Deal or No Deal Island has arrived, and it looks crazy! It is a combination of the original Deal or No Deal but set on the Banker’s tropical island. Host Joe Manganiello will welcome 13 competitors who will compete in challenges to grab briefcases for that evening’s game. And two faces will be familiar to reality television fans. Survivor legend “Boston” Rob Mariano and former The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Claudia Jordan are in it to win it.
Plus, Claudia was a briefcase girl during the initial run of Deal or No Deal. Now that is an interesting twist. If a contestant has the suitcase with the highest dollar amount, they have immunity. And they will select a competitor to go to The Temple. And there, they play a high-stakes game with the Banker that could end in elimination. So, what is the total amount of money up for grabs? A cool $200 million.
Does Claudia have an unfair advantage?
Joe weighed in on Claudia’s previous experience. “Claudia had an advantage in that she was valuable to the group because she knew how the game was played,” Joe told US Weekly. “She’d seen almost every single game up close and live.”
Joe noted that Claudia had a “sixth sense when it came to what was in what case, what was going to be a good deal, what was a bad deal, when the board was stacked in the player’s favor [and] what player’s board was versus what a banker’s board was.” This skill made her “very useful to the group.”
But, of course, it also labeled her a “threat.” Just like Boston Rob. “I think anybody who you think has an advantage, it’s also at a disadvantage,” Joe said, “because the rest of the group is thinking, ‘Well, we need to build the biggest board possible, the biggest final case value possible, but also I need to be the one playing for it, not you.’”
The host added, “So, they’re waiting for their opportunity to get rid of you.”
Joe is a Survivor fan, so he knew Boston Rob. Joe stated, “So, I knew immediately who Rob was, and I was excited. I really had to hold things close to my chest and not give away that I knew him or how I knew him, or that he had been on a show, like an adventure show before.”
He continued, “So, I had to kind of let the cards fall the way, but then once they found out who he was, then it was on.”
Deal or No Deal Island premieres on NBC Monday, February 26, at 9:30 p.m. ET, and will move to its regular 10 p.m. ET time slot on Monday, March 4. All episodes will be available on Peacock the next day.
TELL US – ARE YOU GOING TO WATCH DEAL OR NO DEAL ISLAND? ARE YOU ROOTING FOR BOSTON ROB OR CLAUDIA JORDAN?
