Coming from the person who described a £12,000 win as "crap" a while ago...

Maybe he meant that he'd have played to the end and wouldn't have been unhappy with what he won.

Nope, don't think he meant that...

Number of games without a third offer Deal: 57 and counting.

The first thing I can say is offer a brief obituary for the Viewer's Competition. It's rewarded hundreds of people with anything from £500 to £75,000 over the last two years (with such exciting names as Peggy Mitchell, Sylvia Skeleton, Fred Good, Mrs Smith, and the legendary XXX from XXX!), and the Matchplay games have been really exciting. I count myself extremely lucky to have been one of the 1,650-odd people to have been a blue box opener, and will keep extra safe my seal from now on, knowing that they'll never make any blue seals ever again! I feel really sorry for the people who've opened blue boxes on shows from this date onwards, though, as it means that their moment of fame will be cut out. I can see people telling everyone "Hey, I'm on Deal or No Deal today!" and then being a bit surprised.

The game itself, though, and wow, what an energetic and exciting one it was! It sped by so fast, never pausing for breath, it was energy, energy, energy all the way, and I thought there was no *way* there was any chance of her *not* winning that £75k, a £20k win at the very least I thought, so to lose them both in the final round was a big shock. I'm glad that she at least got £5,000 out of her game, though, would have been really bad starting off October with a blue win! Well done on your £5,000, Ioanna!

We may well have just seen the beginning of the end of Deal or No Deal. And on the day the show is cut adrift from its main financial support, how fitting it is we see a player all too willing to follow the floor manager's tune. Didn't cost her too dearly, mind, and nor was it utter stupidity - but I for one would have taken all of the last three offers, and yes, I know, that wouldn't have given me an OPW...

Time for some after-game stats.

Ioanna played a blinder of a game, and there were some great tempting offers by the banker, too. Let's do a recap.

Boxes: 14
Average: 9,111
Low: 115
High: 18,107
Offer: 5,000 ( 54.88% )

Av goes up: 30%
Av above offer: 51%

0.01 0.1 0.5 1 50 250 500 750 1000 5000 10000 15000 20000 75000

A reasonable attempt by the banker to buy the box, around 55% of the average. The average is going to increase half the time at 2-box relative to the offer, so a straightforward no deal.

The board changed little at 11-box, and a stick was fine.

Boxes: 8
Average: 12,656
Low: 125
High: 25,188
Offer: 9,001 ( 71.12% )

Av goes up: 25%
Av above offer: 46%

0.01 0.1 1 500 750 5000 20000 75000

Now this was a good offer, with the high-half of the board averaging around £25,000, £9,000 at 2-box would be tempting. Considering the 2-box combos at the end, I would have considered this more!

Boxes: 5
Average: 20,100
Low: 1,200
High: 39,000
Offer: 17,500 ( 87.06% )

Av goes up: 40%
Av above offer: 40%

0.1 500 5000 20000 75000

A critical moment in the game. Even with the low value entering redspace, I would deal this offer with the hi-lo values, and as such this board. It took bravery to decline this offer, though in all the excitement, maybe Ioanna was just carried away.

The board did collapse, as it's prone to do a lot of the time. £5,000 is still a respectable sum of money. Well played.

I think I'd be happier with £17,500 myself.

Well, not all these supposed Wakeyists stick to their word, and it's interesting to see how they react when faced with really big money on offer... of course, if the game doesn't go particularly well then they generally will just go to the end.

Anyway, a decent consolation prize at least - but of course the most notable thing about today's show was the end of the LTL. Can DOND survive without the money it brings in? I've no idea how much it contributed to the show, but any show that gives away an average of around £17,000 for six days a week has to fund it somehow. And if they have to cut the prize money on offer that will surely kill the show - there just wouldn't be enough games where the offers were meaningful if the top prize was lower.

I tell you what, she's in the running for fave female from that position, it's between her and Doughnut Kirsty, and I can't quite decide....she's definitely the hottest.

I was pleased she played to the end in a way, I expected her to, and she at least didn't make out she was one thing then go on to do the complete opposite (like "My mate" Phil and 1p Adam), and she seemed prefectly happy to have given it a go and it not quite come off, and 5k is still a sum of money I'd be quite happy with after a bad game (it was looking at one stage as though it would be her highest offer). Reminded me a bit of Penny from April that she had the 75k left as the only big amount on a poor board and almost got it, but seemed happy enough with 5k. And she replaced Ian who's game Ioanna was there for!!

And I'm gonna miss the LTL - Billy missed another great named winner of it, someone called "Herman High" won it in 1p Nick's game.

I'm not too bothered about it going in its season 3 format, but I will always miss the contestants announcing it - I would always hope it would come back and we'd hear legendary speeches similar to those of Harry, Lance, Nalini, Gus, Melanie, Brian, Den etc...I'd imagine some of the current/recent contesatants would have been quite good at it!!

True - Pat G probably being one of the most famous!



They made a huge amount of money from the LTL... probably enough to fund DOND for a while to come... there's also the BT sponsorship which must provide a good amount, otherwise they wouldn't bother with it.

I wouldn't be surprised if money came from elsewhere to support DOND if it got into trouble... I mean, Endemol make loooads of money from Big Brother, so aren't short of cash... maybe some of that could go towards DOND.

Interestingly some of the Wakeyists on the forum (such as Aaron Brock) actually liked the idea of increasing the jackpot... but surely that would lead to more deals due to the increased size of the offers due to the higher jackpot?! The option of decreasing the jackpot would be rather pathetic... have any shows actually ever reduced the amount they have on offer as their prize? I'd imagine that a lower jackpot would result in more no dealing with less meaningful offers so should appeal to Wakeyists!

I think Aussie DOND did it, I seem to remember hearing somewhere... moved from an unsuccessful prime-time slot to a lower budget daytime version I think?

But as for the Wakeyists, I think these people mainly watch for the hope of seeing £250k, £100k etc. wins. If those prizes were no longer possible they would soon get bored even if nearly everyone was no-dealing to the end.

Well, if anyone was going to have the guts to go all the way, it was Ioanna! I wasn't at all surprised that she turned down the £17,500, although I would have dealt there. Five grand is still very nice, though.

Well done Ioanna, she played the game well.

It felt rather odd without the viewers competition...i wondered why it cut straight to the break at the first break...

Just watched it. Well, she certainly was 'true' to what she said on the wings. I must say, The 4th offer was tempting but I definitely would have dealt the 17.5K. Even Ian had 10K instaead of 5K.

She seemed happy though so good for her.

Oh you poor darlings having to suffer a bit of Wakeyism for a change.
When I think of the tedious boring crappy early deals we've suffered over the past year or so its about time the balance was redressed.

And today's game was still exciting - TO THE END! You all love the excitement Wakyist games provide yet complain bitterly if somebody has the guts to turn down a grossly inflated offer. Ioaana played the game the correct way and picked up £5k despite her appalling luck.

And as for KP - talk about a harbinger of doom! He should put a placard on and go round chanting 'The End Of The World Is Nigh. Repent Repent

just 2 clarify basicasic, I hope you didn't misunderstand my post. I'm fairly opened minded about how people should play the game. She gave us an exciting game and I congratulated her for that. i will never criticise players who have the nerve to go all the way the same way as I don't criticse the majority of deals.
i was merely saying what I would have done. She was happy with her 5K so a good game in more than one respect.

I can't see anyone complaining that she no-dealt really. A few said they would have dealt it, but that's a different issue - as I said the other day, what you want to watch and what you would do yourself are not necessarily related at all!

She no-dealt good offers for the chance to win big, and was perfectly happy to accept the consequences if it went wrong, so I was quite happy that she got the 5k in the end. She obviously would have been more gutted by missing out on 75k, so I was happy with the outcome. What annoys me more are when low amounts are won becuase the player is forced with insulting offers when they might have wanted to deal (read battle of the sexes - particularly Irene, or sequencegate with 1p Trevor) then win a low blue.

I do find it so much more exciting when people no-deal high offers than artifically low ones, that's for sure. With people like Graeme my reaction was "WOW, I can't beleive he turned down THAT"!! Whcih puts be even more on edge! With Irene, say, it was "Oh, wait for the inevitable to happen" - and it did.

Gorgeous player, lovely family, excellent game... and a fair win at the end.

Well done Yo! You kept cool to the end and looked lovely Brenda.