There was an episode last week, but my connection at 'home' didn't let me watch it very well. But compensation for that - pictures in this week's recap!

Introduction this week, and apparently we have a lot of horny old men in the audience as there were a lot of wolf whistles as Linda arrived. Goodness knows how they'll react to the introductory model walk... but first, we have a Postcodelotterij clip with last week's winner and his neighbours. I'm sure that until 2008, other Postcodelotterij ticket holders in the same postcode as the winner shared a prize equivalent to what the player won.

Oooh, SHINY outfits for the 'Koffer Girls'... silver glittery tops and matching grey jeans! Very, very impressive effect. I think that's only the second time I've seen them not wearing dresses.

Blue half of the audience win round 1 and a DVD player with 50 films. No product placement?

Block 9 win the second round by a fairly significant margin; the third round has a question on "Total Diva Pets", which I, and I don't really need to tell you is Californian. Block B win 53-50. And just like that, I quote Linda: 'In no time, 500 reduced to 25'. And the top five alone go through to the next bit - they are Marja, John, Helena, Kees and Stieneke. Joining them is a random remote pick - Carla in block 7B, seat 12.

Question 1: answer 162, Marja gone with a guess of 400, €1,000 for her.
Question 2: answer 76 (not everyone polled for reasons I lost in translation), Carla gone with a guess of 195, €2,000 for her. Someone was bang on! Linda points out there's a 50-50 chance of the remaining contestants making the final showdown.
Question 3: triggers laughs for a reason lost to me, answer 86, Stieneke (who was bang on last time) out with a guess of 200, €3,000 for her.
Question 4, asked only to the men: 'Vindt u uzelf sexy?' Translation barely required, and that made both me and the entire audience collapse in laughwards. The first two audience members Linda talks to say they said no, and Linda chases after someone who says yes!! He looks like half of Right Said Fred!


And I'm, too sexy for this show.

No, where were we? 115 yes, 136 no... Kees (male) says he doesn't find himself sexy, and says something that makes Linda almost collapse in laughter... he's gone, guessed 4, and that's how many thousands of euro he wins. Helena and John in the showdown!

Helena is wearing some awesome square glasses of a design I wouldn't mind myself, and looks about 40. John looks to be in his fifties and has grey, receding hair. I think they both mentioned kids... yes, Helena has a 12-year-old son, Max. It's push-the-button-don't-push-the-button time... strange start, scattergun €200 increases. Settling down at quite a slow rate but it speeds up again into the twenties... I think they're going all the way and it'll stop quite low... yup, €33,000 and Helena was just about to push! 'Too late!' I'd definitely have gone all the way there myself.

So now someone from Block 9A - seat 4... gets the money instead! She's a thirtysomething female, I think. MATHS QUESTION TIEBREAKER! 89 + 98 = 188? Nope! John guessed 187, and Helena will be glad she didn't push the button any sooner as never mind thirty-three grand, she now gets to play for FIVE MILLION EURO! Goodness she looks relieved!


The models come back.


Ooh, shiny.

Greeny will be happy that she chose case 11. Helena is pronounced 'HEY-len-ah', apparently. Emphasis important. Her female partner of 24 years is with her, and I idly wonder which country was tolerant of lesbian couples in 1985. Certainly not America, but that's where Helena wants to go I think.

Away we go!

ROUND 1
16 (guess €200,000) - €2,500,000! Linda clasps her hands together over her mouth, which really is her trademark 'shock' pose.
3 (guess €50,000) - €20. "That's better". As is the fact the crowd applaud it!
25 (guess €0.01) - €5. Near enough for Helena anyway! "You're in the spotlight tonight - this is your evening!"
9 (missed guess) - €2,500.
13 (guess €5,000,000 - Linda makes him repeat that twice!) - €1!
21 (missed guess) - €400,000!

Could have been worse, that round.

Offer €34,000!

"That's a high opening offer" says Linda. Too right it is, I've seen less for near-perfect opening rounds. Must have tweaked the formula a bit last week. Anyway, it scarcely matters at this point, it's the obligatory NO DEAL.

ROUND 2
15 (guess €50,000) - €75,000! Nearly. "One out!", I think she said.
18 (guess €50,000) - €0.50!
6 (guess €50,000!) - €10,000. Someone has it...
22 (guess €1,000) - €1,000!! That's €17,000 for the old man!
12 (guess €500) - €500,000! "Three zeroes missing", I think she said.

Still a decent round. It's all about that jackpot.

Offer €72,000

"More than a doubler". Both point out how much money it is. It's not a Deal surely? Indeed not, Linda doesn't even get to ask the question before a NO DEAL.

ROUND 3
24 (guess €1,000,000) - €5,000.
7 (guess €100,000) - €5,000,000!! The whole game changes now.
4 (guess €10) - €25,000.
26 (guess €750,000) - €0.01! That was necessary.

The million is backed up by the €750,000 and a 100k-300k block, along with €50,000. We're into 'good US board' territory now.

Offer €61,000

And that's not a great third offer by their standards. We cut to an adbreak during the discussion of this, so I reckon we have an early deal on our hands, but I think this show is live and I've yet to work out the rhyme or reason behind the timing.

And before Linda can build it up, the case is closed. NO DEAL.

ROUND 4
17 (guess €1,000,000 - "Oh no!") - €100,000. A zero out. Linda emphasises the €0.20 and points out €10 is guaranteed if she hits it.
1 (guess €0.20) - €10. Next best thing!
10 (guess €100) - €50!

About as good a round as could have been expected. 50% chance of seriously life-changing money in the case, 25% chance of €750,000 or more as Linda points out...

Offer €100,000

Bang on the psychological mark. I'd play on instantly, her partner points out there's two to open... oh she says Deal now. Linda opens the case theatrically to reveal the button... points out what €100,000 can do "but three, four, five ton (€100,000) can do more!" - cue applause. "Yes, or no?" she asks, channeling the Korean version. The answer is NO (DEAL)!

To me, the important thing is to make sure the one big hit probable is one of the smaller block.

ROUND 5
19 (missed guess) - €500!
Linda runs through the wings... oh there with case 2 is the guy who said he was sexy!!
8 (guess €50,000) - €200,000.

And what did I say? That was the round she wanted...

The Final Six
€0.20
€100
€50,000
€300,000
€750,000
€1,000,000

Offer €175,000

With one to open that's a trivial No Deal for me, but it's a clear Deal for Helena's partner, and I can see why - it's into the sort of money I'd see little point in getting more than. NO DEAL! Her partner, older than her and with far less stylish glasses, claps dutifully.

ROUND 6
20 (guess €50,000) - €100!

That's the way to do it! Now a 60% chance of at least €300,000 in the case, and only one remains on the left...

Offer €240,000

I said out loud before this offer 'this has to be more than a quarter of a million'. It's not, I'm going on. Her partner isn't. Linda shuts up the stirring audience, points to all the things €240,000 can do, exchanges a few jokes, points out that three of the five remaining cases are higher, appears to be balanced from what I can tell... she points out there's just one case to open (with lots of emphasis on 'one') but again counteracts that... NO DEAL! And Linda does a Howie-esque Face Turn Of Shock!

ROUND 7
The music stopped briefly for some reason... Linda points out John (case 5) is left, as is Sexy Man (case 2).

23 (guess €1,000,000 - Linda swears) - €300,000. Above the offer but still applauded!

Linda clasps her left hand over her mouth, absorbs the new situation, mentions the "50-50" chance of at least €750,000 in the case and how "you can still have 20 cents"...

Offer €310,000

As it turned up, I said two words - 'I'm gone'. Calls to stop from male audience members... her partner needs only to shake her head... Linda points to how taking out the million leaves a one-in-three shot at €750,000, and suggests a €200,000 offer. Actually I'm tempted to play on now, with a view to taking such an offer... yes, I would... but she says DEAL! And needs poking to press the button!

Can't argue with that gameplay one bit. Very well played, went with my initial instincts at every stage.

ROUND 8 (proveout)
5 (missed guess) - €0.20!!

This offer would probably now be close to the mean of €600,000 and that would take me out.

ROUND 9 (proveout)
2 (guess €750,000 - his name is RONALD!) - €750,000!!


Yaaay! Let's hit the boutiques of Amsterdam for sexy time!

Final Two - €50,000 vs €1,000,000. Now, would you take on a Banker's Gamble on this situation?!? Real offer would have been about half a million, though.

Case 14 guesses she has €50,000, but she has the million! It's Helena who has €50,000, and she sold it for more than six times that - a great result from a game that didn't look good for a while!

Hahaha, love the picture recaps!