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Airdate
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Highlights
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| 1
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August 25, 2008
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- Season 4 Changes: Howie entered through the board itself, as the curtain retracted to allow him through.
- The banker's box is redesigned and now fully visible by the contestant, similar to the Philippine version's office.
- Model changes: Mariela Arteaga filling in for Stacey at case 2, Amanza Smith temporarily holds Case #8 to replace Lauren Shiohama who moved to Case #12 to replace Jill Manas, and Heidi Lish temporarily replaced Mylinda Tov Case #19 for two episodes. Speaking of models, we see the ladies wearing silver sequined dresses and wigs. These changes may not be permanent, as they are not officially locked into place by the DoND staff.
- For this episode only, as of now, the editing has been massively improved, with little extraneous and dragging talk that has always turned off viewers of the show. This may have been simply to fit the entire episode into one hour, but with the current critical praise for this development, it may be continued in future shows.
- With the illegal-gambling lawsuit dismissed, the Lucky Case Game returns, this time under the name "Beat the Banker," where the player tries to find which of the cases the $10,000 prize was hidden in by the Banker.
- To begin Season 4, appropriately enough, Million Dollar Mission play returned with four $1,000,000 cases in the game. Koshka Blackburn from Maryland, unhappy at her overly conservative predecessors on this show, received this news when she was asked to sing "adapted lyrics" to demonstrate the formidable pipes that she hoped to take all the way to Broadway.
- Having traded off between a good first round and a rather bad second round, after the third round was complete, two million dollar cases remained, and Koshka was offered $95,000 plus a personal session with Bob and Jillian from The Biggest Loser, along with full member benefits, a library of books and DVDs, and a year's worth of the plan. Although she felt she needed this to improve her weight (which she stated was the reason she had been turned down in the past), Koshka continued to play the game.
- After round 4, eight cases remained: a penny, $10, $300, $750, $5,000, $10,000, $200,000, and the last $1 million case. The immediate offer was $66,000, but underlying that was a meeting with Bernie Telsey in New York, a private audition for a Broadway musical, and a walk-on role in Hairspray - but only if Koshka turned down every single offer. Fueled by this, Koshka and her team of supporters took an epic run through danger, continuing even without the $200,000 backup, past $170,000 and $286,000, to reach the last two cases of $5,000 and $1,000,000 intact.
- The banker's final hurrah was to throw out $530,000, and at this, her bench completely reversed their attitude, believing that this would be enough for her dream regardless. Torn between her hope of winning a million dollars and/or the Broadway musical and her other dream of at least $500,000 answered, Koshka finally decided to take the ultimate plunge, knowing that she had some insurance behind her and hoping to end the unfortunate legacy of the 18 could-have-beens before her.
- Unfortunately, Koshka ended up with the $5,000 case after refusing to swap, but even in the face of what would normally cause a breakdown, she put her trust in the upcoming Broadway audition and the Hairspray role - which even $525,000 cannot purchase. And it could, in the end, be money well sacrificed if she turns this into a career. As of this writing, it is unknown what happened after the show, and all DoND fans hope she does well and turns the molehill into a mountain.
- This marks the first occasion anyone has gone directly for the top prize, though not the first time did when there was a million at stake, or when the million could be won by default due to $1 million cases being the entire board.
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| 2
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September 1, 2008
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- The second game had the models wear pink dresses.
- After 178 shows, Jessica Robinson, contestant number 243, became the first grand-prize winner in the United States version of "Deal or No Deal." Her $1 million win came as part of a five-case million-dollar mission. She selected case 4 because she was five months pregnant with the fourth member of her family (she has a husband and daughter). As a surprise to Jessica's family, hidden inside one of the cases (soon revealed to be case 13, the second case opened in the game) was the sex (male) of the baby, which was known to only Jessica and who revealed it to the producers, who gave this to the case loaders. When Leyla opened that case, "It's a boy!" was posted underneath the $5 amount inside, and the case had a blue felt border rather than the usual red. Jessica eliminated four of her $1 million cases early, and the banker held his offers back. With eight cases remaining, the banker offered, along with $56,000, "Texas soil" (complete with manure) for Jessica to have her baby on, as that was her dream to move back to Texas to have her son. Luck favored Jessica after this, and the game went from there down to the final five of $25, $750, $100,000, $200,000, and the last $1 million, then to the latter three cases, guaranteeing Jessica and others $100,000. Knowing this, she refused the rather lowball offers of $271,000 and $561,000. With just the $200,000 and $1 million left, Robinson declined the opportunity to switch cases, and this led to the U.S. DoND historic moment... and the worst defeat the Banker has had to endure.
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| 3
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September 8, 2008
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- Guess what? The DoND guys apparently thought 1 millionaire wasn't good enough, so they're doing the MDM again, to get another one. See, this is one of the reasons why the show didn't last very long.
- In this episode, we see the models wearing light blue dresses. Speaking of models, Amanza Smith holds Case #19 as her permanent briefcase to replace Mylinda Tov (who previously held it for the first three seasons) during the show's fourth season.
- Gary Cote, a truck driver from Coventry, Rhode Island, also a biker. He was playing with two cases with million dollar. He KO'd both of his million-dollar cases in round 1. He played better, managing to keep his only big amount at that point, $500,000, in play up until the final round, where it went. With $10,000 and $75,000 as the final 2, he decided to turn down the final offer of $38,000, and he also didn't want to switch cases. Gary Cote ended up with $10,000. That means that $75,000 was in #14.
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| 4
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September 15, 2008
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- The models are wearing black dresses in the first half. The first contestant was Chris Williams, a basketballer and video gamer. He played with 3 million-dollar cases. He played great in the first three rounds, only eliminating one of the three MDC's. When round 4 was finished, he got a special offer from the banker: EA would fly him and a guest to their headquarters in Canada, and give him all of the games made by EA. Then he'd be back to attend the launch party of NBA Live '09. And not only that, he would be immortalized as a referee in the game! This was worth $5,700, combined with the cash offer of $126,000, making the total offer $131,700 (If this were me, I'd have been out the door so fast, you wouldn't even notice I was gone.). He decided to turn it down, not even thinking about the possibility of having the same 1/28 round 5 that the other 2 people had back in S3's MDM games. But sure enough, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. More bad luck strikes as $50,000 in #14, and THEN THE LAST ONE ON RIGHT SIDE being the $1,000 in #16 which went in the final 2 rounds. After $25 went, he took a $110 deal. He could've had the penny or $200, and he had the latter (like it even mattered at this point. I would've just went all the way). Another example of greed making people bleed.
- The second contestant was Maryann Vazquez, from Apple Valley, MN, and for the rest of the game, we see the remaining models replaced by Howie look-alikes. She was playing with 4 million-dollar cases. She played great in the first round, losing only 1 of her 4 MDC's. After turning down a $157,000 offer, she KO'd 2 more, leaving her with just one. She took the deal for $91,000. Because of time constraints, we just skip to what was inside her case, and it was $1,000. Good deal.
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| 5
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October 3, 2008
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- In this episode, we see the models wearing shiny yellow dresses. Tommy Nolton III, from Sterling Heights, MI. He has 5 million-dollar cases. He eliminated one right off the bat inside Pilar Lastra's case (#14) but opened five low amounts afterward. After he declined the $65,000 offer, he picked two more inside Patricia Kara's and Lisa Lakatos' cases respectively. He was playing much better after that. He took the deal for $448,000. In the prove-out, Amanza (#19) had $1,000. The banker's offer would have been $693,000. He picked Jenelle (#17), and she had $200, meaning Tommy would've been the 2nd millionaire on DoND. It was Lauren Shiohama (#12) had the last million. OUCH.
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| 6
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October 10, 2008
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- The models are wearing bridesmaids outfits. Layna Dugan, a full-time student at UMKC, a communications student. She played with six one million dollar cases. She eliminated the first 2, inside both Lisas. After she decided to say no deal to $99,000, she eliminated two more. After she declined the $48,000 offer, she eliminated another one, meaning she's down to the final one in just 3 rounds! She had a good streak later on getting up to a $61,000 offer, but then she sadly knocked off the last $1 million case (Mariela Arteaga, #2), in round 5, effectively murdering the game, and taking the offer down to $8,000. Layna says, "You just gotta go for it at this point!" She decides to go for $50,000, and makes a nice comeback! She took the deal for $27,000 after knocking out the left side. In the prove-out, Patricia Kara had $5,000. The final offer would've been $39,000. She had $25,000 inside her case while Kelly Brannigan had the $50,000, so, that's pretty much a draw right there.
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| 7
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October 22, 2008
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- Mariela Arteaga holds Case #8 as her permanent briefcase to replace Lauren Shiohama (who moved to Case #12 to permanently replace Jill Mansas at the beginning of the season 4).
- The seventh game had the models wear nurses. Richie Bell is playing with seven million dollar cases and removed 12 small amounts in a row. After turning down a $603,000 offer, knocking out one of his 2 remaining millions, Richie Bell took it all the way, turning down the final offer of $416,000 with $1 and $1 million as the final 2 cases. His briefcase (#15) contained $1, while Katie Cleary's case contained the million, just like Koshka Blackburn's game. He won an additional $10,000 from a side-game, meaning he left with $10,001.
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| 8
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October 24, 2008
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- The eighth game sees the models wearing scarlet-orange dresses. Coleen Fowler, a married woman from Minnesota, was playing with eight one million dollar cases. She eliminated a million-dollar case right off the bat but recovered nicely. After she declined the $210,000 offer, she picks two of the five million dollar cases inside Patricia Kara's #9 and Ursula Mayes's #5. She knocks out another one inside Alike Boggan's #20 after she turned down the $149,000 offer. After she decides to say no deal to a $236,000 offer, she eliminated another one. After she decides to say no deal to a $198,000 offer, she eliminated yet another one. She played better in the seventh round until she knocked out another $1 million case after she turned down the offer for a quarter of a million dollars ($250,000). She took the deal for $176,000. In the prove-out, Crystal Monte had $10,000 meaning her next offer would have been $345,000. Thankfully, it was Jenelle that had the last million. In Coleen's case: $400.
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| 9
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October 29, 2008
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- The ninth game had the models wear red, white, and blue dresses. Tomorrow Rodriguez played with nine MDC's. She chose case #7. Domani, her daughter, told her to pick it. Two of the six cases she picked - 10 and 12 - both $1 million cases. After she turned down the first offer of $188,000, three of the five cases in the second round - Stacey Gardner's #2, Jenelle Moreno's #17, Hayley Marie Norman's #25, were worth $1 million. She played better in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds, only knocking out one million (#16) in the fifth. She declined the $349,000 offer with just six cases left, and three holding a million. After she turned down the seventh offer of $677,000, she opened the $300 inside Brooke Long's case, ending up with her as the 2nd and final winner of the million on DoND. The other two MDC's were in Mariela Arteaga's case (#8) and Alike Boggan's case (#20).
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| 10
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October 31, 2008
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- Finally back to normal play, thank God. Here's the models wearing olive green dresses.
- Vinny LaSalvia had a bad first round because he opened the $200,000 in Tamaka Jacobs' case (#21), the million in Ursula Mayes's case (#5), and the $750,000 in Pilar Lastra's case (#14). His brother, who he had not seen for over 25 years, was flown out from Newark, NJ. Vinny had terrible luck though because, after 4 rounds, the Super 7 was gone. And then, more bad luck as $75,000, and then THE RIGHT SIDE ($10,000) died as well, giving him a crappy (forgive my potty mouth) final 2 of $50 and $100. Long story short, he rejected the final offer of $80, decided not to switch cases, and won the former of the final 2 in #9 (his case). Another example of playing too far.
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| 11
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November 3, 2008
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- For the 200th episode, it's SPEED DEAL OR NO DEAL! 4 players in 1 game! All the players picked all the cases in a round at once, all the cases were opened at once, and players had 20 seconds to decide whether to take the deal or not. If time ran out, it was considered "No Deal." Because of this, we see the models wearing golden dresses to fit the occasion.
- The first contestant of the night was Frank Ross, he's from Canfield, OH. He was the first contestant but was apparently the worst, well, one of the worst, as all the big amounts die pretty quickly, leaving him with only a top prize of $50,000. He took a deal for $14,000, but he had the $50,000 in Case #12.
- The second contestant of the night was Odalys Piedra, she's from Culver City, CA. She opened the $1,000,000 case (Katie Cleary's case #11) to end round 1 after knocking out the $100,000 and $400,000. Odalys ended up taking a $198,000 deal after turning down $244,000 and then removing $75,000, $200,000, in the next two rounds. Her briefcase #18 contained $10.
- The third contestant of the night was Andre Van Chaud, he's from Derby, CT. He removed 10 small amounts in a row (nothing over $50,000), but then opened the $1,000,000 case (case #2) to end round 3. Andre Van Chaud took a $38,000 deal after turning down $27,000 and then removing $750, $50, and $5,000 in the next round. His briefcase contained $25.
- The final contestant of the night was Danielle Carranza, she's from Coachella, CA. She had a great first four rounds, but then opened the $1,000,000 case (case #13) to end round 5. Danielle Carranza took the deal for $72,000 after turning down $225,000 and then removing the $750,000 in the next round in Crystal's case. Her briefcase (#1) contained $25,000, while Marisa had the $200,000.
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| 12
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November 7, 2008
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- We see the models wearing beautiful silver dresses. The first contestant of the night was Steve Smiley, who's from Sparks, Nevada. He is not playing for $1 million, but for TWO million ($2,000,000)! He eliminated the million in Aubrie Lemon's #1, THE $2 MILLION inside Patricia Kara's #9, and $500,000 inside Amanza Smith's #19, all within his first five picks. His game improved as it went on, and he took the deal for $60,000 after keeping the $300,000 in play (in #11). His case: $750
- The next contestant of the night was Tia Lampone, who is from Pittsburgh. She's also playing for $2 million. She eliminated that, unfortunately, in Sara Bronson's #7 on her third pick. After she declined the $123,000 offer, she knocked out the $400,000 inside Mariela Arteaga's #8 and the million in Crystal Monte's #22. She turned down a $77,000 offer when time ran out.
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| 13
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November 14, 2008
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- Guest appearance: Tony Hawk
- The models were wearing tickle me pinkish dresses. Tia Lampone started the episode by eliminating $300,000, the 2nd highest amount that remained on the board, leaving $100,000, $200,000, and $500,000 as the only three huge amounts in play. Unfortunately, she KO'd all of those ($500,000 in #4, $200,000 in #10 and $100,000 in #24) AND THEN $50,000 in #3 in CONSECUTIVE ROUNDS. With three cases left - $0.01, $100, $750 - she took a deal for $300 (The prove-out was skipped because she wasn't gonna win much). Her case had $.01.
- New contestant, Robert Arellano, he's a father of three from Folsom, CA. He's also playing for $2 million. He knocked out two large amounts in the first round, but he declined an offer of $102,000. He eliminated $500,000 inside Lauren Shiohama's #12 and two million dollars inside Patricia Kara's #9 in the second round. After turning down an $89,000 offer, he eliminated the million dollars in Marisa Petroro's #18. And then good ol' 1/28 struck again and got rid of the final 2 big numbers ($100,000 in #7 and $400,000 in #6) in Round 5 (Just as Guy Goudeaux, Heather McKee, and more have had). With four cases left - $1, $50, $750, and $10,000 - he took a deal for $3,000. (prove-out skipped again for the same reason as Tia) His case had $1.
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| 14
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November 21, 2008
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- Instead of briefcases, the models, wearing gold dresses, were bringing out trays. Jimmy Dolan chose #23 as his tray. He is playing for not $1 million, but $2 million. After being offered $222,000 ($2 million in play), he picked #4 holding the $2,000,000, and later on the million in Tray #1. He took the deal and ran for $63,000. His case had $750.
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| 15
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November 26, 2008
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- Now, we have the same models wearing the same golden dresses from the previous episode. The new contestant of the night was Ashley Otte from Randolph, Minnesota, a waitress, and a college student who is also playing for $2 million. Ashley chose tray #26 based on a picture she saw while waiting to start her game. She eliminated a large amount right off the bat but otherwise had a good round. After she turned down $188,000, she picked Mariela's #8 which was holding the $1 million. She took the deal for $260,000, but after the prove-out, it was revealed her tray held the $2 million. (BTW, her final offer would have been $1.1 MILLION. She would've been the biggest winner by dealing had she went all the way).
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| 16
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December 25, 2008
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- If the contestants knock out the 9 smallest amounts ($,01 to $200), which are holding names of the nine reindeer, they will get an additional $25,000.
- Instead of briefcases, the models, wearing white dresses, and matching gloves, brought out presents. A family playing as a team - The Calhoun Family, playing for the regular $1 million prize, chose present #13. Her first three picks - 4, 19, and 22 - were lucky ones (they concealed $100, $25, and $500 respectively), resulting in the first offer of $39,000. The Calhoun Family later revealed $1 million late in the third round (#18), and they turned down a $29,000 offer. They continued playing and eventually settled for a $107,000 deal after losing the $100,000. Their case contained $5 and Case 26 contained the $400,000. (Note: The Calhoun Family would later appear on Season 50 and Season 51 on The Price Is Right: 1. James, winning prizes in Switch and prevented a skunking 2. Joshua, winning prizes in One Wrong Price and won the Showcase for a total of $51,628).
- The next contestant was Matt Zedwick, a veteran who got injured by an IED. He's a student from Corvallis, OR. He eliminated the million dollars on his first pick with Present #11 (AnnaMaria Demara). After they said "no deal" for $145,000, he picked #22, which was the $750,000. They took the deal for $202,000. In the prove-out, Kelly had $500,000. Their next offer would have been $102,000. Alike had $10,000. Their next offer would have been $187,000. Their case contained $400 while Marisa had the $400,000.
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| 17
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December 29, 2008
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- Guest appearance: Kobe Bryant (RIP)
- We see the models wearing dark pink dresses. Davon Clark, the final player of $2 Million Month, ran into some bad luck early, losing the $2 million in round 1 (yet again in #4 Keltie Martin's case), but he made a real nice comeback after that! He received a deal of $383,000, plus a Lakers package and $5,000 cash, for a total of $388,000, which he took. In the playout, case #5 had the million, making his deal a great one because he had $1,000. Lisa Gleave had the $400,000. One of the GREATEST games of Season 4!
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| 18
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January 1, 2009
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- New Year's Day game. If anyone makes it all the way, they get what's inside the 2009 case. If they open the 9 HAPPY NEW YEAR cases, they receive an additional $10,000.
- To fit the occasion, we see the models wearing blue and gold sequined dresses. The first contestant of the night is Brien Crowder. He's from Antioch, Tennessee. He eliminated 2 large amounts on the first round. After he declined the $83,000, he picked #4 which was $200,000. He played better until he knocked the $400,000 out in the third round, and he shockingly took the deal for $234,000 in the fourth round. In the prove-out, Alike had $200 and Crystal had $50, and the fifth offer would've been $349,000. Marisa had the million. The sixth offer would've been $241,000. Mariela had the penny and the next offer would have been $336,000. Lisa had $10. The next banker offer would've been $462,000. Layla had the $750,000. The final banker offer would have been $280,000. His case contained $500,000. Wow. All that, and he still missed out on double what he sold his case for.
- Tunde Oyeneyin was the next contestant. She chose case #24. After eliminating the million in #11 early in the first round, she continued to knock out low amounts and opened the nine "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" cases, guaranteeing her $10,000 regardless. She continued her streak of luck until she knocked out the $750,000 and $500,000 back-to-back. Needless to say, she had bad luck, making her top prize now only $100,000. After turning down a final offer of $61,000, the case #2009 was opened by Patricia and Anya, revealing "CAR," which was a 2009 Ford Flex, driven in by Tameka, worth $45,190, Inside the case: $100,000, bringing her total winnings to $155,190 and joy to her previously-angry mother's face.
- Note: On Game Show Network, the show was surprisingly ended after revealed the next contestant on the next episode. The reason is the channel is only for one hour episode.
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| 19
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January 2, 2009
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- Now, we see the models wearing lavender dresses. Mandy Quigley, a Walnut, CA drag racer who zooms into the studio, took a deal of $35,000 (along with a bonus of $16,000) She walked away with a total of $51,000 which she took. She made a great deal because she only had $25,000 inside, while Pilar had the $300,000.
- Next player up to bat was Diane Jorgensen, she's a farmer from Ledyard, IA. She eliminated the $400,000 case in her fourth pick in the first round, but she had an okay round. After she declined $55,000, she knocked out the $200,000 and she turned down a $117,000 offer when time ran out.
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| 20
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May 4, 2009
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- The returning contestant of the night was Diane Jorgensen, and to fit the occasion, we see the models dressing up as cowgirls. She eliminated $300,000 right off the bat but she has a good round. She became very emotional as her offers reached six figures. After she decided to say no deal for $175,000, she eliminated the $500,000 case in #3 in the fourth round. She took the deal for $186,000. In the prove-out, Marisa had $750,000, and Leyla, the million, meaning it was good thing that she got out in the right time before disaster strikes. Inside Diane Jorgensen's case has only $25,000.
- For the rest of the game, the models wore black dresses. David Lee, a traveling musician from Kansas City, took a deal of a $14,000 (along with a $10,000 bonus for facing his fear of styrofoam). He walked away with a total of $24,000 which he took. He made a great deal because his Case #21 (chosen because he wanted a hug from Tameka) had only $400 inside.
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| 21
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May 11, 2009
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- Here's the models wearing light blue dresses. Denise Canard, a single mom and special-ed preschool director from the Bronx. She eliminated $750,000 right off the bat but she had a good recovery. After she decided to say no deal to $51,000, she eliminated the $200,000 case in the second round and the banker offer will still go up until she knocked out the half-a-million ($500,000) case in the third round. She had a good round in the next one, though. After she declined the offer for $164,000, she had a tough fifth round, eliminating the $300,000 and $400,000 in the fifth round. She played better in round 6, knocking out $400 in Amanza's case, and took the deal for $95,000. In the prove-out, Kelly had $100,000. The banker would've offered $223,000. Sara had the penny case. Bank would've offered $345,000. Patricia had $750. The final offer would've been $511,000. Her case contained $1. Not the best deal, but at least she didn't give up the grand jackpot, which was in Crystal's case.
- The next contestant was Kim Jones, a legal secretary from DeFuniak Springs, FL, near Pensacola. Howie remarked how he loved her accent. She eliminated $400,000 right off the bat but she had a good round after. She turned down a $92,000 offer when time ran out.
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| 22
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May 18, 2009
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- Guest appearance: Jake the Monkey
- The penultimate episode feature the models wearing silver dresses. Kim Jones started the episode by eliminating $100,000 and $500,000 - the highest amount that remained on the board, leaving only $750,000 as the only huge amount in play. Fortunately, she managed to avoid $750,000 throughout the entire game. With 4 cases left - $10, $25, $500, and $750,000 - she took a deal for $137,000. Unfortunately, she made a bad deal because her case had $750,000.
- The next contestant is Thomas Fretze, a high-school math teacher and a server at a restaurant, and lives at home. He got a "nerd alert" from the banker and got punished by receiving the LOWEST first offer ever: $3. Obviously, he turned it down. He had a good run in the next round. After he turned down a $144,000 offer, the time ran out.
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| 23
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- The last episode of the series sees the models wearing red dresses. The final returning contestant is Thomas Fritze. After he turned down a $144,000 offer, he eliminated the million dollars in Marisa Petroro's #18. He knocked out one large amount after he turned down $175,000. With five cases left - $.01, $50, $5,000, $500,000, and $750,000 - he took a deal for $220,000. In the prove-out, Kelly had $5,000. The banker would've offered $313,000. Claudia had $750,000. The offer would've dropped to $180,000. Sara had $500,000! His case had $.01. (THE BEST DEAL IN HISTORY!)
- The 273rd and final contestant of the series was Goretty Madirez, She's an engaged accountant (who's dyslexic with numbers) and bartender from Massachusetts. Her first three picks - #16 had the $750,000, #6 had the million and #1 had the $200,000 cases were eliminated respectively, resulting in a very low banker's offer of $10,000. Goretty later revealed the $500,000 in #15 late in the second round, resulting in the worst 2nd round in the whole series. Goretty continues a stream of bad luck and eventually settles for a $100 deal after losing the last huge amount - $400,000 in #7. Her case contained $5. (She was nearly as unlucky as Janie Colosso, who eliminated the right side at the end of Round 4. Goretty eliminated it on her first pick of Round 5.) The rest of the cases that were not opened were $300 in #11, $25 in #12, and $75 in #14.
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