And here's how it went!

Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the 4th season premiere of Deal or No Deal! Let's get straight into the recap...

First, a reintroduction to those 26 dollar figures DoND has made famous:

- .01¢
- $1
- $5
- $10
- $25
- $50
- $75
- $100
- $200
- $300
- $400
- $500
- $750
--------------------------
- $1,000
- $5,000
- $10,000
- $25,000
- $50,000
- $75,000
- $100,000
- $200,000
- $300,000
- $400,000
- $500,000
- $750,000
- $1,000,000

To start off this new season, DoND is once again on a mission... a Million Dollar Mission!

Since this is the 4th season premiere... there are FOUR $1,000,000 FIGURES on the board! (Meaning next highest sum is $300,000.)

And the first contestant of the 2008-2009 season is...

Contestant: Koshka Blackburn!

Chosen case: 18!

Round One: Six Cases:

3: $100,000

16: $400

2 $1!!

5: $25,000

15: $25

12: $75,000

Sadly, the Banker has returned too and he's as cruel and vicious as ever. His first offer of the new season is...

Banker's offer: $71,000!

NO DEAL!

Round Two: Five Cases:

8: $75

10: $1,000,000!!!

14: $50

20: $1,000,000!!!

4: $5!

Rough round. Half of the $1,000,000 cases have been removed. Because of this, The Banker has taken the offer down to...

Banker's offer: $51,000!

NO DEAL!

Round Three: Four Cases:

17: $100

23: $1,000

22: $200

9: $500

A much better round with a much better offer!

Banker's offer: $95,000!

But that isn't all. The Banker has included a bonus offer! In a tie-in with another NBC program: "The Biggest Loser", the Banker has set up a "The Biggest Loser" prize package! This package includes official "Biggest Loser" Books, DVDs, private lesions with the trainers, the "Biggest Loser" meal plan and more! A prize package valued a $17,500! Which would bring the total offer to...

Banker's offer: $112,500!

Even with a double offer, Koshka decides this is an easy....

NO DEAL!

Round Four: Three Cases:

19: $50,000

6: $1,000,000!!! (Normal game from here on out)

1: $300,000

Another difficult round for Koshka. The offer has been adjusted accordingly.

Banker's offer: $66,000!

The Banker has also included another special twist, this one a first for DoND! It's a challenge to Koshka. If she can go all the way to the very end and refuse every cash offer, regardless of the final outcome, he will award Koshka another incredible prize package!

This package includes a trip to New York City, a private audition in an upcoming Broadway musical and a guaranteed walk-on role in the Broadway musical "Hairspray"! This package is valued at $7,000! Remember, Koshka can have it ONLY if she plays all the way to Case 18!

With the cash being offered now, Koshka decides this must be a:

NO DEAL!

Round Five: Two Cases:

13: $300

21: $10

And now, Season Four's first...

The Final Six:

- .01¢
- $750
- $5,000
- $10,000
- $200,000
- $1,000,000

The Banker's challenge is still very much on. While Koshka is very interested in the prizes being offered, she must weather herself through big real money cash offers. Maybe the stakes will get too high? Maybe they've already reached too high for this particular offer:

Banker's offer: $101,000!





















NO DEAL!

Round Six: One Case:


















25: $750

Banker's offer: $155,000!

























NO DEAL!

Round Seven: One Case:

























7: $200,000

Koshka's safety net has been removed from the board. Now Koshka is playing a very dangerous game. Will her dream prize package indeed be risky to attempt?

The Banker shows no mercy and, despite the bad case choice, has RAISED the offer to...

Banker's offer: $170,000!





























NO DEAL!

Round Eight: One Case:
































26: $10,000!!!!!

We are one step closer to possibly crowning out first seven-figure winner! The Banker would be more than happy to call this game of and hand Koshka a check for:

Banker's offer: $286,000!




































NO DEAL!

Round Nine: One Case:


































24: .01¢!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A vital case choice does not disappoint!

And now, straight way in the new season, we have reached...

The Final Two:

- $5,000
- $1,000,000

Now Koshka faces the most difficult decision of her life. She has fought all the way to 50:50 shot at the ultimate prize. This Million Dollar Mission could be over in a single episode! A result Americans have waited years for could finally be presented! A life could be changed forever and don't forget the bonus prize packaged that comes with the mere attempt at all those things.

And she could still end up with just $5,000. (A sum that was the top prize of many American game shows 30 years ago!)

The Banker, however, wants to see none of that. He has a mission of his own, to get Koshka to finally buckle under pressure and take his real cash offer. Of course, with $1,000,000 still on the board, The Banker has to offer Koshka a massive offer. And they don't get any more massive than this!

Ladies and gentlemen, the final offer in this epic game is...








































Banker's offer: $530,000!!!!!!!!!

AN ASSURED HALF-MILLION CASH OFFER WITH JUST ONE WORD!!!!!!! The offer has thrown Koshka to a crushing dilemma and her supporters split on what exactly to do. $530,000 would still very much change Koshka's life forever. She understands that her case could contain $525,000 less... but it could contain another $470,000! She also knows that winning the top prize would also give her the prestige and honor of being the first in the United States to pull it off. And there's still the Banker's prize challenge. A refusal of the final offer would automatically win her a prize package Koshka has dreamed about her whole life. Is the dream worth life changing real cash money?

It's a difficult and agonizing decision for this woman from Maryland. But, one has to be made and Koshka has considered the risks, the rewards and what the ramifications of her options come with.

To the offer of $530,000, Koshka Blackburn has decided this will be a...















































NO DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Round Ten: Last Case:

KOSHKA BLACKBURN WILL ATTEMPT TO WIN THE ULTIMATE PRIZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The good news is that dream Broadway prize package has indeed been awarded to Koshka for winning the Banker's prize challenge. That package is safe and cannot be taken from her no matter what happens.

But, before Howie opens Case 18, Koshka can play the SWAP option and see if Case 11 holds the ultimate prize.

Unlike the cash decisions, Koshka doesn't hesitate on this offer...

NO SWAP!

HAS KOSHKA WON ONE MILLION DOLLARS? The moment millions of Americans have waited for has arrived. Koshka has taken the ultimate gamble for ultimate glory... or for ultimate failure. So many contestants have dreamed of being in this position and Koshka Blackburn is living it. She's prepared for whatever happens. She chose Case 18 for an obvious reason, she decided that case has $1,000,000 inside. Has her prediction come true?

Howie Mandel opens Case 18 and shows that Koshka will leave Deal or No Deal with...












































































































18: $5,000

Massive disappointment fills the entire studio.

To prove it:

11: $1,000,000

While Koshka failed in her attempt at the top prize, she is still very happy with the bonus prize package she has received anyway. To her, living her dream is worth more than money.

Game summary:

Peak offer: $530,000
Case value: $5,000
Prize won: $12,000 ($5,000 cash + $7,000 prize package.)
Result: Outright Banker Win

And that's just the first episode of Season Four! Sure, it didn't start off well, but we've got an entire season of Deal or No Deal to see if that $1,000,000 win can finally be realized. It should be an exciting wild ride!

And there you have it!

Wow, that sounds quite exciting, even if I think she's an idiot for turning down $530,000.

Ouch! Poor girl.

Yeah stupid decision for turning down that final offer really but sounds a great game!

Some points to ponder:

-Declining that $530K offer was by far one of the craziest decisions of the entire series. Even Koshka herself acknowledged the craziness of her decision. Anyone else might have taken it, including many people who post here, yours truly included. Although Koshka got her Broadway dream package, this show is proof that going all the way isn't always the best idea.

-If Koshka makes it big on Broadway, she'll be able to make back the $525K she lost. It might take some time, though. Perhaps she could be the next Jennifer Hudson? Stay tuned...

-This isn't this first time that a season of DoND began with an Banana Sandwich. Last season started in a similar way. The only difference is that last season's first player was stupid. Koshka was a dreamer who fulfilled her dream. Fulfilling dreams is one of this show's good points.

-Why doesn't anyone ever take the swap when it's offered at 2-case? Doing so could have resulted in some much better shows.

-Gotta love the set updates. The new Banker's office is cool, and so is Howie's new entrance through the game board. The 1 vs. 100-esque lighting patterns on the models' stairs and under the contestant podium adds a nice touch. Good to see that they're keeping the show fresh in any way they can.

-I hope the models don't retain those ugly wigs for the whole season. For a second there, I thought I was watching the Australian version.

-Is it me, or did this game seem faster and less dragged out? If so, kudos to Endemol for catering to that issue.

-Let's hope next week's episode is better than this one. It would be great to see a big winner. As I often say, "Go big, or go home."

And there you have it.

Its only a matter of time before someone gambles like this and it pays off, although there was not much point in gambling the 533K when the gain was not much more anyway, it was a retardedly high offer.

Oh dear... I'd have loved to have seent his.

The ending is on Youtube (not the greatest quality though).

Here's when you know a No Deal was stupid: SrWilson doesn't endorse it.

I'd have gone at $286,000, maybe $170,000. To make the decision remotely rational, she'd need to value the prize package at $27,500 (that would effectively make the decision a $32,500 / $1,027,500 decision, with the mean at bang on $530,000). To make it justifiable for most people's utility curves, it'd probably have to have been worth more like $100,000.

To decide how valuable it is, I guess you have to take the quoted $7,000 value of the trip, and then add on the expected earnings from any Broadway career she might have - which is the earnings she'd make from a career multiplied by the probability of getting one out of this audition. Almost impossible to calculate.

There's also, I guess, a certain utility in the very distinction of being the first $1m winner - especially for someone like her, who obviously craves fame (very contrary to me).

So there's more to this decision than just turning down an AMO. Doesn't make it much less ridiculous though.