What's in the Case on Syndie Deal or No Deal?

NBC Universal reveals daily syndicated Deal or No Deal to give away $500,000.

By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/21/2008 1:02:00 AM

Money talks and a half-million dollars talks loudly for NBC Universal’s Deal or No Deal, which each week will give 22 case-holding contestants a chance to win it all.

Until now, NBCU hadn’t said how much it would give away on the daily syndicated show. Now it has and, as senior vice president of programming and development Linda Finnell said, “$500,000 is a great amount of money -- it’s life-changing.”

The primetime show dangles $1 million, but no one has ever won it.

In the half-hour daytime version, which rolls out Sept. 8, contestants will pick and choose among cases, hoping to finally land on the big money.

“It’s a game about guts, glory and having what it takes to go the distance,” Finnell said.

Other changes are in store for the Howie Mandel-hosted show: Models won’t hold the cases, contestants will -- a change Finnell said is a “fascinating addition to the show. It’s a really intense time for them -- they bond and create friendships. At the end of the day, all of these other contestants who are also playing are yelling, ‘Take it,’ or, ‘Don’t take it.’”

The show still feature models, though: Two of them will spin a wheel each day that determines which of the contestants gets to put down his or her case and come play.

And at-home fans can play along for money, as well. Viewers can go to the syndicated show’s Web site or to their local affiliate’s Web site and play an interactive game that will give them the chance to win $10,000 each week.