What DOND phrase used by the contestants at the table annoys you the most? Or maybe you love all of them!

I think the "lots of blues to aim at" one is a bit annoying, as people use having lots of blues left as a reason to no-deal... yes it does mean you've got more chance of hitting blues if you've got more of them left, but if you haven't got the blues left then you're in a much stronger position to start with, and you instead have the lowest reds to "aim at" without damaging your game!

That phrase just suggests people think it's "safer" to continue on a volatile board, simply because there's more chance of hitting blues. In reality it's the opposite, the more stable the board, and the more backup reds you have, the less chance you have of a disastrous round!

This is taking 'respect' too far. I dislike it when contestants suck up to the banker to try and get all this respect nonsense. Contestants are always trying to please the "fictional" character, hoping to get higher offers. I prefer players that tell the banker to shove off!



An absolutely pointless and ridiculous statement. Unless you can see through the boxes, you can't physically have a feeling about a box.

Otherwise I don't really mind all the little phrases.. might be a tad too many though

"Thank you Mr Banker, it's an excellent offer, I very much appreciate it, but there's more money in the game, and I feel that I can go on a few more rounds...

(350 years later)

...so I've made my decision, and my answer to the question you've given me as thus: thank you, but no thank you. No Deal!"

Ugh. I remember when Melanie said "Thank you, but No Deal" and it was quite novel at the time, but now every player does it on a huge scale. I mean, I guess sometimes it increases the tension (such as Susan and Di) but it's still annoying!

Worst Lines (toward a contestant at the crazy chair)

This is shaping up to be one of the best games we have ever had (Noel)
Are you on the way to become the 2nd quarter of a millionaire (Noel)
You are obessed with the right hand side of the board (Noel)
Just think of that amount in your bank account its real money tax free (Noel)
Ahhhh and if you No dealt you would of been singing to the tune of whatever the offer is (Noel)
It must be low it must be low Noooooooo (When it ends up being a high red) (Noel)
Its all or peanuts now (Noel)
Thats Ok Thats Ok (In a state of panic Noel)

Thats just a few

Has to be "I'm going to regret this". which either means

a) Contestant has just turned down a really high offer on a risky board.

b) Contestant deals quite early.

If you think you will regret the decision, then it's more than likely the wrong one to make.

Does anyone have any feelings for what's in their box?

Highly annoying....IT'S RANDOM!

Also a contestant asking the audience to make lots of noice fills me with fear, cos a)lots of noice gets on my wick, and b)i'm prone to get headaches quite easily. Even the direction in Hot Fuzz gave me a headache.

Spoiled for choice here - they all annoy me!

But 'thank you Mr Banker etc' gets my vote. Grovelling, if it has any effect at all, is only likely to make him think you are weak and a soft touch.

The phrase I hate the most though is when the banker has just made an offer that is at best adequate for the board and sometimes lousy : 'that's a generous offer Mr Banker'. IT'S NOT !!! ITS LOUSY !!! ITS A LOUSY OFFER MR BANKER - YOU CAN STUFF IT!

There - I feel better now.

Thanks Mr. Banker and Do you have any feelings for your boxes?

I flipped a coin and voted Do you have any feelings...

"Thank you Mr. Banker, it's a very good offer, but no deal".

That is a bit weird as it is clearly sucking up to the fictitious character that is the banker - and they often say it for a not very good offer... Di was the worst in recent memory - "Thank you Mr. Banker" *tells life story* "No Deal".

Adrian was the best - I think contestants are asked to leave a 10-second gap before answering as it gives time to edit in shots of the audience and contestants looking tense - but Adrian didn't - it was literally "Adrian, £22,000, Deal or no Deal?" "Deal!".

It's the experience that counts, not the money.

I don't mind that too much, although it is often used to rather poorly justify reckless gambling. And if the players are honest, the money does count.

I still have lots of blues to aim at.

For the reasons Power5 said, I don't like this one - it doesn't really mathematically make sense! I think its main purpose is for positive thinking.

I'm going to regret this but...

This one definitely gets my vote - very weird - if you're going to regret it and you're sure you will, then why do it? If things go wrong, then you look a fool for saying you knew you would regret it by doing it!

Does anyone have any feelings for what's in their box?

Possibly the most irritating one - although it's used less nowadays, thankfully! It only goes to produce a bad feeling - "What have you got in your box?" "1p, I think!" *opens £250k!* "That's fine! (You idiot.)"

What did you have in your box yesterday?

Another mathematically irritating one - it's all random and at the start of the show, there is a 1 in 22 chance that a certain value will be in a box - the boxes don't have memories (sorry to Mally and his law!).

(To audience) "I want you to make lots of noise!"

Makes me squirm as I'm quite a quiet person myself, although I can see why the louder contestants do it!

I'm ready for the question!

This is a really good one actually - looking back at very old episodes, it's a bit odd where Noel just asks them the question and you don't really know how he knows they're ready to answer it and it was quite clear they'd thought about it more and it had been edited out!

I won peanuts but I made some great friends and had a lovely time!

This is a bit like the "It's the experience that counts not the money" one - if this one is as a result of a poor, trainwreck game then ok - they are focussing on the positives of what they have got out of it, but if it's as a result of reckless gambing, then it's just an excuse!

Regarding "I won peanuts but I made some great friends and had a lovely time!", and "It's the experience that counts, not the money", while I didn't vote for those and in a way it's a nice consolation for a bad game if people can take something away from it like that, it perhaps exposes a fundamental problem with the way the show has gone.

A lot of contestants, it seems, would be more devastated to be picked after 10 shows than they would to go home with 1p. It's fine for people to have different targets, and a gambling or cautious attitude, but I sense there are some for whom it's all about the "experience" and getting a decent sum of money is a bonus/afterthought. Which kind of defeats the object of the game really!

Hahah, no, the best was the original Audrey:

"Ask me the question, Noel."
"Audrey..."
"DEAL!"

I voted for the "Thank you Mr Banker" *beep*. I think it's the use of the word "Mr" that gets to me.

That was second worst for me - it's a fairly harmless, but nonetheless irritating banker-sucking comment that started with the days of Howard and the banker loving him - oh and don't forget Neil aka the banker's bath-time buddy.

They've been doing that kind of thing since long before Howard and Neil. As soon as it became obvious that insulting the Banker or showing a lack of respect means you get crap offers, contestants have been sucking up to him!

I do like those who still show a bit of attitude and say what they think despite that, the John G's and Cocky Bills etc...

Yes that is true, although I think the days of Howard and Neil were really when it properly kicked off - although this was probably also at the same time the new, harsher banker reared his ugly head!



I started a thread a while ago wondering what would happen if a player like Andy K appeared on the wings again, and asked the question - would the banker be scared and play the game well or would he get all stupid and offer swaps?

Talking of the classic shows on the other thread, that would be an interesting and different one to show again. I know it was on last summer's repeats, but that didn't stop Jennifer's game getting yet another showing!

The whole thing of squirming to the banker by thanking him for the offer before saying no deal seems to be based upon contestants who got lower offers because they didn't respect the banker's offer sufficiently. However, the lack of respect was based upon them not even considering the offer but wanting the question quickly, not because they didn't thank him for the offer! It was a tough choice, but I voted for that one on for those reasons. If you're that grateful to the banker for his offer, then you might as well deal! I'ver never heard the banker call up and say "you're more than welcome!"

A very annoying one for me is "I'm going to call a break" or "Do you want time?" - no you are not going to call a break at all - it is not your decision. There is a format, only changed on rare occassions, such as the hour long games. It was good once when they were having a quickie in the second round, and Noel tried to stop Scott opening his box before the break, but he ripped it open! And once he had a fight with Pennie trying to rip it from her hands before she could open it.

There's a whole bundle there that mildly annoy me because they reflect simple superstition in a game of luck and mathematical economics...

...I'm going to have to call 'I'm here to play the game' as a least favourite though!!

ITA about Audrey and Adrian!

"I'm ready for the question" -