Deal or No Deal has been around for decades. From its origins on the European continent to the UK and to North America, the show is so straightforward that it’s been able to find an audience just about anywhere. With such a simple formula, Deal or No Deal has been fertile ground for spin-offs, including the latest hit, Deal or No Deal Island.
Now in its second season, this game show crossed with a reality show continues to make headlines for the drama provoked between contestants. The core concept remains, but it also pumps a bunch of contestants onto an island to create a running story and infuse some additional trials to earn a shot at the boxes. It’s blazing a new trail for DOND spin-offs.
Adapting the Formula for More Spin-offs
In 2000, Dutch TV channel NPO 2 laid the foundations for what would become a global phenomenon with Miljoenenjacht. The contestant enters the ring, picks boxes more or less at random, and sees what prizes leave the board. The aim is to be left with the biggest prize in the boxes, keeping it clear-cut and exciting.
Naturally, being a wholly randomized game of picking away boxes, the Deal or No Deal formula lends itself well to spin-offs beyond game shows, especially when it comes to online entertainment. In fact, the leading online casino platform in New Zealand has blended it into another kind of spin-off casino game. With Deal or No Deal Slingo, you spin the reels to tick boxes off of the bingo grid, and every box picked removes one of the prizes.
So, it’s very much DOND, but with the added randomisation of the reels saying where the boxes can be picked from and four lines needed to get a deal. Elsewhere, there was the official Deal or No Deal mobile game created by Gameloft for the UK market, which then spread worldwide, and an arcade version of the game that’d pay out in tickets. Of course, you can also find Deal or No Deal in the form of a board game, with Big Sky Games’ version being a stand-out example.
Blending the Game Show with Reality TV
Deal or No Deal Island marks a significant change of pace for spin-offs from the famed game show. For the most part, the core game has been converted or amped up for new platforms or markets. Here, it’s a full-on blend of reality television with the game show and an extra infusion of competitive challenges to complete.
It was quite the risk, even with Joe Manganiello in as the show’s host. Yet the formula seems to have worked. Even before the first season had concluded, Deal or No Deal Island was renewed for a second season. The excursions offer action segments to get behind the contestants and the Banker’s Challenge ups the ante even further.
Just looking at the methods of elimination in the first season, you can see where the intense drama on this secluded island can come from. Contestants are eliminated by other contestants, Bad Deals can suddenly uproot any hopes of going further, competitions can knock out players, and they can be bribed out of the game.
Deal or No Deal Island has proven that the core formula can work even further than games and game shows. After the intense and drama-stuffed second season, the hope is that a third will be green-lit for 2026!