Deal Contestants

[Clay Zambo]

I've seen YouTube clips of the other major English-language versions of DoND, and though I think Howie's doing a fine job, I must admit that I prefer either to ours.

I'm assuming (perhaps rashly) that Australian players are replaced for every show, though I'd be happy to be corrected about that.  The UK version clearly has contestants who stay from one show to the next--but for how long?  Does anybody know the guidelines?  I'm assuming once you've played from the podium, you're out, and someone new takes your place--but what's the mechanism for replacing that player?

I don't think the upcoming US syndicated version *needs* some skill-based mechanism for chosing contestants, though I wouldn't kick if it had one.  I have nothing against models, but I really like having the case-holders be part of the game, and have high hopes that something like that could be instituted here.

-Clay

(Hey, Bill, nice crew cut!)

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Clay Zambo\' post=\'116338\' date=\'Apr 17 2006, 07:42 AM\']
I'm assuming (perhaps rashly) that Australian players are replaced for every show, though I'd be happy to be corrected about that.
[/quote]
I'm pretty sure they are, since they are picked out of the studio audience...the audience is six blocks of 25 people, so they randomly pick one block, and then they pick one more random player from one of the other blocks, and that's your field. Even if they are allowed to attend more than one taping, I'm guessing that block doesn't get picked again on the next show.

[Brig Bother]

UK contestant stay on the show until they play. The choice of who plays isn't random (producers pick the players at the beginning of the week and confirm which three play on any given recording day in the morning), and one contestant was asked to stay on for 50 shows before getting a go. I won't reveal what they left with. Most players can expect to get picked within 30 shows, which is two weeks of filming. They would have made sure she would have been able to stay on that long by the way (she was a student who lived five minutes from the studio). Players are encouraged to bring along family and friends to share the hotel room with, and they try and swing it so they will get their game when their frieds are in the audience. EDIT: This being said, the contestants don't know themselves when they're going to get their go until their name flashes up on the screen during recording, and some have had to go it alone because their friends and family had to go back home because they effectively ran out of time.

Players in the contestant queue arrive one or two days before they get their go on Contestant's Row, they stay in the same hotel as the players and watch from the audience until they're up.

I gather they record three recordings of the Australian show in a day, and you stay all day.

[Speedy G]

I'm assuming (perhaps rashly) that Australian players are replaced for every show, though I'd be happy to be corrected about that.

From the week or two of Aussie Deal on Mininova, you can clearly see a contestant from one show sitting in the audience for a couple others (because you sure can't miss his pink shirt).  So at least three shows with a single audience.

It would make sense to do it like that.  Pick three of the six blocks to play the three shows, and then the three 26th players from the three unselected blocks, thus leaving no block totally in the cold.

(ETA: Heh, "150 contenders" is the subject of my 150th post.)

[tvwxman]

[quote name=\'Speedy G\' post=\'116378\' date=\'Apr 17 2006, 03:02 PM\']

I'm assuming (perhaps rashly) that Australian players are replaced for every show, though I'd be happy to be corrected about that.

From the week or two of Aussie Deal on Mininova, you can clearly see a contestant from one show sitting in the audience for a couple others (because you sure can't miss his pink shirt).  So at least three shows with a single audience.

It would make sense to do it like that.  Pick three of the six blocks to play the three shows, and then the three 26th players from the three unselected blocks, thus leaving no block totally in the cold.

(ETA: Heh, "150 contenders" is the subject of my 150th post.)
[/quote]
i'd go a step further... tape 6 eps in a day (entirely possible), and hit each block once. the random 26th contestant is something to tide over the 125 extra people that have either (a) been in an already block picked and want to go home, or (b) give em something extra to shoot for.

on a side note, if you want to see how deal works in a 22 minute halfhour, THIS is it.