Deal or No Deal (Australian game show)

Deal or No Deal
The logo for Deal or No Deal Australia
Genre	Game show
Created by	Endemol
Presented by	Andrew O'Keefe
Starring	The Dealettes Walter P. Smyte (The Bank)
Country of origin	Australia
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	9
No. of episodes	1105 (as of 17 April 2009)
Production
Location(s)	Global Television Southbank, Victoria
Running time	30 minutes per episode (inc. commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel	Seven Network
Picture format	576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital 5.1
Original run	4 May 2003 (2003-05-04) – present
Chronology
Related shows	Deal or No Deal
External links
Website

Deal or No Deal (also known as The Deal) is an Australian game show airing on the Seven Network and in New Zealand on Prime (though New Zealand launched its own version for TV3 in June 2007). It was the first international version of the game show, after the original Dutch version. It was the first of the versions to use the Deal or No Deal name. The show is recorded at the studio facilities of Global Television located in the Melbourne suburb of Southbank. The current top prize of $200,000 has been won by 4 contestants.

Many changes have been made to Deal or No Deal since its debut in 2003. These included changing from a weekly format to a daily format; interactive features inviting home viewers to play along with "Double Deal Friday"; and additional special features added to the game (such as "Double or Nothing" and "Supercase"). The show has included many special episodes including several hour-long prime-time specials (such as the Psychics Special and the Unluckiest Players) and the successful Dancing with the Deals which occurs in conjunction with Dancing with the Stars. New episodes of Deal or No Deal are currently airing 5.30pm weeknights, repeats have aired on weekday mornings on 7Two, and early morning on 7mate.

The program celebrated its 1,000th episode on 8 September 2008; that day's contestant won $43,000.^[1]

The voice-over introducing the show since 2006 is Marcus Irvine, notable for being the voice of past game show The Weakest Link.

Format

Briefcase values (as of 2006–Present)
50c	$1,000
$1	$2,000
$2	$3,000
$5	$4,000
$10	$5,000
$20	$10,000
$50	$15,000
$100	$20,000
$150	CAR
$200	$50,000
$250	$75,000
$500	$100,000
$750	$200,000

The show begins in a studio with six groups of 26 people sitting in stands. One group is then randomly selected, who move onto the podium. In the chosen group, one person, based on personality, is picked to be the main contestant. The contestant selects one of the briefcases to be placed at the front, and the other briefcases are distributed to the other 25 contestants on the podium. Each briefcase contains a hidden amount of money (see table on right).

The contestant begins the game by opening six cases. To open the case, the podium player holding the case must first guess the amount that they have in their briefcase, winning $500 if their guess is proved correct upon opening the briefcase. This process is repeated for the next five cases. After the first six cases, the major contestant is given a "Bank Offer," based on (but not equivalent to) the arithmetic mean of the remaining briefcases: the higher the values in the remaining briefcases, the higher the offer. The contestant now has to decide between a "Deal" or "No Deal". If the contestant says Deal, they win the money that is offered, and they must open the rest of the cases to see if they made the right decision. If the contestant says No Deal, then gameplay continues. The contestant chooses another five cases, followed by another bank offer, then four cases. This pattern continues until all briefcases have been opened. If the player continues to the end without making a "Deal", the game ends with their own briefcase being opened and the amount in that briefcase being won. Exceptions to the end of the game include the introduction of either a Supercase, Double or Nothing cases or a second Chance. See below for more info on them. After every game a large dark blue fake cheque is given to the contestant displaying the amount won but sometimes the cheques are light blue (for 50c) and green (for amounts of $50,000, $75,000, $100,000 and $200,000 only). Occasionally, the money is given directly to the contestant, such as a single $1 coin if somebody wins $1.

Features

The Australian version of Deal or No Deal has a number of special features to make the show entertaining:

Supercase, Chance, Double or Nothing and Risk it All all occur at the end of the game. Due to time restrictions, these four occur rarely. Also, only one of these features is used per episode.

Supercase

Occasionally at the end of the program a Supercase is brought out. This feature was introduced in 2004. Contestants have the opportunity to either keep the deal they made or take whatever value is hidden in the Supercase. The supercase contains one of the following values: 50c, $50, $500, $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $30,000, $50,000. Supercases appear in most episodes when contestants take a deal of approximately $10,000 when there are at least five cases left on the board, and rarely appear in any other circumstances. This means that the Supercase offers a 50/50 chance at bettering or equalling the $10,000 deal. If contestants take a $10,000 deal with fewer than four cases left on the board, Supercases are rare because there is not generally time left in the show to run it. During the 2006 season, the way of telling the contestant that a Supercase will be brought out changed, where instead of the Supercase panel flashing, a Supercase alert flashes beside the 'Cases remaining' panel, and remains there until it is actually brought out. In 2010 the Supercase has been introduced more frequently.

Chance

This feature was introduced in 2004. A Chance is an opportunity for the contestant to exchange the deal they took during the game for whatever is in their briefcase. It happens rarely, and only when the two remaining unknown case values are an extremely small amount and an amount of at least $5,000. For example, the contestant takes a deal of $8,000, but is offered a Chance with the remaining unopened briefcases being $500 and $20,000. If the contestant takes the Chance, they win either $500 or $20,000, depending on which value is in their selected case. If they don't take the Chance, they keep their $8,000 deal.

Double or Nothing

Double or Nothing was added in 2006. If a contestant is lucky enough to play it, two suitcases (labeled I and II) are offered to the contestant; one has the word "Double" inside, the other has "Nothing". The contestant must pick one of the cases. If Double is in the chosen case, the contestant doubles their winnings. If Nothing is in the chosen case, they lose their winnings.

The format for Double or Nothing has been altered several times. When it was first introduced, there was only one case brought out (which was the same size as the Supercase). It had only either "Double" or "Nothing" inside, and the contestant could choose how much to gamble. If "Double" was inside, the contestant wins how much they gambled as a bonus. If "Nothing" was revealed, they would lose how much they gambled from their Deal. The "two cases" format was introduced on June 23, 2006. During the 2007 season, Double or Nothing returned, though the contestant could no longer choose how much to gamble, instead having to risk their entire Deal if they wanted to play DoN. If the contestant opens the case with "Nothing", they do not win any money.

Risk it All

Risk it All was introduced in 2010. This feature allows the contestant who took a deal for under $10,000 and has only two amounts smaller than their deal in play, to win $15,000. If the contestant takes the Risk it All, they can guess which amount is in their case. If they get it right, they win $15,000. If they get it wrong, they lose all their winnings.

Switch Case

Switch Case was introduced in 2010. At any point during the game, the banker may offer this switch. If the contestant takes it, they can swap their chosen case for any unopened case on the podium. It usually occurs during the middle of the game.

Megaguess

This feature was introduced in 2004. At random intervals during the game, the bank will offer a "Megaguess", which increases the "correct guess" bonus for the next case to either $2,000, $5,000, or $10,000. The Megaguess is usually used at the end of the game to fill in remaining time. This generally happens when the podium player is a friend or relative of the main contestant. The end of game Megaguess has adopted a small gag where either the podium player, main contestant, or O'Keefe himself must beg the banker to give the player a Megaguess.

The Megaguess feature has been altered several times during its history. When first introduced, during the $12 Million Month special, it had a fixed amount win of $10,000. When it returned in the 2005 season, the amount won was reduced to $5,000. In the 2006 season, it was altered to its current format, where either $2,000, $5,000 or $10,000 could be won. The $5,000 Megaguess has the most common appearance, sometimes showing up several times during a game, followed by the $10,000 Megaguess which would appear once early during the game, and sometimes at the end, and the $2,000 Megaguess has the rarest appearance.

In July 2008, a $25,000 Megaguess was offered for the 25,000th case opened in the show's history, but it wasn't won.

Daily Prize

This feature was introduced in 2004, but was removed in 2006. One of the briefcases (except for the CAR, $100,000 or $200,000 cases) contained gold-coloured dollar signs around the cash value inside the case. The person who was holding this case (be it a podium player or the contestant) received the Daily Prize of $500. The Daily Prize was removed in 2006, although prizes were still awarded several times during that year: in a special Saint Patrick's Day-themed episode; on Mother's Day; and during the last week of the 2006 season.

Double Deal Friday

Home viewers are invited to ring a phone number charged at $0.55 and register their details. Every Friday, a home viewer is randomly selected to win the same prize as the studio contestant each Friday. Host O'Keefe had mentioned that Double Deal Fridays receive over 100,000 calls each week. This generally runs for the entire season (not including repeat dates), though has been known to change start and end dates. Dancing with the Deals (the celebrity version of DoND) follows a similar format to Double Deal Friday, except that the celebrity doesn't win the prize. Double Deal Friday ran in 2007 but was dropped after 2008.

History

The first incarnation of Deal or No Deal originally debuted in late 2003 as an hour-long program. Screening on Sunday night, it indirectly competed with the Nine Network's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? by offering a maximum prize of $2,000,000. In order to fill the longer timeslot, the initial stages of the game were significantly longer than in the current half hour format. This included an interview with the man who supposedly placed the values into each briefcase, assuring that selection were indeed random. The preliminary round was also longer than the more recent format. Due to poor ratings, this incarnation of the show only lasted for one season. In the second episode, a contestant won $515,000, which currently stands as the biggest amount of money ever won on the Australian version of Deal or No Deal ^[2], and at the time was the biggest amount of money won on any Australian TV show.

The DoND logo used from 2003 to 2006.

In 2004 Deal or No Deal was shortened to a half-hour format and moved to weeknights at 5:30pm, directly competing against the Nine Network's The Price Is Right. This incarnation of the show was more successful than the first. Due to the increased number of episodes airing (5 per week over the course of the ratings period rather than 1 per week) the maximum cash prize was lowered from $2,000,000 to $200,000 and the number of blocks reduced from eight to six (200 potential contestants to 150). Deal or No Deal received high ratings in its newly revised format. Shortly after the popularity of Deal or No Deal began to rise, The Price Is Right altered its showcase round to a similar format, where contestants were forced to choose between cash incentives or the showcase periodically as the prices were lit up. Despite this Deal or No Deal continued to grow in popularity, and is believed to be a factor involved in the ratings resurgence of Seven News (which follows directly after Deal or No Deal). The popularity of the show led to Nine Network game show rivals The Price Is Right, Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune and the half-hour version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? being cancelled. However since 2009, the ratings in Deal have started to drop off slightly due to the popularity of the rival Nine Network show Millionaire Hot Seat.

Multiple choice questions being asked on Deal or No Deal, 2006.

Many alterations to the game have been made throughout the years, mainly to entice viewers against the game show rivals, including the briefcase values (see below), and the addition of many new gameplay features (see Features). During the 2004 $12 Million Month, the Supercase, Chance and Megaguess features were introduced for the first time, and have become recurring segments ever since. In 2005, a car was introduced as a prize (replacing the $25,000 amount on the 2004 amount board). The cars have been the Peugeot 307 from 2005-2007 (briefly replaced by the Renault Mégane II in 2005, valued at $33,000), the Peugeot 306 in 2008, the Peugeot 207 in 2009, the Peugeot 206 in 2010 and the Peugeot 207CC from 2011 onwards, all valued at $30,000. In 2006, Double or Nothing was introduced to the show. Since the 2007 season, the game's format has remained the same. The only changes in the 2007 and 2008 seasons were the logo change, which occurred in 2007, the removal of the preliminary quiz (which determined who would be the main contestant) and onscreen graphics and music have been updated several times. Double Deal Friday was dropped in 2008. In 2009, not only was the layout of the money board and the cases changed, but also, once a case is opened, instead of closing it and putting it on the table, the case is remained opened to let the contestant know what cases still remain.

To date, there have been four winners of the $200,000: Dean Cartechini on 17 June 2004, Anh Do in a celebrity special on 19 September 2007, Leanne Benbow on 2 June 2010 and Chris Doyle on 23 August 2011.

The biggest ever winner is Nathan Cochrane who took out $515,000 on The Deal in 2003, in just the second episode ever. At the time, the top prize was $2,000,000.

2003 Value $0.05 $1,000 $0.25 $2,500 $0.50 $5,000 $0.75 $7,500 $1 $10,000 $5 $25,000 $10 $50,000 $25 $75,000 $50 $100,000 $75 $250,000 $100 $500,000 $250 $1,000,000 $500 $2,000,000

2004 Value $0.50 $1,000 $1 $1,500 $2 $2,000 $5 $3,000 $10 $5,000 $25 $7,500 $50 $10,000 $75 $15,000 $100 $25,000 $150 $50,000 $250 $75,000 $500 $100,000 $750 $200,000

2005 Value $0.50 $1,000 $1 $1,500 $2 $2,000 $5 $3,000 $10 $5,000 $25 $7,500 $50 $10,000 $75 $15,000 $100 CAR $150 $50,000 $250 $75,000 $500 $100,000 $750 $200,000

2006 – Present Value 50c $1,000 $1 $2,000 $2 $3,000 $5 $4,000 $10 $5,000 $20 $10,000 $50 $15,000 $100 $20,000 $150 CAR $200 $50,000 $250 $75,000 $500 $100,000 $750 $200,000

References in popular culture

Andrew O'Keefe appeared as himself in the Australian comedy Kath & Kim, reprising his role as host of Deal or No Deal. Character Sharon Strzelecki (portrayed by Magda Szubanski) appeared as the main contestant and Kim Craig (Gina Riley) appeared as the podium player. Sharon wins the $20,000 directly from her case (though the footage of her winnings was never shown). Several changes are made to the fictional gameplay compared to the real life gameplay, as Kim was never given an opportunity to make a guess for her case, and Sharon claims in the episode that she became the contestant by having the "fastest fingers" (the preliminary quiz was dropped from the 2007 season, and the fictional game shown was clearly the 2007 version). References to the real life version are made, as Andrew tells the girls that it's "almost news time", as the real life show is broadcast before the news.

Rival Millionaire Hot Seat becomes perfect match for ratings success

Rival Nine Network for many years has produced various game shows for the 5:30pm timeslot, notable game shows include Burgo's Catch Phrase hosted by John Burgess, and The Price Is Right Hosted by Larry Emdur. Both game shows were successful in the ratings, in 2005 The Price Is Right was cancelled, due to Larry Emdur signing a contract with the Seven Network, Emdur hosted Wheel of Fortune, which was cancelled only a few months later due to declining ratings, after Wheel of Fortune was axed, the Seven Network introduced Deal or No Deal in the 5:30pm timeslot, Which was a high success in the ratings, and overtaking the Nine Network's Bert's Family Feud, which was axed in 2007. In 2008 the Nine Network revived Wheel of Fortune, it was renamed as Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, which did poorly in the ratings, and resulted in the show being axed. After Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, the Nine Network introduced Millionaire Hot Seat, which has resulted in much higher ratings, and since 2010, has started to overtake Deal or No Deal

The game shows ratings mainly contribute the 6pm news bulletins ratings that air immediately after the game shows.

Special shows

$12 Million Month

Starting 31 August 2004, Deal or No Deal: $12 Million Month marked the introduction of the Supercase and Chance features. It also held several hour-long prime time specials; Test of the Psychics, Conflict of the Couples, Unluckiest Players and Biggest Winners. This was due to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games which replaced Deal Or No Deal in August. For this series of special episodes, the grand prize was raised back up to $2,000,000. Here are the amounts:

Value
$0.50	$1,000
$1	$2,500
$2	$5,000
$5	$7,500
$10	$10,000
$25	$25,000
$50	$50,000
$75	$75,000
$100	$100,000
$200	$250,000
$300	$500,000
$500	$1,000,000
$750	$2,000,000

Dancing with the Deals

Dancing with the Deals is Deal or No Deal's celebrity special series, consisting of celebrities that were featured on the entertainment show Dancing With the Stars, which is broadcast on the same network as Deal or No Deal. The specials consist of the celebrity playing the game for a home viewer, and the home viewer, who is randomly picked out of all who registered, will win the prize rather than the celebrity (similar to Double Deal Friday). The following tables show who the celebrities were, the date they appeared on, and how much they won. The idea of Dancing with the Deals is believed to have come on the back of the success of The Weakest Link: The Mole Special which aired in 2002.

Series 1

Date	Contestant	Final win
Week 1
13 February 2006	Molly Meldrum	$26,000 DEAL [$100,000]
14 February 2006	Kate Langbroek	$49,999 DEAL [$100,000]
15 February 2006	Jennifer Hawkins	$2,000 [Other amount: $75,000]
16 February 2006	Luke Ricketson	$14,000
17 February 2006	Noeline Brown	$2
Week 2
20 February 2006	Shane Warne	$3,000
21 February 2006	Alicia Molik	$7,000
22 February 2006	Grant Denyer	$1,000
23 February 2006	Kostya Tszyu	Car
24 February 2006	Toby Allen	$7,000

Series 2

Date	Contestant	Final win
18 September 2006	Andrew Gaze	$5,001
19 September 2006	Tamsyn Lewis	$22,000
20 September 2006	Anthony Koutoufides	$5,500
21 September 2006	Arianne Caoili	Car
22 September 2006	Chris Hemsworth	$10,000

Series 3

Date	Contestant	Final win
19 February 2007	Todd Woodbridge	$24,000 DEAL
20 February 2007	Kate Ceberano	$100
21 February 2007	Tim Campbell	$23,999 DEAL
22 February 2007	Tatiana Grigorieva	$1
23 February 2007	David Graham	$61,000 DEAL – [$200,000]

Series 4

Date	Contestant	Final win
17 September 2007	Michael Klim	$20,000
18 September 2007	Patti Newton	$20,000
19 September 2007	Anh Do	$200,000
20 September 2007	Elka Graham	$7,500 DEAL
21 September 2007	James Courtney	$2,000

Series 5

Date	Contestant	Final win
25 August 2008	Toni Pearen	$23,000 DEAL – [50c]
26 August 2008	Red Symons	$4,000 DEAL – [$150]
27 August 2008	Charli Delaney	$9,250 DEAL – [$250]
28 August 2008	James Tobin	$15,000 DEAL – [$150]
29 August 2008	Cal Wilson	$250

Series 6 (Double Shot)

Date	Contestant	Final win
July 2009	Spida Everitt	$42,000 DEAL – [50c]
July 2009	Kylie Gillies	$41,950 DEAL – [Double Shot $200,000]
July 2009	Adam Brand	$37,000 DEAL
July 2009	Fiona O'Loughlin	$4,900 DEAL
July 2009	Rob Mills	$15,000 DEAL

Series 7 (Double Shot)

Date	Contestant	Final win
21 June 2010	George Houvardas	$2,500 DEAL
22 June 2010	Esther Anderson	$4,000 - [Double or Nothing $2,000]
23 June 2010	Blair McDonough	$75,000 - [Other amount: $200,000]
24 June 2010	Rob Palmer	$44,000 DEAL
25 June 2010	Melinda Schneider	$12,550 DEAL - [Supercase: $30,000]

Series 8 (Fantastic Four)

Date	Contestant	Final win
2 May 2011	Manu Feildel	$18,000 DEAL
3 May 2011	Samantha Armytage	$3,000 - [Other amount: $50,000]
4 May 2011	Brynne Edelsten	$10,000 DEAL - [Supercase: $50,000]
5 May 2011	Haley Bracken	$10,900 DEAL - [$20,000]
6 May 2011	Nick Bracks	$3,750 DEAL - [$250]

Deal or No Deal – It Takes Two

In preparation for the 2008 series of It Takes Two, the show held a special week similar to Dancing with the Deals, starring celebrities who are set to appear on It Takes Two. They played on behalf of a home viewer who won the money on Deal or No Deal. Mark Wilson actually took a deal for $15,000 and was offered a second chance with $1,000 and $50,000 remaining as the final two amounts. He opened his case to reveal $50,000 for his home viewer.

Date	Contestant	Final win
3 February 2008	Scott Draper	$4,140 DEAL – [$200]
4 February 2008	Mark Wilson	$50,000 (CHANCE)
5 February 2008	Julia Morris	$3,000
6 February 2008	John Mangos	$26,900 DEAL – [$100,000]
7 February 2008	Russell Robertson	$1

Deal or No Deal - Footy Finals Fever

To prepare for the 2010 AFL Grand Final, a special week similar to Dancing with the Deals - Double Shot aired, featuring AFL players playing on behalf of a home viewer and the same amount of money won is also given to the contestant's sponsored charity.

Date	Contestant	Final win
20 September 2010	Simon Black	$75,000 [CHANCE $18,500]
21 September 2010	Tadhg Kennelly	$33,333 DEAL [$100,000]
22 September 2010	Cameron Ling	$50,000 DEAL
23 September 2010	Tim McCormick	$9,800 DEAL [$50,000] [Declined a CHANCE]
24 September 2010	Nick Maxwell	$15,000 [Supercase: $30,000]

Deal or No Deal – Double Shot

Double $200,000 chance values
$200,000	$1,000
$1	$2,000
$2	$3,000
$5	$4,000
$10	$5,000
$20	$10,000
$50	$15,000
$100	$20,000
$150	CAR
$200	$50,000
$250	$75,000
$500	$100,000
$750	$200,000

200th Episode Case Values
$0.50	$1,000
$1	$2,000
$2	$3,000
$5	$5,000
$10	$7,500
$25	$10,000
$50	$15,000
$75	$25,000
$100	$50,000
$150	$75,000
$250	$100,000
$500	$200,000
$750	$200,000

Deal or No Deal – Double Shot is a series of specials where the podium contains two briefcases with $200,000 inside them instead of one giving the contestant a 1 in 13 chance of selecting the top prize. The additional $200,000 is in replacement of the 50c amount. These set of episodes have said to answer to the premiere of Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune on the Nine Network, which aired at the same time as Deal or No Deal (except in Queensland when Wheel will air at 5pm due to Extra airing at 5:30pm). A similar special aired in 2004 for the show's 200th episode, with two $200,000 cases; however, the second $200,000 case replaced the $1,500 amount rather than the 50c. Also, for the podium players, should a contestant guess that there's $200,000 in their case, they must specify whether it's the actual $200,000, or the "Double Shot" $200,000 to prevent them from having a 2 in any chance of winning $500. In the 10 episodes aired, the total amount of money won by the contestants was $235,100; neither of the $200,000 cases was selected. The large fake cheques with removable numbers handed out at the end of each game also had a special new look for this series. In an odd coincidence, on the first two games aired after the special ended, one contestant won $100,000, and the next picked selected the $200,000 case but dealt during the game.

Ten more Double Shot games were aired in the 2009 series during late April and early May. These set of episodes have said to answer to the premiere of Hot Seat on the Nine Network, which aired at the same time as Deal or No Deal. The total amount of money won to the contestants was $201,865. The $200,000 Double Shot was finally selected by a contestant on 29 April 2009 who took a deal for $30,000. Cheques used after the games were the standard blue instead of the special gold colour that was used in the 2008. The biggest winner was $40,000 on April 20 who won that amount despite losing both $200,000 cases earlier in the game.

Five more Double Shot specials aired during 19–23 July 2010 as part of a 'Christmas in July' week. The total amount of money won during the week was $115,010, which includes a $10,000 Megaguess.

Five more Double Shot specials aired during 22–26 November 2010 as part of a Hawaiian theme week. The total amount of money won during the week was $136,150.50. Amazingly, one contestant got the $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 as the last three cases left. He played on and lost the $75,000, and was offered $75,000. The contestant played to his case on won the $100,000. The Supercase was also bought out twice during the week, and both contestants took it when it was offered. One contestant managed to win $20,000, but another lost all his money and won 50c.

Five more Double Shot specials aired during 18-22 July 2010 as part of another 'Christmas in July' week. The total amount of money during the week is $153,500.

On the 12 September 2011, a single Double Shot special aired celebrating the premier of Johnny English Reborn. The contestant dealed for $80,000, but his case contained the Double Shot $200,000.

Fantastic Four

2009 Fantastic Four board
$50,000	$100,000
$1	$2,000
$2	$3,000
$5	$4,000
$10	$5,000
$20	$10,000
$50	$15,000
$100	$20,000
$150	CAR
$200	$50,000
$250	$75,000
$500	$100,000
$75,000	$250,000

Deal or No Deal – Fantastic Four is a series of specials that first aired during 21 – 26 September 2009 and then randomly throughout the year, where the podium contained two briefcases with $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000 and a briefcase containing $250,000 giving the contestant a nearly 25% chance of selecting one of them. The additional $50,000 replaces the 50c amount, $75,000 replaces the $750 amount, $100,000 replaces the $1,000 amount and the $250,000 replacing the $200,000 amount.

In the first 5 episodes aired, the total amount of money given away was around $124,000. Surprisingly, the "Fantastic" $75,000 case was selected twice in the week. The highest amount of money won was $41,000, despite losing the "Fantastic" $50,000 and $75,000, plus the regular $100,000 in the first round and the "Fantastic" $100,000 plus the regular $75,000 in the second. Amazingly one contestant had the $150, "Fantastic" $75,000 and both $100,000s in play and was offered $46,000. She then lost the $100,000s in the next two rounds and was offered $36,000. She dealed and was one of the two to have the "Fantastic" $75,000 in her case. One contestant also dealed for $14,000 and risked it and won $20,000 in the Supercase.

On 31 January to 7 February 2011, a series of Las Vegas Fantastic Four specials aired. Because of Seven News' extended coverage of Cyclone Yasi, the 2 February episode did not air, so the specials had to end on Monday 7 February instead of Friday 4 February. The total amount of money won during the week was $173,000. The highest amount of money won was $80,000 when first, a contestant had the $50, "Fantastic" $100,000 and $200,000 left and was offered $75,000. The contestant played on and lost the "Fantastic" $100,000 and was offered $80,000. He dealed and his case contained $50. Another contestant also had the $50,000 in their case, but chose to deal earlier.

On 11- 15 April 2011, a series of Fiji Fantastic Four specials aired. The total amount of money won during the week was $167,700. Amazingly, one contestant had the "Fantastic" $100,000 and $75,000 amounts, and the regular $50,000 and $1 in play. The contestant continued playing and lost both "Fantastic" amounts in the next two rounds consecutively. He was offered $21,000 and said no deal, and won $50,000.

On 21-25 November 2011, a series of Hawaiian Fantastic Four specials aired. The total amount of money won so far is $15,000.

After the first series of Fantastic Four specials in 2009, individual specials now randomly air throughout the year. The total amount of money won over the 37 specials that have aired so far is $914,401. The highest amount of money won by one person is $100,000, which is the first time that a "Fantastic" amount was selected. The "Fantastic" $75,000 and "Fantastic $50,000" have also been selected once. For the first special of 2010, the $250,000 top prize was changed back to $200,000. From the second special of that year onwards, the regular $200,000 case design was used instead of the gold background used for the "Fantastic" amounts.

Secret Deal

The Secret Deal is a 1 hour special shown randomly. The main contestant plays a normal game in the studio while a relative plays a separate game backstage. The main contestant at the end of the game had a choice to either keep their deal or take the deal the backstage contestant took. The first game of Secret Deal was aired on September 14, 2009 when a contestant got greedy and lost all his money. He had $750 in his case but there was still hope for a recovery when he then took the secret deal and turned that into $36,000.

A contestant won $60,000 on the game aired on February 1, 2010 after she decided to keep her own deal where the other deal was $7,550.

Halfway through each game is a Trick or Treat prize. Picking treat contains a major prize.

Banker's Rematch

Deal or No Deal – Banker's Rematch is a series of specials that aired 23–28 November 2009 where five contestants who were on the show before and won small amounts of money, came back to have another go and win more money, similar to the Unluckiest Players prime time special in 2004. Also, if a contestant from the podium made a correct guess, they will appear again the next episode in hopes of winning more money.

Date	Contestant	First win	Second win
23 November 2009	Maurice Pappas	$20 in April 2009	$1,100 DEAL
24 November 2009	Rebecca Hillis	$20 in 2008	$3,500 DEAL
25 November 2009	Scott O'Hellaran	$10 in 2008	$3,800 DEAL (plus $10,000 Megaguess)
26 November 2009	Josh Sharp	$10 in July 2006 (after knocking out the highest four amounts in consecutive order first and getting a first Bank Offer of 10c)	$12,900 DEAL (after knocking out the $200,000 case again on his first pick and getting a first Bank Offer of 11c)
27 November 2009	Jemma Boyd	$100 in 2009	$13,000 DEAL

Products

Products based on the Australian Deal or No Deal include a board game, electrionic game, and DVD game.

The board game, made by Crown and Andrews, is a game that features all parts of the game show. The contents include the 26 briefcases (a flat item that has a number and a slot to put the card of the cash amounts), the board showing the amounts, 26 covers, host and contestant cards, amount cards, instructions, and money.

A Nintendo DS version of the game is available in Australia and contains Andrew O'Keefe on the cover. The game is very similar to the UK's versions, with the same character sprites but with Australia's cases from 2007.

See also

• List of Seven Network programs
• Deal or No Deal

References

1. ^ Knox, David (2008-09-08). "1000th Deal for AOK". tvtonight.com.au. http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/09/1000th-deal-for-aok.html. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
2. ^ http://au.tv.yahoo.com/deal-or-no-deal/features/article/-/article/5198705/nathan-cochrane-515-000/

External links

• Official website
• Southern Star Productions – Deal or No Deal
• Deal or No Deal (Australia) 2008 Results
• Deal or No Deal (Australia) 2009 Results
• Deal or No Deal at the Internet Movie Database
• Deal or No Deal at TV.com