Deal or No Deal Goes on the Road

One of the things that keeps us watching Deal or No Deal is the freshness of new ideas the producers inject into the show. We've had the "Winner Takes All" format, the Million Dollar Mission, and, coming in May, we'll have international shows filmed in such locations as Estonia, the Philippines, and South Africa.

Deal has already been developed in over 50 countries, where the rules are oftentimes different and the style of play can be almost unrecognizable. For May sweeps, the US version of the show, complete with Howie Mandel at the helm, will take American contestants to global destinations and play the game under local rules. The models themselves will also be from the hosting country.

In a press release from NBC, David Goldberg, president of Endemol USA, said, "Deal or No Deal is an international success story so it makes perfect sense to take our act on the road and provide American audiences with a first hand look at how it's done in other corners of the globe."

Each foreign-location show will be two hours long, and feature Mandel traveling through the country sampling local cuisine and interacting with locals, as well as "shop(ping) for souvenirs to bring home to the Briefcase Models (and maybe the Banker, too)."

Photo courtesy NBC