If you own TiVo®, then you know TiVo has the ability to make an unwatchable show suddenly watchable.
I find Deal or No Deal to be one of these unwatchable shows. I have found many opportunities during the show to use my TiVo remote, specifically the fast-forward key. I’m able to compress an hour long show to no longer than 5 minutes. Deal or No Deal suddenly becomes watchable.
Simple rule of thumb when it comes to Deal or No Deal: Immediately hit fast-forward any time anyone opens their mouth. The drama on the show is enough to make you vomit. Most everything Howie, the models, and even the contestants say is senseless. If you’re like me, the show is really nothing more than a numbers game. I watch Deal or No Deal the same way I watch a Vegas craps or blackjack game.
I’m completely apathetic to the contestant. As a matter of fact, if the contestant is particularly annoying (for instance, if they have some stupid gimmick victory dance that they do repeatedly every time a low case is exposed) I will usually cheer against them.
I immediately hit the fast-forward button any time one of the models opens up her trap. When the show first started, the models kept their mouth shut, looked pretty, and opened the case. As the show continued, I suppose some one wanted to hear the wisdom these girls had to offer. After all, these models are the ones that have the unique ability to open up a briefcase and expose the amount of money contained inside.
Then there’s the “psych out”, which I find incredibly fucking annoying. The model can’t just open up the fucking briefcase. They need to take a look inside before they expose the amount and feign the depression of having the $1,000,000 case. But “PSYCH!!! I only had $5 in my case! Lucky you!!! I sure am tricky!!! Steven Spielberg, are you watching??”
And what’s with the entire sympathy thing anyway? Does anyone really believe that this hot model gives a shit whether Peggy Sue wins the $1,000,000 or just returns back to her trailer as broke as the day she left? Give me a break! JUST OPEN THE CASE, STUPID!

Did you know that Howie Mandel has mysophobia? He’s scared to death of germs. The entire premise behind the fist tapping thing is that he can’t stand to shake hands with the contestants.
When you are Canadian, mysophobia and other OCD conditions are pretty normal. It must have something to do with the water they drink up there. You ever see how clean the streets are up in Canada? That ain’t no coincidence, pal!
One of the funniest episodes had a female contestant who insisted on being barefoot the entire time she was playing the game. I can imagine the entire foot fungus thing had to be driving Howie crazy. I am willing to bet he had the entire stage sanitized after the show was over.
He can’t stand being grabbed. Any time someone grabs Howie, it’s well worth bringing the TiVo down to slow speed in order to catch the expression on Howie’s face. If you look closely, you can tell that he’s thoroughly disgusted and in total anguish.
I want to get on the show for one reason and one reason alone: I want to throw up on Howie Mandel!
If my calculations are correct, this will put Mandel right over the edge and leave him sucking his thumb in the fetal position in a matter of seconds.
I’ve run through the scenario my head a few times. It’s filed away in the “fantasy” section, right next to sucking Reese Witherspoon’s toes:
“So, Mr. Longwood…”
“Just call me Dick, Howie!”
“Ok… Dick… the banks offer is $160,000. You have two of the top five amounts still left on the board! I have to ask you…. Dick Longwood… DEAL OR NO DEAL.”
“OH MAN!!! SO MUCH PRESSURE!!!! SO MUCH PRESSURE!!!! I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!”
“$160,000 is a lot of money Dick! That will certainly go a long way towards your dream of being above the law!”
“Yeah… Oh MAN! OH HOWIE!!! I DON’T KNOW!!!! OH GOD!!!”
…And then I throw up all over him from the stress. I’m almost certain NBC would have to air it. After all, it is reality TV and an incident like this would be TV gold. With the writer’s strike, what choice do they have?
Another thought was to loose control of my bowels right in front of Howie, and then walk around the stage with shit dripping out of the bottom of my pants. Maybe even slip on my own shit a few times. Perhaps step on top of Howie’s shoe with shit all over the bottom of my heal.
Do you think NBC has an emergency decontamination shower right off stage for just such an emergency? Do you think that NBC executives have thought this scenario out already, and have a contingency plan in place just in case a contestant vomits or looses bowel control? Do you believe that Howie has written the requirement for a decontamination area into his contract?
I guess only the insiders know the answers to these burning question.
I’ll continue to watch Deal or No Deal with TiVo remote in hand.