Deal Ya No Deal

Deal Ya No Deal is an Indian adaption of the popular International format Deal or No Deal, which is owned and produced by Endemol International.^[1]

It premiered on November 23, 2005 on Sony Entertainment Television and aired on three nights each week. The first series had a set similar to the UK version, and the theme song and music cues were the same as those used in the Dutch version. Contestants held the cases. There is a top prize of 10,000,000 rupees (about $255,000 USD), and the lowest prize was originally a breath freshener, called a Chlormint, but the lowest prize was later 25 paise (a paisa is the Indian counterpart to a cent/penny), although the Chlormint would remain as a prize throughout the entire series. It was hosted by Madhavan, but he quit after fulfilling his 35-episode contract, and was replaced by Mandira Bedi.^[2]

The second series premiered in late January 2006 and had a set virtually identical to the Australian version, except there were 22 briefcases. In this series, when the contestant picked a case, the contestant that held the case could guess the amount in it. If they guessed correctly, they would win Rs. 50,000.

After the second series, Mandira Bedi quit, citing time constraints as the reason for her departure.^[3] Therefore, the third season of the series, which premiered in April 2006, was presented by new host, Rajeev Khandelwal, and aired once weekly. The third series features a new set and new graphics that are virtually identical to those used on the US show. Even though it was a lot similar to the US version, the third series did not have any games that carried over and did not show previous offers when it was time for the offer. Models were also introduced to hold the briefcases, instead of the contestants in series 1 and 2. In this series, once Rajeev, the host, calls out the name of the contestant, he asks them a question with 2 possible answers. If they give the correct answer, they will get to play. At the end of most episodes of series 3, Rajeev ended by saying, "Keep Smiling!" This version ended in July 2006, as it was believed viewers couldn't connect with the concept.

Case Values

First and Second Series

Third Series

Trivia

• The show was referenced on the second-to-last episode of the American version's second season, when a contestant from India was playing (it was referenced only a second before the contestant's family surprised him). Unfortunately, the contestant only left with $100 (or about 4,000 rupees).
• The last banker's offer of the episode aired on June 2, 2006 was 35 paise, which was very likely the lowest offer ever, with the lowest two values in play (25 paise and Chlormint). The contestant refused the offer and revealed Chlormint in his case.

References

1. ^ "Sony's 'Deal Ya No Deal' to hit airwaves in November; prize money Rs 10 million". Indiantelevision.com. October 11, 2005. http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k5/oct/oct121.htm. 
2. ^ "Madhavan quits Deal Ya No Deal". BollywoodSargam.com. January 14, 2006. http://www.bollywoodsargam.com/shownews.php?newsstory=80767811. 
3. ^ "Mandira quits Sony's 'Deal Ya No Deal 2'". Bollywood.com. 2006. http://www.bollywood.com/node/566.