Recap of tonight's show!

Game #1 for tonight started in the last episode, so it's...

Returning Contestant: Vicky Mansigo!

Chosen case: 7

Round 4: 3 Cases to open

24: $100
17: $5
8: $25

Banker's offer: $48,000!

DEAL! at $48,000

However was it a good deal?

Round 5: 2 Cases to open

20: $750,000!

At this point, it was pointless to continue the game.

Howie opens her case #7 and reveals... $50!

To prove it...
2: $1,000
5: $5,000
9: $10,000
12: $1
13: $200
21: $0.01

(I think I got these correctly.)

Game Summary:

Peak offer: $48,000
Case value: $50
Prize won: $48,000
Result: Outright Player Win

Game #2 for tonight is a new contestant and...

That Contestant is: Giuseppe Iannello!

Originally from Sicily, he's been in the USA for 40 years now.

The screen shows his supporters, which number ten of them, including his eight children and his wife in there! And this is even before his game starts! Normally we see this after Round 2 is done.

He also mentions that he is familiar with the concept of this game, since he has seen the Italian version of it called Affari Tuoi (literally meaning Your Business), which incidentally does air on RAI International outside of Italy from time to time.

Also, it's DOUBLE DEAL NIGHT!!! with all the cases having its values doubled, so the jackpot amount for his game is an incredible $2,000,000!!!

This apparently is going to be a game of Affari Tuoi on a USA Deal Or No Deal set, since Giuseppe is often conversing in Italian.

Chosen case: 8

Round 1: 6 Cases to open

17: $10,000
20: $1,500,000! Serious Early Damage
19: $100
21: $150
12: $600
13: $20,000

Banker's offer: $40,000!

NO DEAL!

Round 2: 5 Cases to open

4: $1,500
5: $1,000,000! Only one of the seven figure amounts remain at this point
15: $150,000
26: $50,000
7: $1,000

Banker's offer: $73,000!

The set of the show Affari Tuoi and its host, Flavio Insanna, is beamed in via satellite from Rome, Italy.

NO DEAL!

Round 3: 4 Cases to open

25: $10!
22: $2!

Case 18 (Marisa) gets chosen, and she says something in Italian to Giuseppe which is translated for us on the screen into English before she reveals her case...

18: $2,000,000!!! OUCH! There went the last Seven Figure Amount! That undid whatever good the round began with and is assuredly going to lower the next offer...

6: $400 Damage had been done with the previous case, however.

Banker's offer: $59,000!

NO DEAL!

Round 4: 3 Cases to open

23: $50
16: $200,000
3: $800

Banker's offer: $112,000!

NO DEAL!

Round 5: 2 Cases to open

22: $2,000
11: $400,000 Some more big money takes a hit, but still he has a pretty favorable board.

The Final 6 Cases

- $0.02
- $20
- $200
- $100,000
- $600,000
- $800,000

Banker's offer: $129,000!

NO DEAL!

Round 6: 1 Case to open

9: $800,000!!! Truly a two-case game, but virtually a one-case game here. Banker will punish him here for that.

Banker's offer: $69,000!

NO DEAL!

Round 7: 1 Case to open

14: $20!

Banker's offer: $127,000!

DEAL! at $127,000

Round 8: 1 Case to open

1: $200 The case he needed to see wasn't in here...

Banker's offer would have been at that point $231,000!

Round 9: 1 Case to open

2: $600,000 There we go! However, he still went one deal too soon...

The Final 2 Cases would have been...

- $0.02
- $100,000

Howie now opens his case #8, and will it be a very super deal or just a good deal and the case is now revealed to contain...

8: $100,000! He was never going to be in the Lowest Prize Club...

To prove it, Anya opens up her case to reveal...

10: $0.02

Game Summary:

Peak offer: $231,000
Case value: $100,000
Prize won: $127,000
Result: Technical Player Win (55-45)

And this ends the recap!

Fantastic recap!

Giuseppe was a great contestant! I really wanted him to win huge, but $127,000 is still a wonderful prize. I wish him and his family the best of luck! He is definitely in my Top 10 DoND USA contestants of all time!

The clip with the Italian DoND host was great. But, I swear that is the fourth person I've seen host the show! (I've seen two other guys and a woman host "Affari Tuoi")

I've seen some eps of "Affari Tuoi" and I can tell you the show is downright insane! Not as loud and bouncy as the French one, but the Italian show is very entertaining, even though I don't understand a word they're saying!

If I'm not mistaken, isn't it Italy where the "Boxes and Banker" format of DoND orgininated?
-Joe R.

According to Wikipedia, Australia also started the DoND concept in 2003, same year as Italy. However, the earliest semblance to DoND is the Dutch version in 2001.

The first Boxes (not suitcases) and Banker apparently was Affari Tuoi.

I suspect now Affari Tuoi has at least 24 boxes (possibly 26 now), and I remember it referring it originally to have had just 20 boxes.

End Of Vicky's Game: Yes! Yes! Yes! It's about time that a contestant comes to his/her senses and deals at the fourth offer when he/she has an unsafe board at that point! This is only the second time ever that a contestant has dealt at the fourth offer, and both times, the contestant beaten the banker with the deal! I certainly expect to see more fourth offer dealing (although, I expect the proveout in some of those to prove that these deals are not the best decisions. TBH: I would have dealt at the third offer at Vicki's game, therefore winning only $29K instead of $48K. In any ways, very well done!

Double Jackpot Game: You got to love Italians on a game show! Unlike the fourth offer, dealing at offers five through seven have been proven to be wimpy and losing throughout this season, but he still did well, as he only had $100K in the case. (Had the 2c in the Final Two: That's the latest the Penny has still been on the board in a long while.) With his TPW, we have two players beating the banker, one technically, and one outright. And, seeing $600K being the last high amount remaining does seem unusual, to say the least!

Two More Notes: I find it somewhat interesting that the offer $127K when the offer was $129K right before the $800K was hit (Would be more interesting if it was the same offer), but at least he kept the proveout offer below $250K (even if just barely), therefore allowing the TPW.

It's also nice to see carryover games again. I find one-game episodes to be too slow and therefore less exciting.

Should I again say that fourth offer deals are 2-0 Player at this point? I tell you more players need to take the fourth offer! (Although I do agree with the Italian's decision to ND the fourth offer with his board at that point.)

All in all, a great show!

It does seem as though with the one-case-to-open format there's usually something bigger than whatever the contestant takes, even though often going on is far too much of a risk.

Truly fantastic OPW for Vicky, I think I'd have gone at the same time but I'm really not sure (may have been tempted by the third offer, may have plunged myself into the trainwreck).

Guiseppe's game pleasantly surprised me before a case had been opened - I'd heard $2m and thought 'Double or Nothing, very cheap sweeps stunt' but NBC did it properly. Though I'd have loved to see the game played in Euro instead, that would have been funny! I did wonder if the Banker knew where the money was (as he does in Affari Tuoi!) after that $69,000 offer - half the mean at five cases left and one to open is an insult in an all-or-nothing game let alone one with a safety net. I'd have taken the $231,000, the $127,000 was still too low for my liking with a one-in-four shot at $600,000 and a safety net. Lowest it would have gone was $27,000, hitting the $100,000 (obviously not possible, but that wasn't known) would have still sent the offer up into the $150k bracket, and obviously hitting a tiny case would have pushed it past $200,000 (though probably not quite to that may-as-well-be-the-mean $231,000. I'd have offered $210,000 there).

Still, rather nice game, great to see a 'wacky' huge amount survive so long (and the two-cent case as well!). Now, if we can't get Howie to host our show, can we at least find our own Howie who condones Dealing and actually cares for the contestants?

Alike had a big money night at case 20 which is good news, and her first 7-figure amount above $1,000,000.