Ronseal

I certainly found it more tense with the £500k in play... every box in the first round, I was willing it not to be the big one - when the £50,000 went my heart fluttered!

Well I kept hoping it wouldn't go straight away so it would keep the atmosphere of it being in play. However when it didn't go I thought well they've still got the £250k and we're back to normal DOND.

Its a shame the big one went relatively early on both shows, it would have been interesting to see its effect on the offers as the game went on.

Urm no not really

I found that when it was still in play that it was a bit of a novelty, but after it went it just seemed like a normal game with a slightly better board/situation, If you get my drift?

I thought the offers in both games after it had gone seemed deflated if it had been a normal £250k game, even allowing for Danny getting his £10k bonus (remember he wasn't guaranteed it until the offer included all 3 presents)!

Yes it was I thought, it was a shame with how early the 500k lasted and it denied a HoF contestant.

It is definitely more tense, and the tension stayed well after the 500K was taken out interestingly. I couldn't help thinking that if the 500K had lasted 11 boxes that we would have seen huge offers, and possible conservative play by the contestants in dealing early. If 500K became a regular feature of the show then we might see more contestants gambling deep into the game. Now they have done it this Christmas, they will be almost obligated to do the same or better next Christmas. If they keep building up the Endemol kitty, and have a committee meeting with the banker while he's got close to the bottom of a bottle of claret they might pop the £1million box into the game!

I know this sounds awful, but I was willing it to go early in both games, and cheered when it did...it just felt weird with it there, and as someone else said in another thread, the fact that both opening offers were so huge despite average opening rounds just felt wrong. If it had stayed to the third round then the offers could easily have been £40-50k, which I really don't want to see so early in the game. I'm really hoping it doesn't make a reappearance, although I'm sure it will...

Two good £250k boards in those games must have gone down very well indeed with you...

I really wanted to see the later offers, in honesty. Though I suspect Danny, and DEFINITELY Wrighty, would have taken them very quickly - if Wrighty had kept the big one in play another round I'm sure he'd have beecome the first second-offer Dealer.

the shows were great, but only if it started with £500,000...i really enjoyed it more with a higher jackpot