I cannot start this recap with just the game. I have to explain what came before it.

The final two in the quiz were two old ladies, Petra and Joke - yes, Joke is a female name in the Netherlands, pronounced 'Yo-kah'. They play a final round that will remind Americans of How Much Is Enough and Brits of the Bong Game in People Versus: a money clock counts upwards, press the button to win that and hand the other player the chance to play the main game. Eventually, that money clock runs out. In this game, for the first time, that's what happened. Bizarrely, the final total (€43,000) was split between two random audience members.

Then came a maths tiebreaker on the buzzer: 456 - 321 = ?

Joke buzzes in quick as a flash... '235'. Three seconds later she covers her face in horror - it's 135. Just like that, she's out.

PETRA gets to play, then, and picks Case 18. Her husband is there, as is conventional. The chat sounds funny but it's lost in translation to me.

ROUND 1

13 - €25,000 (correct guess for €26,000!!)
21 - €5,000 (correct guess for €25,000!! That's a 1 in 650 chance of that happening!)
15 - €0.20! (the guess? €5,000,000!!!)
8 - €75,000 (she guessed €5m too!!)
25 - €10!
1 - €50!

Brilliant start - the top nine all in play!

OFFER €26,000. No psychology here about that one and it's an easy NO DEAL, I typed that before she did it. Petra isn't instructed to hang her hand over the button, as last week's player was.

ROUND 2
4 - €20!
7 - €0.01!!
16 - €200,000. Still affordable on this board!
11 - €10,000 (correct guess for €17,000! That's €68,000 given away already!)
5 - €1,000!

Top seven in play with fifteen cases left. This is exceptional.

OFFER €90,000. Gasps already. 'What?' exclaims Linda. I swear I heard someone call out for a Deal, but NO DEAL it quite rightly is.

Linda's mentioning the €5m as we head to...
ROUND 3
2 - €2,500
24 - €50,000. It's still very well applauded. It's practically a tiddler on THIS board. Top seven at halfway!
6 - €5!!
3 - €1!!

This board has to be posted. It is beyond incredible. It is, by far, the biggest-money board Deal or No Deal has ever seen anywhere in the world. And that's no lie.



I'm not even kidding.

OFFER €211,000! And that's still nowhere near the median! 'Serious money' Linda says, or was that Petra? Petra asks if it's three cases in the next round (yes). I'd hate to turn this much down but I find it hard to see a losing situation out of this. NO DEAL it is to a big round of applause!

This round is very likely to see huge amounts of money hit to no real effect.

ROUND 4
12 - €2,500,000! Reality check. 'That was unlucky'.
17 - €100,000! That draws gasps, but it's actually brilliant! Linda reckons people saw it as a million at first and I have to agree.
26 - €300,000. It still gets applauded and it wasn't even a correct guess!

This offer will probably still have to be higher. After that round, that sounds ridiculous. Her husband's already saying Deal before we even see...

OFFER €325,000. Big gasps. I would really, really not want to turn this down but would have to. Petra's husband has long since reached the point of targetism and is urging a Deal. Mathematically there's only one decision, but we're into sums of money where anyone's a targetist. Linda seems to be pointing out there's a one-in-six chance of €750k even if she has the nightmare round, if I've translated that correctly.

I could easily treat either decision as brilliant or stupid. Petra's decision is... NO DEAL! Big, big cheers!

Her husband breaks into a forced grin. I'm just starting to see No Deal as the only right decision.

Looking at the online timer, there's loads of time left!

ROUND 5
9 - €0.50!!!
22 - €1,000,000! But people STILL cheer.

The Final Six
€100
€500
€400,000
€500,000
€750,000
€5,000,000

'Is it a half-million?' asks Linda...

OFFER €450,000

'No!' she declares in a sing-song manner. Petra's husband has seen enough and urges a Deal again. He's got a bit more of a case this time, because the Banker has at least gone to the median this time, and taking out the €5m will send it crashing down.

Linda points out we're at the one-to-open stage. ADBREAK!

We come back with loads of time left. That's the latest adbreak I've ever seen in terms of the game. This is incredibly exciting.

Linda seems to hint, quite wrongly, at a possible offer 'near a million' if this next one is not the top prize. I hope I'm wrong there, and with my near-zero knowledge of Dutch likely am.

Petra's decision at €450,000 is what it's all about. Now her hand is over the button... and she duly DEALS! €450,000 is hers. I don't think I can actually blame her. Mathematically the wrong decision, but for a sum of money where a 'oh *beep* the maths' approach is utterly valid.

You can imagine how relieved her husband is.

Glitter's all over the set. It's always released after a Deal I think but I've rarely seen this much.

ROUND 6 (proveout)
10 - €500!!

Man, I'd love to see this offer. Linda says something I lost in translation.

ROUND 7 (proveout)
23 - €500,000. People thought it was €5m - nope!

I think Petra just said she thought she had the €5m in her case.

ROUND 8 (proveout)
20 - €100!!!

A Final Three For Wakeyists To Laugh At, Probably Quite Wrongly
€400,000
€750,000
€5,000,000

Linda hints at a €1.5m offer. I'd No Deal even that with a €575k guaranteed finish.

ROUND 9 (proveout)
19 - €5,000,000!

So it's €400,000 against €750,000.

14 has €750,000 (correct guess for €2,000) and 18 has €400,000 - which she sold for even more than that!

Oh, and as on every other show, someone at home wins what the player wins. with that and all those bonuses, this show gave away over a million euro!

Great writeup, KP. With 11-cases, an average of nearly €1m per-case is incredible, on a stable board as well. Her husband sounds as though he was having a panic-attack towards the end, and I don't blame him!