Deal Or No Deal: Howie and 26 beautiful ladies: And my top 5 Deal Or No Deal Models.

On December 19, 2005 my favorite game show appeared on NBC in America for the first time.  I had no idea what I was in for.  By the second night I was hooked on this show and I fell in love with it. The show I am talking about is called Deal Or No Deal.   Deal Or No Deal was hosted by comedian Howie Mandel.  While I think Howie did a wonderful job hosting this show, I think the stars of this show really were the 26 beautiful models who opened the cases.  Even though I have never been to a fancy rich dinner party, I felt like I was looking at 26 beautiful ladies who dresses looked like I was watching the party from home.  Howie would open the show talking about a contestant or something about the game, and then he would say the line "Ladies Please".  26 beautiful ladies walking down those stairs brought joy into my life when I was going through a rough time at a job.  I tried out twice for this show, once by video and once at a casting call in Kansas City KS, but never got on the show.  This show would have changed my financial life and meeting Howie and the ladies would have been a blast.  My plan was going to show up on the show with 27 roses,, giving one to each of the models and giving 2 to my favorite model which was number 14 through out most of the show Pilar Lastra.  In case those of you who have never seen the show, here is how the game was played, in each of the 26 cases there were random amounts ranging from 1 penny all the way to one million dollars.  Your goal was to try and pick the case that had the one million in it.  After you picked the case, you would have to open up so many cases in each round, when that round was over you were offered a cash amount or sometimes even a prize by the banker to sell your case back to him.  If you said Deal you won whatever the offer was, if you said No Deal you had to open up so many cases before you could get another offer.  The banker sometimes would say something mean to Howie over the phone to tell the contestant, but the only thing was we could never hear the interaction between the banker and Howie.  Some contestants had sold their case too soon when they had the million in their case.  That was part of the game.  Deal or No Deal was the most fun anxiety I've ever experienced in my life.  I rooted for most of the contestants to win.  I even annoyed some people talking about this show because I enjoyed it a lot.   Believe me some of my friends probably wished I went away as much as I talked about Deal or No Deal, but you have to admit it was an exciting show.  I think the problem with the show was in later seasons when the pace got to be too slow.  Season 1 and part of season 2 is when the show was at it's greatest. I even had no problems with the Million Dollar Mission where anyone from 2 to 13 cases would have $1,000,000 in them.  I think that NBC should revive Deal Or No Deal again.  Put it on only once to twice a week though and have the pace like it was in the first two seasons. There is no reason you can't get through at least 1 contestant and start on part of a game for the second contestant.  If it's 90 minutes you should be through two games and maybe even a third one.  Deal Or No Deal also tried something one night called Speed Deal but it was too fast.  I unfortunately have the patient to sit through one contestant an hour, but most viewers do not.   You can play something like Deal Or No Deal on a website called JoyTube where the game is called Banker's Deal.   The models that I remember the most on the show are (and let's see if I can remember all of them by case)  Case 1- Claudia Jordan,  Case 2- Stacy Gardner, Case 3- Lisa Gleave , Case 4- Keltie Martin, Case 5- Ursula Mayes, Case 6- Megan Abrigo , Case 7 - Sara Bronson, Case 8- Lauren Shiohama , Case 9- Patricia Kara , Case 10- Anya Monzikova, Case 11-  Katie Cleary,  Case 12- Jill Manas,  Case 13-  Leyla Milani,  Case 14- Pilar Lastra,  Case 15-  Brooke Long,  Case 16- Kasie Head,  Case 17-  Jenelle Moreno,  Case 18- Marisa Petroro,  Case 19- Mylinda Tov,  Case 20- Alike Boggan, Case 21- Tameka Jacobs ,  Case 22-  Laura Shields,  Case 23- Aubrie Lemon,  Case 24- Nancy Stelmaszczyk , Case 25-  Hayley Marie Norman and Case 26-  Lindsay Clubine.  Ok I admit I had to google how to spell some of them especially the last names especially case #24.   If I had to make a list of the top models on the show I admit it would be difficult because, they all were beautiful in unique ways.  Here are my favorite top 5 Deal or No Deal Model List  1) Pilar Lastra,  2) Nancy Stelmaszczyk,  3) Laura Shields,  4) Brooke Long,  5) Lisa Gleave.   I also loved this show because you didn't have to any trivia questions unlike shows like Jeopardy or Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.  If you were good at odds and math which I am, then Deal Or No Deal is the game for you.  Deal or No Deal I feel is one of the easiest game shows to ever play which is what makes it fun and exciting to watch.  DOND was an anxiety rush to watch, and you had to know how far to push the envelope. I would have stopped at over $100,000 unless I had a great board.  So tell me everyone what was your favorite memory or memories from the amazing great NBC primetime game show Deal Or No Deal.  Thank you for reading Game Show Memories, the blog where you can share your thoughts about your favorite classic or current game shows.

I'm back

I'm sorry I haven't put up a post on this blog for a while.  I've been working harder on my Pro Basketball Blog posts more.  My pro basketball blog for those wondering is at http://probasketballhoopsland.blogspot.com . I sell many products on there.  I'm also looking to sell some game show like Merchandise on here as well.  So if you're looking for a certain DVD game I will try to see if I can put it on here for those of you who want to purchase.  If you have any game shows you'd like for me to talk about on here.  I'm open to feedback so send me your comments.  Thank you for reading and traveling with me down the road to game show memories.

Lingo

I don't know how many of you remember this show but Lingo was a gameshow that actually started in 1987. The first host of Lingo was Michael Reagan. I don't remember this version because I never got to watch this version of Lingo. Game Show Network or better known as GSN revived Lingo in 2002 with host Chuck Woolery. Most people would remember Chuck Woolery from hosting Love Connection and his 2 in 2 catch phrase. I do remember the GSN version in 2002. I enjoyed this version so much I even tried out for it over the phone. I did not get to become a contestant on the show. I to this day think that GSN should have not took off this version of Lingo. The gameplay of this version went like this. Each team is given a lingo card with twenty-five numbers on it. Ten of the numbers end up being marked off their card. To be able to get more numbers knocked off you had to guess a five letter word. To get the word the first letter was given. You had to spell five letter words and were given five chance to spell the correct word. If you got a letter that was in the word but not in the right spot a yellow circle would be around the letter. If you had a red square inside the word then that meant that the letter was in the correct space. Whoever got the correct word would then get to draw two lingo balls. If the team drawing drew a red ball then it was a stopper and control would pass to the other team. The team who had the highest score after the second round went on to play bonus Lingo. In Bonus Lingo a team had two minutes to guess as many five letter words as possible. From season two and on on Chuck Woolery's version winning team would receive a bonus letter for winning the game, and bonus letters for each lingo in the main game. I really enjoyed watching Chuck Woolery's version of Lingo. I find it to be exciting 30 minutes of television. I only wish some network like CBS, ABC, NBC or Fox would have picked up this show. If you were good at spelling five letter words then Lingo would be the gameshow for you. To sum this gameshow up in a few words five letter words and bingo is how I would describe it. In 2003 Stacey Hayes appeared as co-host of Lingo. I find her to be ok. I find the best version of Lingo to be the later years though. In later years Shandi Finnessey cohosted Lingo with Chuck Woolery. I found her to be very entertaining. She would welcome back Lingo from commerical break and would usually have something very funny to say about the host. I will always miss this version of Lingo to this day. In 2011 another version of Lingo was brought to GSN. This version was hosted by comedian known for Here's Your Sign Bill Engvall. This version was ok but not as great as the Woolery's version. The problem with the 2011 version of Lingo was these things 1) It to me felt more like Scrabble than Lingo. 2) Most of the clues were of sexual themes. 3) GSN reran this version to death. All in all those if you want to watch Lingo I definity would recommend the Chuck Woolery version from 2002 to 2007 on Game Show Network. Thank you for reading my game show memories blog. Are their any memories you have of the gameshow Lingo that you would like to share? If you do send me comments or you can post youtube videos on here if you like of one.

Million Dollar Money Drop

On December 20,2010 an intense trivia gameshow premiered on FOX. The name of the game was the Million Dollar Money Drop. The Million Dollar Money Drop was hosted by movie actor Kevin Pollak. This game is a big hit in other countries. I personally really enjoyed this show almost more than 1 VS 100. The rules of the games went like this. You started out with $1,000,000 (one million dollars) you had to answer seven questions. You are given 50 stacks of $20,000. You are shown two categories and you had to select one of the two categories you wanted to try and answer. You also had to leave one drop zone open. You were to take these stacks of money and place it on the answer or answers you may think are correct. If you have money on the correct answer you kept playing. Any money on the wrong answer dropped down into a trap door kind of like GSN amazing game show Russian Roulette. You would have in the first six questions anywhere from 60 to 90 seconds to answer a question depending on what question it is. Once in the first six questions you got to use a quick change. The quick change meant after you're time is up you then could use it once (on the first six questions) to get an extra 30 seconds to make any changes. On the seventh and final question there was only two drop zones and you could only place an answer on one. You either were going to win the money you had coming into the seventh question or lose it all. On the last question the host would reveal a final fact about the question. The team would then have 60 seconds to decide if they want to change or leave where they put the money. I personally for one am disgusted that FOX cancelled this show. I remember sitting there and watching this with my heart pounding so nervous for the contestant but in a good way. Watching money drop was exciting. I really wish this would have been a PC Game, DVD Game or a video game. This game only averaged around 5 million viewers on FOX. I felt this was more fun to watch than NBC'S gameshow Who's Still Standing. So if you have never seen this show I recommend watching it on youtube. If you can't watch the U.S. version then I would recommend some other version because it is a fun gameshow.

Super Password

I talked about in an earlier post about Password Plus.  Now I'm going to talk about the version after that which was Super Password.  On Sept 24, 1984 a revival of Password was born again.  This version was called Super Password.  It was hosted by  Bert Convy who you may remember from  Tattletales or Win Lose Or Draw.  This version to me was the most exciting of all the password versions.  Why was it exciting you may say?  This version had a magic toaster which was used to play cashword.  Cashword was played after the winner of the $200 puzzle.  The Cashword would start at $1,000.  If it wasn't won the cashword would increase by $1,000 each time until someone won it.  How do you play Super Password for those of you who don't know or never have seen the show.  There are two teams or two people usually one's  a celebritity and the other is the contestant.  Either they will give a one word clue to get you to guess the word or you have to give them a one word clue.  For example if the word was Bee and you want to get your partner to guess it you could say clues like buzzing, insect, queen.  If you want to give  a really clever clue for Bee you could give this for a clue A hoping that your partner would guess B.   The first puzzle won was worth $100, the second $200, the third $300 and the fourth was $400.  The first team to get $500 or more won and went to alphabetics.  After you guessed the word then it would be one of five words that would go on the board.  Then you have to guess what the puzzle is.  I liked trying to guess the puzzles and that to me is what make Super Password and Password Plus my favorite versions of Password.  After the team won then they went to play Alphabetics.  Alphabetics would start at $5,000 and if it wasn't won then the jackpot went up $5,000 until it was won.  Here is how you play Alphabetics your celebrity partner would give you a clue and the clue would start with a certain letter.  The next word would start with the follow letter in the alphabet.  For example if your first word started with a C the next word would start with a D.   There was a handheld game of Super Password made in 2000.  I have it and I play it once in a while.  It is fun.  I wish there was an updated PC Version of this game and an XBOX 360 or wii version of this.  I will always remember Super Password and I love it.  I years ago had my grandfather one year for my birthday make me a wooden super password board.  Although I never found anyone to play it with I still have it.  This to me will always go down as one of the best gameshows ever made.  So if you've never seen Super Password or you want to watch it again I recommend going on youtube and watching an episode.  It is a blast to watch and to guess the puzzles.  I thank you for reading my gameshow blog and I hope enjoy the memories I've shared.  Now they need a board game of this just like they had of Password Plus.

Let's Make A Deal

In 1963 a strange but interesting gameshow aired in the United States.  The name of that gameshow is Let's Make A Deal.   What makes this gameshow interesting to me is unlike most other gameshows people are generally dressed up in suits and ties or really super nice outfits.  On Let's Make A Deal people dress up in very silly costumes.  I admit when I was younger I really didn't like this gameshow all that much.  When I got older though I started to like it because it was different but entertaining.   The first host of Let's Make A Deal was Monty Hall who co-produced the show with Stefan Hatos.  This game is bascially a game of chance and risk.  Sometimes you are offered a curtain or cash, Other times it's a curtain or the box.  There might even be a game where there a wallet or other things with money inside or you may take a big giant box.  If you make the wrong choice it usually results in a zonk which sometimes can be very funny and amusing.  Sometimes on the show there are more than one person involved in a deal and the first deal gets to choose one thing and the other goes to someone else. Let's Make a Deal also had  some models on it who would model the prizes.   One of the models that most people may remember from years ago was Carol Merrill.  There has been some beautiful models on Let's Make A Deal who have come and gone.  To me the two most beautiful models from Let's Make A Deal are Alison Fiori and the new model Tiffany Coyne who are on the current version of Let's Make A Deal.  There has been many versions of Let's Make a Deal with Monty Hall.  To compete with American Idol in 2003 NBC in primetime tried to revive Let's Make A Deal.  The host for this version was Billy Bush and many people thought this version was awful.  I thought it was ok.  The best version besides Monty Hall's to me is the newest version which started in 2009.  This version is hosted by comedian and Whose Line Is It Anyway Improv star Wayne Brady.  I really like this version and he and Jonathan Mangum come up with some crazy stuff on it.  I also find the models on this version to be very beautiful.  To me Let's Make A Deal is a very exciting gameshow and I'm almost tempted to go and find me a very silly costume and land on this show.   I personally though am hoping to win cash because the taxes on a car would be insane to try and pay unless I won cash and a car too.  Let's Make A Deal will always be a classic and the new version to me is great and fun to watch.  So remember to tune in to Let's Make A Deal weekdays on whatever time it is on where you live. 

Press Your Luck

On Sept 19,1983 one of the greatest gameshows in history premiered.  The name of the gameshow I'm talking about is Press Your Luck which was on CBS.  This game was hosted by Peter Tomarken who is one of the greatest gameshow hosts ever in my book.   Contestants competed for cash and prizes.  The object of course was to have the highest total at the end of the game.   Press Your Luck consisted of a question round which had four questions.  In these four questions a contestant could buzz in and if given the correct answer would earn 3 spins while the players who didn't buzz in answered correctly earned 1 spin.  If none of the answer buzzed in a buzzer would sound and the host would provide three choices.  This would mean that a contestant would only earn 1 spin if correct.  After the 4 trivia questions were done then the players would get to take there spins and play on a big giant board that had 18 squares.   When the big board round started the player with the least amount of spin would go first.  If there was a tie the player at the farthest to the left would go first.  All players use there spins in one turn.  Each time a player can choose to press his or her luck or pass his or her spins.  Passing your spins sometimes brought interesting strategy espeically if your opponent has three whammies.   Usually you would hear during a spin big bucks no whammies stop.  If a player got four whammies they were out of the game.  In the first round the highest amount on the board was $1,500.  In the second round the highest was $5,000 and a spin.  You can now play Press Your Luck on PC, wii or handheld.  I wish they had it on XBOX 360, PS3 and PS2.  If there was a revival for Press Your  Luck and I think there should be here is how I think it should be done.  The question rounds stay the same.  The big board is what's different.  The first round the top three amounts are $5,000, $3,500 and $2,000 on big bucks.  In the second round the top three amounts are $10,000 and a spin, $7,500 and a spin and $5,000 and a spin.  Unlike the classic version players stay on until they lose.  I personally think that in spite it was on CBS.  NBC should try and do this show and get Jimmy Fallon to host it.  If CBS were to revive this they should get Mark L. Walberg or Todd Newton to host it.   One of the greatest moments in Press Your Luck happened in 1984.  Contestant Michael Larson memorized random pattern on the big game board and ended up taking home $110,237 in cash and prizes.  He hit a whammy on his first spin and then for the next 45 spins he didn't hit a whammy.  He kept hitting big bucks alot and prizes.  CBS investigated Michael Larson because they thought he might have cheated.  Later they found out he didn't and he got to keep his winnings.  Press Your Luck to me is and will always be one of the best gameshows of all time.  CBS should revive this and put it on in the mornings or after Let's Make a Deal.