The following is a comparison study between the UK version of DoND and the US version of DoND. Enjoy!
Hosts
UK: Noel Edmonds, a man with an extensive telvision background, hair and a beard.
US: Howie Mandel, another man who also has an extensive television background. He has no hair and a soul patch, but he once had curly black hair.
Both of theses hosts have an alter ego from their past work. Howie's alter ego is an animated character named Bobby Generic, from a long-running children's show called Bobby's World. Howie both created the show and voiced two of the characters, Bobby and his dad. Noel's alter ego was Mr. Blobby, from his show, Noel's House Party. Mr. Blobby wasn't a cartoon character, but Noel did portray him at one point.
Formats
UK: 22 red boxes held by 22 future contestants. One contestant is chosen from these 22, and plays the game for the entire show. The show is about 30 minutes long.
US: 26 silver briefcases held by 26 gorgeous models. Contestants are chosen from the studio audience, and 1 to 1 1/2 (sometimes 2) games are played per show.
Top and Lowest Prizes
UK: £250,000; 1p.
US: $1,000,000; 1¢.
Bankers
UK: The UK Banker is offstage, and communicates his offers through an old-school rotary-dial phone. He tends to be rather nasty and stingy at times, but he has a sense of humour as well. He also asks to speak to the contestants sometimes, and his voice has been heard once, laughing at a contestant who won 1p.
US: The US Banker has an office above the stage, and all you can see of him is his silhoutte working up there. He communicates his offers through a very cool-looking phone on a pyramid-shaped cradle. He's not as nasty or as stingy or as nasty as his UK counterpart, but he's had his moments. We've never heard his voice before, but we can read about what he's thinking through his blog on NBC's DoND webpage. He has never asked to speak to any of the contestants before, but two contestants have voluntarily spoken with him before. Also, it's been rumored that he's now dating one of the show's 26 models (read his latest blog entry at
www.nbc.com/dond if you don't believe me).
Sets
UK: Very dark-looking set with lots of wood paneling. There is a small, round table where the contestant playing the game sits, and the other 21 stand at two long podiums referred to as the East and West Wings. A large LED screen that displays the status board is in the middle of the set.
US: Large and flashy with lots of bright lights and one or two big LED screens that contain the status board. The contestant stands at a small, glass desk. The Banker's office is located above the studio, behind where the contestant stands. The desk has a covered red button that the contestants press when they want to accept a Bank offer.
Other Stuff
On the UK version, there is a black book and pen on the table where the contestant sits. Contestants sometimes write messages in said book.
The UK version's set is known as The Room of Dreams.
The top prizes on both versions have not yet been won. The lowest prize on the UK version has been won a few times by a select few people known as The 1p Club. The lowest amount ever won on the US version was $5.
Conestants on the US version press a red button when they want to accept an offer. UK contestants give their answers verbally.
The UK Banker sometimes calls and asks contestants if the want to swap boxes in the final round. This happened once in the US version, and the question was posed by the host instead of the Banker.
Celebrities sometimes appear on the US version. They have included Jay Leno, Donald Trump, and a few others.
Someone once broke the phone on the US version. The glass cube which covers the Deal button was also once broken as well.
The US Banker soemtimes adds prizes with his offers that relate to a given contestant's wants / interests. They have included a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a Dallas Cowboys dream package, and a brand new Hummer, just to name a few. Strangely enough, whenver a prize is offered, the contestants usually don't accept the offer. A prize / money offer was only accepted once, and it was for $44,000 and a pony.
Noel Edmonds' name spells out Endemol and No Deel when the letters are played around with.
That's all I can think of for now. Feel free to add to the list, if you wish. Enjoy!
-Mark.
FAQ
Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 6:21 pm Author: Dr. Hindsight Post subject: UK Deal vs. US Deal: A Comparison Study
too.
