Well, that was a far better offer than the last one...

Round 5

17 - £10,000 AJ

2 - £1 Newbie Sobia

20 - £250,000 Daniel

Banker time

Alexandra says that is OK as she is sure she has a big red in her box. The Banker says that last box changes everything.

Banker's offer:

£8,000

Alexandra says that is too low for what she has on the board and what she thinks she has in her box. She then asks the audience if they would deal, and no-one puts up their hands. Alex goes to AJ and he says it is a gamble as there is a big chance she will take out at least one of the big reds. Alex again says that £8,000 won't do what she wants to do.

Alexandra says

NO DEAL

Who would deal with two of the power 5 and just one blue remaining?!

The Banker calls and says he thought £8,000 was a good offer and the board is deceptive. He thinks Alexandra has made a terrible mistake and allows her to change her mind!

Noel asks Alexandra the question again

Alexandra says

NO DEAL

Sod it, Banker!

You've already made a ridiculously low 11-box offer, and now you try to reverse a perfectly reasonable no deal...

Round 6

9 - £35,000 Detrix

18 - £3,000 Phyli

Alexandra goes over to the 2 remaining boxes and touches them with her bump to see if the baby kicks to tell her which box to choose. Alexandra says she got a little movement from box 21

21 - £50,000 Jen

Banker time with £5 and £1,000 remaining

You gave it your best shot says Noel. The Banker says if only she changed her mind when he gave her another chance at the last deal

Banker's offer:

£250

Alexandra says

NO DEAL

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess you were right all along, Mr B...

Noel opens box 6 and reveals £1,000

David with box 22 contains the £5

Alexandra says she can pay off her credit card and buy a little something for her baby, and she has also had a fantastic time, and she also gets to have a photo of her with Noel.

Not much of a consolation IMHO.

It all went wrong after that stupid 11-box offer...

And that is why randomising isn't always a good idea...

So it's Alexandra to play today. Have we got a Matt, Joe, Leon/a, Shayne, or Steve on the wings?

"Some people get upset when they talk about [how] people get brave and courageous at some decisions." *raises hand* Jamie's appearance netted him over twenty grand, plus probably a bit of catharsis - I can imagine the DoND taping experience being so all-consuming in itself as to be almost a valuable escape. Jamie probably thought it'd be that if he decided to record his shows immediately, and I think if I were ever in a similar spot, I'd do the same.

(On the other hand, actually I probably wouldn't. If I waited several months to play, I'd know where I stood financially with the inheritance by the time I entered the chair. I'd want long enough to recalibrate my utility function in light of that new information.)

Anyway, from a player who's lost his mother to a player about to become one. Target-based approach, but no exact value noted; superstitious element in there early; here we go.

With a narrowly above-average round; £75k, one orange, and three low blues. Offer is - by today's standards - narrowly below-average, but nothing to fret about. The instant remark about £8,000 is, the Banker will now be ready to get her cheaply. As reflected in the very limited increase after an excellent second round.

All-blue! Well he can't not respond to that.

Oh.

Never mind the player, the producer is scared that she's going to over-emotionally deal at the third offer, and has to offer complete rubbish to ensure we get to the ADP. Reality check with the £100,000, and the £20,000 isn't ideal, but the jackpot with two Power 5 backups at eight-box is a board that would normally ensure an offer north of twenty grand. Today, we actually get a drop from £14,000. Is the Banker's strategy to simply assume she is going to get over-emotional and Deal a rubbish offer eventually? If it is, that's appallingly sexist if nothing else. The Banker confirms that £250k/blue/blue will still lead to £NO_DEAL, but most of us worked that one out already.

Blast, it goes last box. Looking at it positively, with these non-offers, we still have a 40% chance of a Power 5 win out of the box. First remotely dealable offer of the game, and she turns it down more decisively than the last two. Targetism alert!

Oh she gets the chance to change her mind. Which is just there to make her look more courageous. You were saying 35 minutes ago, Noel? Some of us are upset right now.

And we get the 10% disaster chance. It's almost as if he knows where the money is.

How fitting that I started this by noting the X-Factor name correlation. Simon Cowell would've been proud of this one. Me, I've still got three Miljoenenjacht episodes to catch up on.

Once again the bravery wasn't rewarded, why is it that every time it starts to get interesting the QM goes?

Because it's how Endemol love to save money whatever way they can?

Without wanting to sound like KB, just when yesterday's game gave optimism, we get a game where the 11-box offer showed the banker thought that he could get Alexandra out cheap and then she hits not only the 30% disaster chance at 5-box but the 10% chance.

At least the red run continued - just.

The Banker was right about one thing, that was a decptive board.

Alex's game reminded me of Karen's from a month or so back. The problem with taking out so many blues early on is it leaves you little room to maneuver, while at the same time leaving a board that's almost impossible to walk away from. It's possible in this case a more generous 3rd offer would have got Alex out at the peak of the game, it's also possible she would have been seduced by the board regardless, we'll never know.

Still, it's the sort of game that keeps the conspiracy theorists happy- if nothing else at least it was good for that