Deal or No Deal/Episode Guide/season 1

(C)NBC
Season 1	Season 2	Season 3	Season 4	Season 5
Syndicated
Season 1		Season 2

The first season (2005-2006) of the NBC game show Deal or No Deal commenced airing on December 19, 2005. The number of episodes that have aired as of June 5, 2006 is 39.

#	Airdate	Highlights
1	December 19, 2005	The models' first dresses were blue ruffled dresses. Karen Vann was the first contestant on the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal, accepting a deal of $25,000 with two cases - including her own - left. After wiping out $1 million relatively early, she kept a $500,000 case in play until the latter stages. That case was eliminated after she rejected a $138,000 deal. The second contestant, Jason Vittorini, only made it through the first round (wherein he rejected a $7,000 deal) before time expired.
2	December 20, 2005	The models' dresses were black. Returning contestant Jason Vittorini eventually accepted a $189,000 deal, after rejecting a $240,000 deal with four cases, including his own, left. Between the four cases: $10,000, $300,000, $400,000, and $500,000. He accepted his deal after eliminating the $500,000 case. In his case: $10,000. Amy Dittbrenner had eight cases (counting her own) left when the show ended. She eliminated several large amounts early, but still had $500,000 and $1 million in play when time was called.
3	December 21, 2005	The models' dresses were red. The returning Amy Dittbrenner, who acted very nervous throughout her game, eventually accepted a $201,000 deal, the highest payout yet. With three gallery cases and hers' left (with possible amounts of $10, $75, $5,000, and $1 million), Dittbrenner took the Banker's offer after her daughters called, making an impassioned plea to accept the deal. Mandel then took her through the rest of the game, on the next two picks, she would have eliminated the $75 and $5,000 cases, hiking the potential deal to $500,000. Fortunately, her case had $10, with Kim Estrada's case 16 having the top prize. New contestant Daryl Johnson eliminated all the large amounts but $200,000. Playing against the odds, his brother finally convinced him to take a $99,000 deal with two cases left. It was a case of good timing: Johnson's case had the other remaining amount - $50. Note: A repeat broadcast aired April 14, 2006 on NBC.
4	December 22, 2005	Teacher Traci Wilkerson - accompanied by students in her class - ultimately accepted a $267,000 deal, but not before eliminating most of the large amounts early (save for $500,000 and $1 million). With four cases - counting her own - left and a $275,000 deal on the table, she rejected the offer and promptly wiped out the $500,000 case. She ended the game on the next deal. In her case: $200. New contestant Venus Bernardo made it through only her first elimination round before the show ended, eliminating three six-figure cases among her first six picks.
5	December 23, 2005	Returning contestant Venus Bernardo eliminated the last megamoney option in her third set of picks, and the highest offer she received was $35,000. She eventually settled for $23,000 (after eliminating the $75,000 case). In her case: $50,000, making her the first contestant not to make a good deal. In the final game of the original week-long tryout run, Janette Beverly became the first contestant to turn down every bank offer, the last one being for $85,000. With $75,000 and $100,000 left among the possible amounts in her case, Beverly refused Mandel's offer to switch cases, thus meaning she would win whatever was in her case. Inside: $75,000.
6	February 27, 2006	The models' dresses were brown, short-skirted dresses. Guest appearance: Donald Trump. In the first game of the return, Peter Montesanti became the biggest winner to this point in the series, accepting a $359,000 deal. Donald Trump (of The Apprentice) assisted Montesanti with his decision making in the later stages of the game. After turning down deals of $199,000 and $279,000, he took out the $10 and $100 cases, setting up the final deal. Wise choice: Even with $500,000 and $750,000 left in the gallery, Montesanti's case (24) had the only other possible amount remaining - $25. New contestant Cheryl Jackson did fairly well in her first two rounds of picking, leaving four mega amounts among the 15 possibilities when time ran out.
7	February 28, 2006	The models' dresses were light-blue. Returning contestant Cheryl Jackson became the smallest winner to date: the $5 that was inside her case (16). The setup: She had narrowed the game to four cases, with $1, $5, $300,000, and $750,000 among the possibilities. After rejecting a $172,000 offer, she wiped out the $750,000 case. After the subsequent $80,000 was declined, Jackson lost the $300,000 case, leaving her with just a $2 deal (which she also turned down).
8	March 1, 2006	The models' dresses were green, short-skirted dresses. Returning contestant Mark Adrian reached an offer of $140,000 before wiping out the $1,500,000 jackpot case. He refused $41,000 and took $64,000 after removing $300. $25, $50 (in case), $1,000, and $300,000 remained. New contestant Cyndi Pridgen received the highest payout for a long time to come: $407,000. She dealt with $5, $75, $75,000, and the jackpot of $2,000,000 left. The next two cases would have been $5 and $75,000, increasing the offer to $1 million - the highest bank offer in history. Fortunately, Cyndi had $75 in her case all along, and Stacey Gardner had the $2,000,000 in her case 2. The third contestant, Sherman Mitchell, eliminated five small amounts and one medium amount, $75,000, in the first round. After the banker offered $23,000, the show ended.
9	March 2, 2006	The models' dresses were black halter-top dresses. Returning contestant Sherman Mitchell's luck turned. He eliminated $400,000 and the two top cases - $1 million and $2 million - in the first two rounds. His luck went back the other way and he reached two cases left: $300 and $500,000. He dealt at $250,000 and found only $300 in his case. New contestant Becky Venable did very well, reaching the end of the third round with an offer of $101,000. Her luck continued as she removed $25 and $50, but she hit a brick wall when the $2,500,000 jackpot case 13 was removed. The bank offered $74,000 and the show finished.
10	March 3, 2006	Returning contestant Becky Venable continued to remove large amounts but kept the quarter-million on the board. She dealt at $85,000. $75 was in her case, and $5,000 was sitting alongside the $250,000 in the gallery. For new contestant Joe Pacheco's game, the lowest value was increased to $.03 on the game board, but the briefcase still read $.01. When that case was revealed, Mandel pulled out two cents from his pocket. Joe reached a climax at $92,000 with $500,000 and $750,000 left. In the next two rounds, he eliminated one small amount and both six-figures. The second climax was reached at $28,000, with $25, $10,000, and $75,000 remaining. The $75,000 took a tumble, and Joe accepted $5,000. His case had the $25. At the end of the March 3 episode, as the final contestant of the week-long series was celebrating onstage with his family, Molly Sims from Las Vegas appeared in a scene with Mandel as her character on the show, Delinda Deline. It immediately crossed into that night's episode of the show, which featured Mandel playing himself performing at the Montecito hotel. In one scene of the show, Mandel approached a blackjack table and jokingly said "Deal or no deal?"
11	March 6, 2006	The models' dresses were brown. WWE wrestler Nunzio (now known as Little Guido) appeared as one of the family supporters for his brother, Patrick "Monty" Maritato. Maritato was the first contestant to pick the two lowest-amount cases ($.01 and $1) with his first two picks. However, his luck turned when he wiped out the rest of the six-figures, save $100,000, by the first case of round 4. Although he removed $100,000 and $75,000 later, he finished with $25,000 and $50,000, with the banker offering $38,000. He went all the way but found only $25,000 in his case. New contestant Kim Woods reached the fourth round with $200,000 and $750,000 still in play but had to wait until the next show for the banker's offer.
12	March 10, 2006	The models' dresses were silver and short-skirted, Kim Woods reached her climax at $82,000 but hit the $750,000 next. She took a deal of $50,000, with $50, $750, $5,000, and $200,000 left. In her case: $5,000. New contestant Eric Paulson reached his climax at $126,000 in the third round but wiped out all six remaining six-figures in just seven picks. At the end of round 4, Howie Mandel got a bank offer so low while calling, he went to the banker box to go "talk" with the banker. When there were five cases (including his own) left, he picked Jill Manas' case 12 only to reveal the last six-figure amount - $750,000! The bank's next offer was $14,000 and he rejected it. Finally, a small amount, $75 in Ursula Mayes' case 5, was eliminated, and Eric dealt at $19,000, with $.01, $750, and $50,000 remaining. He finally found why he knocked out the big amounts - he was Deal's first contestant to choose the $.01 case!
13	March 13, 2006	The models' dresses were brown, one shoulder-strapped complete with golden bracelets on their wrists. Bryan Thompson (the mayor of the town of Brunswick, Georgia) needed support from his town so the show went live via satellite to Brunswick, GA for additional support, besides his campaign supporters who were there with him in the studio. Later, with four cases remaining, including the one he chose, Thompson and Mandel went to the gallery to see the three cases, but Mandel told Thompson that he can't touch them. Thompson later said when he touched Aubrie's case 23, "May I get to buy some of them?," then Mandel jokingly said, "You can touch the cases, I meant the girls." The mayor later took a $202,000 deal, passing up a potential $300,000 deal. His case had $50,000. New contestant Cathy Hamm eliminated only one big amount: $200,000 - in the first two rounds. The offer had to wait, however.
14	March 17, 2006	The models' dresses were purple, short-skirted dresses. Cathy Hamm reached a record of $187,000 in the third round but removed all the six-figures except $1 million in the next two rounds. She reached $123,000 before wiping out the grand prize. With only two cases left, Howie Mandel forgot to offer the contestant the opportunity to switch the final two cases. Fortunately, she won the higher of the two amounts (1 cent vs. $5,000). (There's some speculation among fans that the swap was offered and refused, but was edited out in post-production.) The next contestant was an unknown female contestant whose nickname was “The Black Tornado” whose total went down as the lowest total in DOND history (It should be known that a contestant won $5. It’s unknown why “The Black Tornado” never aired and this taping report is the only evidence of that contestant ever appearing on the show. New contestant Horston Bowen removed the top three amounts, but kept the next top three in play the rest of the show, reaching an offer of $164,000. Note: This episode is unaired on GSN due of copyright.
15	March 20, 2006	The models' dresses were white and golden. Horston Bowen eliminated $50, leaving $1, $200,000, $300,000, and $400,000. He dealt at $221,000 but would have removed the dollar next, guaranteeing him a big amount. To add insult to injury, that would have been $400,000. For new contestant Brett Sloan's game, Howie Mandel brought his daughter, Riley, on "Take Your Daughter to Work Day." She modeled case number 4, which contained $25,000, for most of the show, replacing Lindsay Schoenweis, who was only seen at the beginning of the episode when the models walk into the stage. Luckily for Riley, she didn't wear the same dress like the rest of the models. He left $200,000, $500,000, and $1 million in play up to round 6 and got an offer of $199,000. After wiping out the million, he decided to quit with $109,000, but he should have been an optimist, as there was $500,000 in his case.
16	March 22, 2006	The models' dresses were pinkish-red, ruffled, and short-skirted, similar to the blue ruffled dresses they wore on the first episode. New contestant Lt. Janie Colosso had rotten luck throughout the game, although she was widely praised for her good sportsmanship. After Colosso wiped out the last amount on the right side of the board (it was $750,000) on her fourth series of picks, the pace of the game picked up considerably. The remainder of the game was played much faster and more lighthearted than normal - so fast that the previous offers were not displayed during each phone call. Eventually, she turned down every bank offer and won the $750 inside her case. This sportsman effort is known among the DoND community as "The $750 Run." The second contestant Brett Kurtz reached $55,000 but removed $500,000. He then picked case 12, but time had run out. Fortunately, on the next show, it proved to contain $5,000.
17	March 24, 2006	The models' dresses were purple and long-skirted, complete with diamond big loop earrings and purple three-diamond rings on their fingers. Returning contestant Brett Kurtz was the second-straight low amount winner, taking an $8 deal not long after rejecting a $76,000 deal and then eliminating the last remaining mega-amount - $300,000 in Ursula Mayes' case 5 - with four cases to go, including Brett's own. After that, the offer dropped down to $50, and he rejected it. He then eliminated $200 in Stacey Gardner's case 2 before taking the aforementioned $8 deal. Some online game show fans considered the antics of "Kurtzy" to be particularly annoying and were happy to see him "win" such a small amount. His case had $5. So, Brett, unfortunately didn't listen to his family about leaving when the odds aren't good, and he got wrecked as a result. With six cases left in Lisa Fornier's game, Fornier chose Lindsay Clubine's case number 26, in honor of her grandmother Nana. Mandel and Nana went to the gallery to open Clubine's case, which contained the last six-digit amount remaining: $200,000. The bank's offer dropped way down to $100, and Lisa rejected the offer. After the last few small offers continued to dwindle, Lisa took the $50 deal to find out her case had $5. This is the first time that 2 contestants in a row ended up winning less than the first 3 digit amount ($100).
18	March 27, 2006	The models' dresses were black, complete with ring-like necklaces. Contestant Stephanie Lynch removed the million dollars in the first round but came up to $74,000 in the third round. She began to remove big amounts, and eventually dealt at $69,000 (with only one big amount remaining, $400,000). In her case: $750, with $75, $500, and $10,000 remaining in the gallery along with the $400,000. New contestant Daniel Miller started badly but did better in rounds 3 and 4. The banker thought better and kept the offer under his hat until the next show.
19	March 29, 2006	The models' dresses were pink, short-skirted dresses. Daniel Miller continued his lucky streak to take a deal of $94,000, but he should have continued while he was hot: he would have wiped out the rest of the small amounts, leaving just $300,000 and $400,000. To make the deal even worse, he would have won $400,000. New contestant Michelle Mahoney reached a third-round offer of $130,000 despite therein eliminating $1 million, but knocked off the six-figures in the remaining rounds. She took a deal of $21,000, with $50,000 being the master case, $1,000 in her case, and $5,000 also in the gallery.
20	March 31, 2006	The models' dresses were golden. Michael Wallace received an offer of $17,000, which at the time seemed odd because the previously eliminated cases contained small amounts and the previous offer was $17,000, so the offer should have gone up. The banker revealed that also, he would give him a 2006 Hummer H3 in the Deal or No Deal vault. Including the MSRP of a base H3, the offer was worth at least $46,000. Though he and his wife had wanted a Hummer, Wallace turned down the deal. Later in the episode, Wallace "broke" the button's case cover. After the commercial, the button had some black tape shown to have fixed it. The next offer ($148,990) had ten dollars jokingly deducted from the total of $149,000 as a penalty for breaking the case. He eventually took an offer of $252,000 but should have picked up on the fact that the banking system was breaking down because there was $750,000 in his case, Lanisha Cole's 15, with $50,000 and $100,000 in the gallery. New contestant Sheetal Shetty removed four six-figures in two rounds but kept $400,000 and $750,000 in play.
21	April 3, 2006	The models' dresses were black, long-skirted dresses. A special two-hour episode aired with behind the scenes clips scattered throughout the show. The Lucky Case Game was also worth $20,000 that night in an attempt to lure viewers away from the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game that was airing at the same time. Sheetal Shetty kept both mega-amounts in play amongst 3 cases: $.01, $400,000, and $750,000. She took the deal of $375,000. During the post-deal playout, she would have wiped out $750,000 next. Although there was $400,000 in her case 19, nobody would have risked winning the penny (in Lindsay Schoenweis' case 4). Teacher Laura Karkau started terribly but dealt at $96,000. She would have wiped out four small amounts to leave $400 and $750,000, but fortunately found only $400 in her case. Note: On Game Show Network, the show was surprisingly ended after she was about to answer and revealed her decision on the next episode. The reason is the channel is only for one hour episode.
22	April 5, 2006	The models' dresses were skin-tight, emerald green, flower-decorated dresses, similar to the Deal or No Deal DVD game. After new contestant Hans Hartleben removed all but one of the six-figures, the banker made another "extra" deal. This time, the offer was $44,000 and a pony for the contestant's daughter. He accepted the controversial deal (who could disappoint their daughter on TV?), only to find out later that his case contained $200,000. Contestant Tia Robertson removed several six-figure amounts but kept $100,000, $200,000, and $1 million on the board. Amid a lucky streak, time ran out before case 7 could be proven to contain $1,000 on the next show. Note: This episode originally scheduled to air on April 10, 2006.
23	April 10, 2006	The models' dresses were light-blue, short-skirted dresses. Tia Robertson continued her big run and took a $211,000 deal. Had she continued, she would have been offered the highest offer in regular DoND history after removing the rest of the small amounts: $660,000, with $200,000 and $1 million remaining as possible amounts. This bad omen was countered with a good - her case had $200,000. After she removed a streak of low cases, contestant Mary Coyal's family took the place of the seven remaining models on the stage. The models - Donna Feldman (#22), Jill Manas (#12), Kim Estrada (#16), Marisa Petroro (#20), Sonia Vera (#25), Tameka Jacobs (#21), and Claudia Jordan (#1) - sat in the audience. After removing the $500,000 case, Mandel allowed Coyal to answer the banker's phone, both jokingly remarked that The Banker had a mean voice (before offering a $119,000 deal). Coyal took the deal at just the right time, playing the game out, Mandel went to the gallery to open the next case - Claudia Jordan's #1 - she would have eliminated, and it was the $1 million case. $200,000 was in her case, but it would not have been taken home with only tiny amounts remaining in the gallery. Kasie Head, who brought case 13 to Mary, returned to open up the other cases. Note: This episode originally scheduled to air on April 12, 2006.
24	April 12, 2006	Special Miss USA episode. Note #1: A repeat broadcast aired April 21, 2006 on NBC. Note #2: This episode originally scheduled to air on April 5, 2006. Note #3: This episode is unaired on GSN due of copyright.
25	April 17, 2006	The models' dresses were red, short-skirted dresses. Special Olympics fundraiser Erin Birch rebounded from a shaky start to take a $167,000 deal (with five cases, including her own, remaining). She quit at the right time, playing the game out, she would have eliminated $100,000, and then $750,000, making her potentially the first contestant to be left with $.01 and $1 (the other case was $1,000). In her case (11): $1. During the post-game celebration, she was joined onstage by one of her Special Olympians. Thorpe Schoenle was the episode's other contestant, eliminating many small amounts early in the game before time expired. At the end of this episode, Alan Thicke, the host of Celebrity Cooking Showdown, stood by the set of Deal to talk to Mandel about Thicke's new show that premieres next after Deal while the show's credits rolled. Thicke then went into the next door set of Showdown while the previous show's credits ended. Also, NBC forgot to go to Endemol USA's production card in the end. Ironically, Celebrity Cooking Showdown was pulled early and a rerun of Deal was shown in its place on April 21, 2006.
26	April 24, 2006	The models' dresses were dark-blue, short-skirted dresses. With four cases remaining, three of them having at least $400,000, returning contestant Thorpe Schoenle took a $464,000 deal to become the U.S. version's biggest winner up to this point. Playing the game out, he would have eliminated the $500,000 and $1 million cases, significantly reducing any potential offers. In his case (20): only $400,000. New contestant LaKissa Bright was the episode's only other contestant. She was accompanied by her son, who told some of the models to open the cases in the same way Mandel does. It worked mostly well, she kept the top three amounts on the board.
27	April 26, 2006	The models' dresses were sparkling white dresses. Returning contestant LaKissa Bright became the first player on the U.S. version to initially choose the case (No. 17) containing $1 million. She accepted a deal of $215,000 with three cases remaining ($400, $1,000, and the grand prize) after eliminating the $500,000 case and having the banker's offer drop significantly. In addition to rejecting a $357,000 offer (offered shortly before wiping out the $500,000 case), Bright also turned down an offer of $134,000 and a hair transplant for her husband (valued at $15,000 from a Beverly Hills surgeon). New contestant Allyson Thadeus - who received a double lung transplant due to her battle with Cystic fibrosis - chose many of her cases by drawing miniature bingo balls out of a custom-made bag. The strategy initially worked out well, only eliminating one huge amount in the first two rounds.
28	April 28, 2006	The models' dresses were red halter-top dresses, similar to the black ones worn on the March 2, 2006 episode. After eliminating several six-figure amounts early in the show, returning contestant Allyson Thadeus discarded her strategy of drawing numbers from her custom-made bag and went with "her gut," although she immediately knocked out $750,000 after doing so. At the advice of a professional wealth manager, she eventually took a $124,000 deal. If her gut was to go on, she could have won $300,000. New contestant Josie Butkovic was the game's only other contestant, who hoped to use her winnings to open a pasta factory. She knocked out several huge amounts but kept $100,000, $300,000, and $750,000 in play.
29	May 1, 2006	The models' dresses were light-blue, complete with diamond earrings and necklaces. Returning contestant Josie Butkovic eliminated $750,000 on this episode's first pick, leaving her grandfather's playful "womanizing" of the models the game's remaining highlight. She settled on a $25,000 deal. In her case: $100,000. New contestant Randy Smith, a dyed-in-the-wool Dallas Cowboys fan was offered an all-expense-paid Dallas Cowboys dream package for ten home games, valued at $40,000, as one of his deals (which he rejected). A video of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders offering encouragement was also shown.
30	May 3, 2006	The models' dresses were black and silver. Returning contestant Randy Smith was greeted with another pre-taped message from the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, who encouraged him to go all the way. He eventually settled on a $100,000 deal with four cases left. In his case: $75,000, with $500, $100,000, and $200,000 in the gallery. New contestant Rebecca Van De Ven - who taught the audience and Mandel to say "deal," "no deal," and "open the case" in Chinese ("Jiao Yi," "Bu Jiao Yi," and "Pa Kui," respectively) became the first contestant to eliminate the $1 million case (number 13) on her first pick (clearly not prosperous, as number 8 is to Chinese, that is why she picked Pilar Lastra's case 8). Although she eliminated five low amounts in her remaining first-round picks, it was a sign of things to come. She eventually settled on a $9,000 deal with three cases left. In her case: $5 (with $100 and $25,000 remaining). Mandel signed off with "Deal or No Deal" in Chinese.
31	May 5, 2006	The models' dresses were silky red, short-skirted dresses, complete with necklaces that include rocks mostly made out of stone. The game for contestant Anca Toderic (a Romanian originally from Transylvania) lasted the full hour. Her strategy of using numbers she had chosen in advance initially worked out very well, eventually leaving three huge amounts out of the last five rounds but until after turning down $299,000, her fortunes crumbled, as she knocked off the three highest remaining amounts off the board being the $1 million, $500,000, and then $300,000 in three consecutive picks in a row. She eventually took a $25,000 deal. In her case: $50,000 (with $1 being the other remaining amount). Other highlights: Family friend and support group member Paul, an opera singer, sang an operatic solo for the banker. Anca announced she had wanted to buy a puppy with her winnings, but her husband had refused, during the game, Anca's husband came out with a basket containing a puppy (which was not connected to any deal).
32	May 8, 2006	The models' dresses were light-green, short-skirted dresses. Contestant Gary Riotto was overly excited and flamboyant throughout the hour-long game, prancing on stage, hugging and kissing models, and (at one point) gaining playful revenge on Mandel for his tendency to segue into a commercial before opening a case (by delivering such an outro himself). He eventually took a $340,000 deal. The highest post-deal potential offer was $477,000, but it would have come crashing down on his next pick (the $1 million in Stacey Gardner's case No. 2). In his case: $300,000, with $1,000 left in the gallery. Note: A repeat broadcast aired May 31, 2006 on NBC. A repeat broadcast aired on September 15, 2006 on Global.
33	May 10, 2006	Shirley Lipner, the new contestant, removed the $500,000 and $750,000 in her first three picks, meeting the first offer of $7,000. At the end of round 4, she removed the $1 million case (Tameka Jacobs's case 21). She later mounted up to $98,000, which was taken. The $400,000 was removed following the deal, and though $100,000 was higher than her deal, $75,000 was in her case (23). Chad Pritchard, University of Ohio band leader, had a great first round but removed the $400,000 and $750,000 in the second round. His refusal of $65,000 after the third round finished the show.
34	May 12, 2006	The models' dresses were red, complete with golden loop earrings and longer necklaces. Returning contestant Chad Pritchard (accompanied by the University of Ohio marching band) eliminated the $500,000 and $1,000,000 in the same round. After two good rounds, he removed $300,000. He then accepted a $14,000 deal, in his case (5): $500, with $50,000 being the top amount and $25 and $300 also in the gallery. Before gameplay started, Pritchard was greeted with a pre-taped message from Today Show co-host Matt Lauer (a University of Ohio alum). For contestant Lauren Potter's game, model Tameka Jacobs (who was holding case 21), was replaced by Potter's sister from Boston, and the audience was informed of the switch. Potter failed to recognize her sister for over a minute, needing subtle hints from Mandel to figure it out. Potter's mother (who was in the support group) also failed to recognize the switch. Mandel quipped that the reunion was "the hardest ... we've ever had here on 'Deal or No Deal.'" The exact text was: Howie: One more case. This is a crucial decision. Look them all over carefully. This is a crucial case. Look at each case. (the chyron tells us at home what's happening) Look at them very carefully. Are you studying the cases? Lauren: (laughs, but doesn't get it) Howie: What? Lauren: You see them every single night. Howie: I see them every single night. You don't. Lauren: (laughs again) Howie: (points to the girls) Look at them. I'm serious, this is a crucial case. Lauren: Okay, I gotta get-I'm waiting for the vibe! Howie: I see them every single night, I'll tell you something. From time to time- Mother: Get the vibe. Howie: No, you guys, you help her- Mother: Get the vibe. Howie: Look at every case. How come you're not- Supporter: But she has to feel it. She has to feel it. Howie: No, but she has to LOOK! Supporter: Yeah. Howie: I'm telling her to look. You blame yourself. Let me ask you. Supporter: Can you move out of the way? Howie: (clutching his head) I WANNA SAY SOMETHING! Lauren: What did you want to say? Howie: Does number 21 look like a good case? Look at her. Lauren: Yeah. (Sister laughs) Howie: (dumbfounded) MOM! DOES 21 LOOK LIKE A GOOD CASE TO YOU??!" Mother: As opposed to what? (everyone laughs, Howie holds his head again) Lauren: Am I missing something? Howie: Are you missing something? YES!.........LOOK AT THE MODEL THAT'S HOLDING THE CASE! Potter did not open her sister's case in this episode. Lauren removed a few big amounts but reached an offer of $131,000 after a great round and the episode ended.
35	May 15, 2006	The models' dresses were black, short-skirted dresses, complete with the loop earrings that were similar to those worn in the March 24, 2006 episode. Guest appearances: Regis Philbin and Jay Leno. Returning contestant Lauren Potter accepted a deal of $44,000, shortly after eliminating the $400,000 and $500,000 cases. In her case (25): $200,000. During the game, when one of the offers was shown, Mandel said "I'm going to need your final answer," and when that happened, Regis Philbin came to the Deal or No Deal studio. Philbin and Mandel then playfully argue over their catchlines: Mandel:Deal or No Deal? Philbin:What he's trying to say to you is "is that your final answer?" Mandel:Deal or No Deal? Philbin:Final answer? Mandel:Deal or No Deal? Philbin:Final answer?! Contestant Renee Stokes was given moral support by her husband, Justin (who is stationed in Fallujah, Iraq, and appeared via satellite feed). She did well, but eventually knocked out the top amount, $750,000. After recovering, one of her deals was $99,000 and a Harley Davidson motorcycle (modeled by Leno). When four cases (including her own) remained, Stokes began taking her husband's advice but changed her pick at the last moment, it was a bad decision, as she wiped out $500,000, the last remaining six-digit-plus amount. She settled on the next offer of $28,000. In Stokes' case: $10 (with $25 being in her original choice of case, Jill Manas's case 12, and $75,000 also remaining in the gallery). This episode - originally produced as a two-hour special - was truncated in the Central and Eastern time zones due to President Bush's televised address on immigration. Viewers in those timezones did not see the first part of the new contestant Jim Moniz's game. It started OK, but in the third round, he removed three of the top four amounts, leaving $750,000 in play. Updates were offered on $167,000 winner Erin Birch (who donated her winnings to the Special Olympics) and $375,000 winner Sheetal Shetty.
36	May 17, 2006	The models' dresses were pink. Returning contestant Jim Moniz, after removing more small amounts, accepts an $81,000 deal with five cases remaining (including $750,000). In the post-deal play, the first two cases he opened would have given him a $261,000 deal, but with three cases left, he opened $750,000. In his case: $50. Contestant Dana Belle - who had envisioned opening a bakery - becomes one of the few contestants to win the cash amount inside her case (23): $50. She did fairly until opening the $1 million in round 5. With four cases left, she eliminated $300,000, the last large amount remaining on the board.
37	May 22, 2006	The models' dresses were light-blue, short-skirted dresses. Contestant Jeff Griffiths removed several huge amounts early. The huge amounts started pouring again in rounds 3 and 4, but one cloud remained: $500,000. He took a deal of $70,000 with five cases left. The next three would have been small, pushing the deal up to $266,000. In his case: $1,000. New contestant Cindy McQuay kept $300,000, $400,000, and $750,000 in play through round 4 and received an offer of $106,000. She would have to wait to decide, as time was up. Much like Allyson Thadeus, Cindy had her mechanism of picking cases: by using flashcards.
38	May 29, 2006	The models' dresses were brown dresses that may be similar to those worn in the February 27, 2006 episode. They also wore necklaces made of brown gems. Cindy McQuay removed all the huge amounts but $300,000, and dealt at $94,000 when it accompanied two other cases. In her case (26): $5. Also paralleling Allyson Thadeus' game, she would abandon her strategy after it betrayed her and resort to spontaneous, random selection. Oscar Sistrunk rebounded from removing $500,000 and $1 million in his first three picks to an offer of $62,000 before wiping out $750,000. He climbed up to $137,000 and stopped there. In the post-deal play, the next case would have eliminated $5. Inside his case (24): $75 (the $400,000 resided with Aubrie Lemon and her case 23). Amazingly, Oscar said "No Deal" three consecutive times when the two highest amounts were $400,000 and only $1,000, an extremely risky move that, fortunately, paid off well for him, it seems to fit his character as an entrepreneurship teacher.
39	June 5, 2006	Special guest star - Celine Dion. The models' dresses were red, short-skirted halter-top dresses similar to those worn on April 28, 2006. They also wore silver jewelry. This was the season finale, which aired as a 90-minute special. The top two prizes for this episode were $2.5 million and $5 million. A $250,000 prize was also available (it, along with the top two prizes, replaced the $200,000, $300,000, and $400,000 prizes). Casey Bell was the sole contestant in this episode, which was the 90-minute season finale. Bell did very well early on but knocked out the $2.5 million and $1 million (in Lisa Gleave's case 3 and Ursula Mayes's case 5, respectively) in the same round. Later in the game, Mandell allowed Bell to assist Patricia Kara in opening case 9, Bell didn't look, but the audience groans and thumping sound effects let her know the outcome: it was $5 million. (She did not pick up on this, and asked, "It's a penny?" before Howie told her.) Eventually, Bell took a $196,000 deal, with $.01, $10, $400, and $750,000 remaining. In the post-deal play, Bell would have eliminated the $10 and $400 cases, leaving her with a potential $410,000 deal. Inside her case: $750,000. During Bell's game, Celine Dion made a guest appearance via satellite from Las Vegas, where she joined Casey Bell's family for most of the show. Dion also offered Casey and her family a free trip to Las Vegas, as special guests at her concert. No summer reruns were planned, audience burnout incurred by massive airings of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? in its heyday was the reason cited for Deal's hiatus. According to Regis Philbin from the Broadcasting & Cable article: “It's a big hit right now, but it's making me nervous...It's getting a big number for them and they could use the numbers. But I hope they don't run it into the ground.” When the show returns for the Fall 2006 season, it is tentatively scheduled to revert to Mondays and Thursdays only, with the premiere episode having a prize amount greater than $5 million. At the beginning of the episode, a scene with a DHL delivery truck along with escorts from the Los Angeles Police Department riding in motorcycles was shown. It was shot in the streets of Los Angeles. Deal announcer Joe Cipriano thought it was so big, the show needed police escorts straight from the bank to NBC Studios. When the delivery truck arrived at the studio, the truck drivers opened the back door, pulled out the steps, and all of a sudden, the 26 models, all dressed up in red, came out with their cases, walked the red carpet, and entered the Deal or No Deal studio as the show began. The episode's intro was almost identical to the truck intro from Miljoenenjacht, the original Dutch version of Deal or No Deal. Inside, the models then walked down the steps as usual after Howie Mandel said one of his catch-phrases, "Ladies, please." There was also an update on the show's record-setting contestant Thorpe Schoenle. Models Claudia Jordan and Patricia Kara came to Thorpe's house in Chicago to offer him a check for $464,000 inside a very special case. Note: This episode is unaired on GSN due of copyright.