune", which was cancelled only a few months later due to declining ratings, after Wheel of Fortune was axed, the Seven Network introduced Deal or No Deal in the 5:30 pm timeslot, Which was a high success in the ratings, and overtaking the Nine Network's "Bert's Family Feud", which was axed in 2007. In 2008, the Nine Network revived Wheel of Fortune; it was renamed as "Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune", but did poorly in the ratings, and resulted in the show being axed after a month. After "Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune", the Nine Network introduced "Millionaire Hot Seat", which has resulted in much higher ratings, and since 2010, has started to overtake "Deal or No Deal".
The game shows ratings mainly contribute to the 6:00 pm news bulletins ratings that air immediately after the game shows.
Many alterations to the game have been made throughout the years, mainly to entice viewers away from other game shows, including the briefcase values (see below), and the addition of many new game play features (see Features). During the 2004 "$12 Million Month", the Super Case, Chance and Mega-Guess features were introduced, and have become recurring segments ever since. In 2005, a car was introduced as a prize (replacing the $25,000 cash prize from the 2004 board). The cars have been the Peugeot 307 from 2005-2007 (briefly replaced by the Renault Mégane II in 2005), the Peugeot 306 in 2008, the Peugeot 207 in 2009, the Peugeot 206 in 2010 and the Peugeot 207CC from 2011 onwards, all valued at more than the cash prize which is $30,000. In 2006, Double or Nothing was introduced to the show. Since the 2007 season, the game's format has remained the same. The only changes in the 2007 and 2008 seasons was a logo change in 2007, the removal of the preliminary quiz (which determined who would be the main contestant) and on-screen graphics and music which have been updated several times. Double Deal Friday was dropped in 2008. In 2009, not only was the layout of the money board and the cases changed, but also, once a case is opened, instead of closing it and putting it on the table, the case is left opened to let the contestant know what cases still remain in the game.
There were four winners of the top prize: Dean Cartechini on 17 June 2004 (Season 2), Anh Do in a celebrity special on 19 September 2007 (Season 5), Leanne Benbow on 2 June 2010 (Season 8) and Chris Doyle on 23 August 2011 (Season 9). When someone wins the $200,000, glitter is released into the studio, while holding a cheque for $200,000.
The biggest ever winner was Nathan Cochrane who won $515,000 on "The Deal" in 2003 on the second episode. At the time, the top prize was $2,000,000.
On 3 July 2012, a contestant was offered $-150 after knocking out the $200,000 on his first selection along with $75,000 and $50,000 in the first round, making it the lowest bank offer in the history of "Deal or No Deal". This happened during Deal or No Deal's Fantastic Four specials.
From 16 September 2013, following almost a decade of the show providing the lead-in into "Seven News", the show moved to 5:00 pm on weekdays to make way for "Million Dollar Minute".
From October 2013, Seven continued to air repeats until "The Chase Australia" replaced both it and "Million Dollar Minute" in September 2015.
Double Shot.
Deal or No Deal – Double Shot was a series of specials where the podium contains two briefcases with $200,000 inside them instead of one giving the contestant a 1 in 13 chance of selecting the top prize. The additional $200,000 is in replacement of the 50c amount. These set of episodes have said to answer to the premiere of "Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune" on the Nine Network, which aired at the same time as Deal or No Deal (except in Queensland when Wheel will air at 5pm due to Extra airing at 5:30pm). A similar special aired in 2004 for the show's 200th episode, with two $200,000 cases; however, the second $200,000 case replaced the $1,500 amount rather than the 50c. Also, for the podium players, should a contestant guess that there's $200,000 in their case, they must specify whether it's the actual $200,000, or the "Double Shot" $200,000 to prevent them from having a 2 in any chance of winning $500. In the 10 episodes aired, the total amount of money won by the contestants was $235,100; neither of the $200,000 cases was selected. The large fake cheques with removable numbers handed out at the end of each game also had a special new look for this series. In an odd coincidence, on the first two games aired after the special ended, one contestant won $100,000, and the next picked selected the $200,000 case but dealt during the game.
Ten more Double Shot games were aired in the 2009 series during late April and early May. These set of episodes have said to answer to the premiere of "Hot Seat" on the Nine Network, which aired at the same time as Deal or No Deal. The total amount of money won to the contestants was $201,865. The $200,000 Double Shot was finally selected by a contestant on 29 April 2009 who took a deal for $30,000. Cheques used after the games were the standard blue instead of the special gold colour that was used in the 2008. The biggest winner was $40,000 on April 20 who won that amount despite losing both $200,000 cases earlier in the game.
Five more Double Shot specials aired during 19–23 July 2010 as part of a 'Christmas in July' week. The total amount of money won during the week was $115,010, which includes a $10,000 Megaguess.
Five more Double Shot specials aired during 22–26 November 2010 as part of a Hawaiian theme week. The total amount of money won during the week was $136,150.50. Amazingly, one contestant got the $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 as the last three cases left. He played on and lost the $75,000, and was offered $75,000. The contestant played to his case on won the $100,000. The Supercase was also bought out twice during the week, and both contestants took it when it was offered. One contestant managed to win $20,000, but another lost all his money and won 50c.
Five more Double Shot specials aired during 18–22 July 2011 as part of another 'Christmas in July' week. The total amount of money during the week is $153,500.
On the 12 September 2011, a single Double Shot special aired celebrating the premier of Johnny English Reborn. The contestant dealed for $80,000, but his case contained the Double Shot $200,000.
Fantastic Four.
Deal or No Deal – Fantastic Four was a series of specials that first aired during 21 – 26 September 2009 and then randomly throughout the year, where the podium contained two briefcases with $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 inside them and a briefcase containing $250,000 giving the contestant a nearly 25% chance of selecting one of them. The additional $50,000 replaces the 50c amount, $75,000 replaces the $750 amount, $100,000 replaces the $1,000 amount and the $250,000 replacing the $200,000 amount.
In the first 5 episodes aired, the total amount of money given away was around $124,000. Surprisingly, the "Fantastic" $75,000 case was selected twice in the week. The highest amount of money won was $41,000, despite losing the "Fantastic" $50,000 and $75,000, plus the regular $100,000 in the first round and the "Fantastic" $100,000 plus the regular $75,000 in the second. Amazingly one contestant had the $150, "Fantastic" $75,000 and both $100,000s in play and was offered $46,000. She then lost the $100,000s in the next two rounds and was offered $36,000. She dealed and was one of the two to have the "Fantastic" $75,000 in her case. One contestant also dealed for $14,000 and risked it and won $20,000 in the Supercase.
On 31 January to 7 February 2011, a series of Las Vegas Fantastic Four specials aired. Because of Seven News' extended coverage of Cyclone Yasi, the 2 February episode did not air, so the specials had to end on Monday 7 February instead of Friday 4 February. The total amount of money won during the week was $173,000. The highest amount of money won was $80,000 when first, a contestant had the $50, "Fantastic" $100,000 and $200,000 left and was offered $75,000. The contestant played on and lost the "Fantastic" $100,000 and was offered $80,000. He dealed and his case contained $50. Another contestant also had the $50,000 in their case, but chose to deal earlier.
On 11–15 April 2011, a series of Fiji Fantastic Four specials aired. The total amount of money won during the week was $167,700. Amazingly, one contestant had the "Fantastic" $100,000 and $75,000 amounts, and the regular $50,000 and $1 in play. The contestant continued playing and lost both "Fantastic" amounts in the next two rounds consecutively. He was offered $21,000 and said no deal, and won $50,000.
On 21–25 November 2011, a series of Hawaiian Fantastic Four specials aired. The total amount of money won so far is $15,000.
After the first series of Fantastic Four specials in 2009, individual specials now randomly air throughout the year. The total amount of money won over the 37 specials that have aired so far is $914,401. The highest amount of money won by one person is $100,000, which is the first time that a "Fantastic" amount was selected. The "Fantastic" $75,000 and "Fantastic $50,000" have also been selected once. For the first special of 2010, the $250,000 top prize was changed back to $200,000. From the second special of that year onwards, the regular $200,000 case design was used instead of the gold background used for the "Fantastic" amounts.
Briefcase values by years.
2003 (S1)
2004 (S2)
Primetime specials
200th show
2005 (S3)
2006 - 2013 (S4-S11)
Double Shot
Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four 2009
References in popular culture.
Andrew O'Keefe appeared as himself in the Australian comedy "Kath & Kim", reprising his role as host of "Deal or No Deal". Character Sharon Strzelecki (portrayed by Magda Szubanski) appeared as the main contestant and Kim Craig (Gina Riley) appeared as the podium player. Sharon wins the $20,000 directly from her case (though the footage of her winnings was never shown). Several changes are made to the fictional game play compared to the real life game play, as Kim was never given an opportunity to make a guess for her case, and Sharon claims in the episode that she became the contestant by having the "fastest fingers" (the preliminary quiz was dropped from the 2007 season, and the fictional game shown was clearly the 2007 version). References to the real life version are made when O'Keefe tells the girls that it is "almost news time" as the real life show was then broadcast before the news.
Products.
Products based on the Australian Deal or No Deal include a board game, electronic game, and DVD game.
The board game, made by Crown and Andrews, is a game that features all parts of the game show. The contents include the 26 briefcases (a flat item that has a number and a slot to put the card of the cash amounts), the board showing the amounts, 26 covers, host and contestant cards, amount cards, instructions, and money. The board game uses amounts from 2004 season of the show.
A Nintendo DSgame is also available, developed by Gravity-I and published by Mindscape, and features Andrew O'Keefe on the cover. The game uses the same game engine as the British version of the same title (both games use the same character sprites), but with changes to make it more faithful to the Australian version, like replacing the boxes with the briefcases.