Common Sense Media Review
Game of chance is decent family entertainment.
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Why Age 11+?
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Deal or No Deal
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
Based on 10 kid reviews
Kids say this game show is a mix of excitement and disappointment as contestants navigate through twists and turns, often falling prey to greed while aiming for big cash prizes. Many appreciate the entertaining host and family-friendly format, though some find it repetitive or marred by excessive commercials.
- exciting game show
- greed theme
- family entertainment
- host praise
- visual appeal
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
DEAL OR NO DEAL is a primetime game show in which each contestant, chosen at random out of a pool of audience hopefuls, is presented with 26 briefcases displayed by lovely models on a stage. Each briefcase contains a tag showing a certain dollar amount -- from $.01 to $1 million. After each round of briefcase-opening (six are opened in the first round, five the next, and so on), the show's host, Howie Mandel, receives a phone call from \"the bank\" offering contestants a certain amount of cash if they walk away now. If the contestants accept the amount, the game is over; if they decide \"no deal\" because they believe the unopened briefcase contains a higher amount than what was offered, the game continues until they either accept an offer or open the briefcase to find out how much they won.
Is It Any Good?
Although there's little brain power involved here aside from making smart decisions -- the show is more about luck and is far from being a brainteaser like Jeopardy -- the decision-making element is crucial, as is resisting being swayed by greed. Deal or No Deal is decent entertainment that actually makes you think -- just a little -- and could possibly help teach younger viewers the value of a dollar.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the contestants' decisions, and what each family member would do if they were playing the game. Would you be satisfied with the amount of money a contestant won? Why or why not? Do you think the contestant was too greedy, or too much of a risk-taker? What would you have done differently, and why? Another discussion topic could be money itself and its value. What would you do if you won a lot of money? Aside from buying material things, can you think of some ways you could put the money to good use?
TV Details
- Premiere date : December 19, 2005
- Cast : Howie Mandel
- Network : NBC
- Genre : Game Shows
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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