So it was. Misread the game summary. That makes my point stronger though. On a 2 box/peanuts board, pitching the offer just below the 2nd highest box would make most players think.

absolutely, if the banker had offered 13-15K which would have been about right that would have given players more of a problem.

40K was also silly at 2 box. He should have offered 50K.

still good for maria for recognising that and turning them down.

What an amazing game!!!!! I knew something big was going to happen when the second break occurred so early. I wasn't sure whether to expect a trainwreck or a complete turnaround. I knew it'd be one or the other. I'm glad she swapped her box. After all that, it would have been awful if she hadn't won the £100,000. I know £15,000 isn't bad, but it's so much less than Maria deserved. She earned every last penny of that £100,000. Well done to Maria, and thanks for giving us that exciting game.

How do you solve a problem like Maria? I don't know, but the banker had better figure it out before another one comes along!!!

Amazing game today, may be the best yet ?!

wat u lot have to realise is that it was good the banker didnt make a huge effort to get the player out the chair

you all say his offers can be really mean but when he tries his hardest to get the player out the chair its the total opposite and people deal all the time, its not right

they should be pitched evenly like most of todays offers

Look on page 3 of this thread - I predicted the build-up!

But never did I think she would have won it - NO WAY!

Well done, Maria!

[quote="James1978"]WOW!!!

How the hell was THAT not spoiled??? That gives me hope that the next quarter-millionaire won't be spoiled either! quote]

I wouldn't pin too many hopes on that remember the 100K is not the top prize, media doesn't care about 100K wins it just reports top prize wins on shows months in advance.

I love Maria.. I love the £100,000... I love Deal or No deal!!

So gald she did so well!

Hope you enjoy the truckload of cash1 hopefully not in 1p's

Ooooooh, the Hall of Fame section on this site has already been updated!

WOW thats all we can say really. Maria is a classy and refined lady and i am so glad she won. Brenda.

It was 4.25. For pretty much the first time ever, I had forgotten that DOND was on and I was heading out the door in a few minutes anyway, so I turned the TV on to see Maria playing who, with the greatest respect, had hardly said a thing on the wings and, from what I could see in front of me now, wasn't saying very much more in her game.

It's not unusual for me to have to go out during the show, but I'll always record it to watch it later. Convinced that I wouldn't be missing much, again for pretty much the first time ever, I didn't.

What an idiot.

Ah well, there's always 4oD!

Yes, I've watched the last 10 mins now!

Incidentally, the only other show I've missed this year was Psychic Sarah's which was due to my TV aerial disappearing in a storm. Next time I intend to miss one I'll let you know as, judging by my record, it'll turn out to be a classic...

Well, what a great game. If I'm honest I didn't really get into the game at all until after the second break... when Maria's name was called I thought "Who?" and did not recognise her at all... mainly due to the battle of the sexes meaning that during Maria's time on the wings, I found the women tended to merge as one as there were so many of them - it also didn't help that some of them looked a lot like each other!

The game reminded me a lot of Gaz's - a bad start with an unexpected turnaround and then the mobbing at the end when the £100k was revealed - and the fact Maria swapped for it made it even more special! I wonder if this will encourage swapping now? Maybe it will make the banker more reluctant to offer them if he knows they're going to work.

Anyway Maria - well done and enjoy the £100k.

Swapping is still really not a good idea overall especially when it goes wrong it would hurt far worse giving the money away then never having it.

Still it had to go right for once and what a good time =D.


I know laddo other week swapped and won 50K but thats not a big deal is it? I mean he was barely gambling anything because the banker was being stupid with his offers.
And while 40k was still below dealable IMO its alot more belivable on a 100k final two than 9k on a 50k final two.

While I appreciate it was a great game, I can't quite agree with all this.

It would have been a shame if the swap hadn't worked at the end, but it definitely wouldn't have been awful. £15k is a huge amount more than many people get out of this show, and I'm sure she wouldn't have had any regrets about swapping for her birthday box.

I also can't agree that she "earned every last penny of that £100k". Yes, she played the game very well, but so have dozens of other players, who didn't have luck on their side. She could have no dealt the exact same offers, and opened box 11 just before the final offer. Then she could have no dealt and got £15k out of her box (higher than any previous offer). She would have "earned" that result too, it just wouldn't have been on as big a scale.

Fantastic game, nevertheless.

Agree with Muinimula there.

Not to begrudge Maria her fantastic win, and the huge amount of tension generated in the last part of the game...

IMHO (and this is just my opinion...) the players who truly deserve the big money are those that make major contributions to every single game, giving maximum entertainment value to the viewer, right from their very first appearance...

By this (albeit dodgy) reasoning, the players in the current lineup who deserve to win big are: Ed, Poppsy (!), Ioanna, Danielle, Joan... & Jean!

Insomuch that to 'earn' means 'to acquire or deserve as a result of effort or action' then Maria did earn every penny. Her actions in no-dealing offers and then swapping earned her £100,000. She didn't do much in the effort stakes admittedly but then plenty of people sit at desks all day and earn plenty without much effort.

Its all down to luck though. Her actions could have earned her a blue amount. From 8 box where she had 2 reds and 6 blues she had a run of 6 blues. Dunno what the odds of that are but it was pretty lucky.

It was her day. She took her lifetime's chance and it paid off.

...then the players who put the most effort into each & every one of their appearances deserve the biggest wins! (IMHO)

Of course, that's all conditional on the contestant proving to the director that it's worthwhile editing each game in their favour, to show them in the best light every show...

...And also that, when they finally get to the crazy chair, they don't clam up tight with studio nerves, or bottle their game with an unwise decision...

No money for Maria there then. I hadn't really clocked Maria when she was on the wings. When she was chosen I thought 'who's that?'



Maria didn't make much effort there either. I thought she was a grumpy old trout until 8 box when she transmogrified into Wakey's mum.



Thats where Maria scored heavily. Lots of wise decisions. None of this dealing malarky. See she did earn her money.