It was a tale of two contestants last night as Deal Or No Deal Canada premiered in Canada and I can finally talk about everything that I saw when the show taped in January.
For those of you who missed my taping reports, they are available here:
Murtzcellanious: LIVE Coverage – Deal Or No Deal Canada Tapings DAY 1
Murtzcellanious: LIVE Coverage – Deal Or No Deal Canada Tapings – DAY 3
As is usually the case (pun intended) on Deal Or No Deal, varying degrees of emotion were the order of the day as Brian Traynor and Teresa Daranciang were the first to play the Canadian spin-off of the trendy game show and each player experienced the usual happiness and frustration during their stints. The exhilaration of the game was really the only thing that the pair shared as they could not have been more different.
Traynor, a mid-30’s firefighter from Medicine Hat, Alberta started the game off and was the personification of quiet and reserved as he mulled over every decision. While I am used to seeing loud and colorful personalities on the American version of the show, Traynor certainly was intriguing to watch because of his calm demeanor, a rarity for the Howie Mandel-hosted program.
He started the show off by picking case #5 as his own, before randomly selecting other cases off the board based on a firefighter calendar where his co-workers had each picked a case number. Traynor quickly stopped using the calendar system when he determined that it wasn’t working and started picking numbers arbitrarily. After a decent opening round where the firefighter picked off six cases, the highest of which contained $500,000, Traynor was offered $30,000 to walk and he declined.
Traynor selected an additional five cases, which unfortunately saw him lose his chance at $1 million but was still offered $42,000 on his second offer.
It was at this point in the show where we were introduced to Traynor’s family, which included his mother and two sisters who all collectively told him to reject the deal. Traditionally, each contestant on the show is allowed to bring three supporters who are brought under the guise of offering the player helpful advice but also help to embarrass. Traynor’s family was no exception as his mother presented him with a ragged stuffed duck (presumably and hopefully from his childhood) as his lucky charm. The sharp-witted Mandel immediately pounced upon his prey, poking fun of the ‘heroic fireman and his lucky ducky.’
With four cases left on the board plus his own case, Traynor was left with five figures on the board. These amounts were:
– $750,000
– $75,000
– $1000
– $750
– $400
The banker offered $109,000 and Traynor was the first Canadian ever to take the deal. After Howie made him open all the other cases, it clearly worked out for the man who wants to spend the money on a wedding in Vegas as his case only held $400.
It was then time for Teresa Daranciang to make her debut and the pint-sized RCMP officer from Portage La Prairie, MB did not disappoint, wasting no time in getting the crowd on her side and differentiating herself from the demure Traynor because of her obvious excitement, larger-than-life personality and piercing shrills of enthusiasm. Nicknamed the ‘Mini Mountie’ because of her occupation as a traditional Canadian officer, Daranciang brought her own lucky charm, a small ‘Mini Mountie’ statue that she said would protect her case. After selecting case #15 as her own, the Manitoban yelped and kicked with almost every selection.
After a stellar opening round, she was offered $44,000 from the banker and immediately rejected it. Lady luck was not on her side in the second round, which saw Teresa lose $100,000, $200,000, $750,000 and $1 million. The banker immediately took advantage, offering a paltry $19,000 for her to walk away. Daranciang rejected and with her odds of picking lower amounts increased (after being decimated early), she brought her third offer back up. The premiere episode of Deal Or No Deal Canada ended with Teresa refusing another deal, preferring to take a chance at $300,000 on the next episode.
There were many things that stood out to me on the first show and the first taping. Initially, I have to say that the set was absolutely amazing. It featured all the elements of the American set, but improved on it with special Canadian features. The actual stage was shaped as a white maple leaf and the big board featured the Canadian loonie (Canadian $1) and the Canadian toonie (Canadian $2) as possible dollar amounts that the cases could be holding. It is in this respect that the show must be applauded. Often times, Canadian versions of American hits are seen as second-rate knock-offs. This was definitely not the case for Deal Or No Deal Canada, as the set looked exactly like the one that we are used to seeing in the States.
I also appreciated the wittiness of the models. Some of the one-liners that they came up with were fantastic, with my personal favorities usually coming from Model #1, Jessica Rimmer from Coldwater, ON. She delivered a particular doozy on the premiere when she told Traynor that he would ‘have to call the boys and girls at the fire hall because he was on fire!’
Finally, Howie Mandel must be applauded. The show begins and ends with him and while I mistakenly assumed that his sense of humor on the show was just the result of many reshoots and rehearsals, this was certainly not the case. I already discussed his lucky ducky lines earlier, but one that I particularly enjoyed was what he said to the firefighter after Brian told him that he had a tattoo of a fire hydrant on his back. Mandel immediately retorted by saying that he should be careful if he ever takes his shirt off in a park and seeing a dog walk by. Great stuff. He also got Traynor on his calendar system when he immediately pointed out that a calendar only has 12 months, so he basically was prepared for just half a game. Another Mandel highlight was seeing one of the contestants go for a high-five and Mandel only offering his fist as his mysophobia (fear of germs) has been well-documented.
The next episode of Deal Or No Deal Canada airs on Thursday at 9 PM on Global. Teresa Daranciang will continue her game and the preview indicated that we will not only meet the next player, but also a former National Hockey League player who will surprise him on stage. As always, Murtz Jaffer will be your live hook-up. He only wishes it was with model #7, Veronique Landry.
Deal?
Sir Linksalot: Deal Or No Deal
Sir Linksalot: Deal Or No Deal Canada
