I think Endemol picks a pretty good variation of contestants. It could be that they choose to highlight certain bits of a player's life in the show and sometimes it does seem that you get a speight of players who have sob stories but there are plenty of normal players that have played - they just are less memorable.

Also the ones who deal too early and blows the chances of getting more money.

Basically, they pick people to be part of the show that might be interesting?

It that really your problem?

They obviously 'engineer' the wings so there's a mixture of men and women, old and young etc - that's obvious because otherwise there'd be occasions when the wings were full of old men or young women or something. I don't think they take things like this into consideration when they choose who gets on the show though, that's why some people have to wait ages, presumably for a gap to appear (i.e. if they've chosen lots of old women from a group of auditions then some of them will have to wait a while to get on as they wouldn't want them all on at once).

I'm sure there have also been plenty of contestants who are gay but haven't mentioned it on the show - things like that don't make you get picked to be on the show. People are chosen because they're interesting. Yes it's true that some contestants are a bit "out there" or extra lively, but there are plenty who aren't. It's just that you remember the ones who are more than the ones who aren't!

This thread is about the characters - not about how they choose to play the game.

I've also read player profiles on the official DoND site, and i've noticed that a lot of the players also have weird fears/phobias

That might sound a bit hypocritical though, as i have a phobia of balloons and large butterflies and moths

In show's from 80's & 90's such as Take Your Pick & The Price Is Right contestants were from the studio audience.

Unlike those Shows I imagine Deal has to be getting a good camaraderie going between the players in the wings for the "us against the banker" spirit. After all common phrases used at the end of an unsuccesful games is "I've had a good time and met some great people and loved the experience".

As I posted in another thread, in the earlier Deal series over 45 minutes there was hardly any backstory, the game was about opening boxes. But since they went to the hour slot they have filled the time with backstory. On some occasions now it takes sometimes up to 6-7 mins at the start of a game to introduce the player, explain the photo's & sentimentality of any other objects they bought.

Then on occasion at just after second ad break Noel asks the player about the "personal traumas" they may have had.

I agree though, that if you haven't had any significant personal traumas of challenges to overcome your at a greater disadvantage , in my opinion, if you applied to get on this or any other show on telly these days

If this sort of thing ever makes sense, it's for DoND, a luck-driven game with no general knowledge requirement and a central "narrative" built around contestant interaction.

I certainly like how much DoND's contestant population really is a cross-section of society. Compare that with the procession of middle-aged white men from the Home Counties that Millionaire used to have.

Well I don't really have a background story, unless you count being hit by a car.

I got hit by a bus once - although just broke an ankle.

Anyone who has seen the DOND application form will know how comprehensive it is and it's up to the producers to decide what to put on the information card they give Noel before the game.

I didn't actually break anything, which is kinda weird.

Anyway, my guess is it's a random pick, and if you are a person with no background story, then you've got just as much chance of getting on the show as someone who has got a background story.