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It's worth pointing out how there are several distinct 'variations' around the world.
There are three key ones, however.
The first is the 'original audience-participation variation'. These shows are usually, to a greater or lesser extent, copies of the Dutch Miljoenenjacht; a large audience-participation quiz whittles down the audience to a single contestant, and the Deal or No Deal game is effectively a bonus round. (In fact, Miljoenenjacht was launched in 2000 with a trivia endgame, and only introduced the DoND endgame in 2002.) The money is held in cases which are bought to the set by models designed to look identical through wigs and heavy make-up, but in fact beaten finalists in the quiz hold the other cases and can win money by guessing what they have in their case. There are always 26 cases, offers made in the pattern 6-5-4-3-2-1-1-1-1. Offers appear on a screen without the use of a personified 'Banker', and are largely formula-bound and consistently tends towards the mean, frequently going above it in train wreck games. The sets vary but are defined by the audience being split into two sections, each of which consists of multiple blocks - this is for the purpose of the early rounds of the quiz. This version still exists largely untouched in Belgium, Argentina and several other countries.
The second is what I call the 'European comedy variation', with players waiting their turn (and often representing regions), a set that does not at all resemble the typical post-Millionaire neon-and-spotlight model, boxes used to contain the money, a significant comedy emphasis and highly unpredictable offers made after every three boxes, sometimes influenced by a Banker who knows where the money is. The UK follows that model, though several elements of the original French/Italian pattern were removed (the small quiz element to choose a player, the heavy use of music and singing, the omniknowing Banker) and the emphasis is placed on the contestants. Most of the European versions are like this; the Indian version was also similar but with the distinct difference that the offers were consistently exceptionally generous and often above the mean. There was also a substantial celebrity element to that version, I believe.
The other, and this is the one on the rise at present, is the 'NBC variation' - I would call this the 'American variation', but there was a pilot by another US network (ABC) which had elements of the previous two variations but was somewhat different to either. This variation is characterised by the set and graphics - a neon-lit staircase upon which the models stand holding the cases on stands, a booth for the Banker (though he is kept in shadow) and a large game board in a key position close to the contestant's table upon which sits the phone, with the values shown in gold bars which flip over upon that amount being revealed - the logo based on this principle is the same for almost every show using this variation. The set generally makes heavy use of neon, usually turning red at offers and blue or purple otherwise. Offers are made as per the original variation but are somewhat more variable and may take the form of something other than a straight cash offer for purposes of comedy, psychological pressure, product placement or a combination thereof. They are shown on a separate display on the set as they are announced, and TV viewers can also see the list of previous offers. This variation exists in the Phillippines, Canada and most countries that have very recently introduced the format; other countries have taken elements from this variation and introduced them to their existing version (France, Australia) or produced a version broadly similar to, but not a carbon copy of, this variation (Sweden).
EDIT: Things I forgot:
* The Swedish version fits the original audience-participation variation as well as the NBC variation, as there is a quiz to determine the player and a set designed accordingly though otherwise similar to the US set; also, it uses only 24 cases, with - bizarrely - the two-case round skipped. Yes, 6-5-4-3-1-1-1-1. I still think 6-5-4-3-2-1-1 would be fantastic myself.
* Models open the cases in all forms of the NBC variation. That needed emphasis as it's often played up significantly, especially in the US where the models are often more than just pretty faces.
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FAQ
Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 2:40 pm Author: Ian W Post subject: Deal or No Deal Around The World!
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