Mandel renews ‘Deal’ with CNBC
Here’s the deal: It’s time to get briefcases ready again for a certain game show. “America’s Got Talent’s” Howie Mandel returns to host a revival of “Deal or No Deal” that starts Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CNBC (following a preview tomorrow night on the parent NBC network, the series’ former home). Players again decide whether to keep a selected briefcase, not knowing if it contains one cent or $1 million, or trade it for what’s offered by the person known as “The Banker.” Also an executive producer of “Deal or No Deal,” Mandel has taped the new episodes at the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. He reflects that when he was first approached about the program in 2005, “There were no comics hosting game shows, and I said ‘No’ to it three times. My wife told me to take the deal, and I took the deal. “I’m not saying it because I’m trying to promote it,” Mandel said, “but this is real: There is no show I’ve ever been part of — or no project I’ve ever been part of — that has changed my life, that has changed my career, that is more exciting to be part of than ‘Deal or No Deal.’ For nine years, I’ve been trying to scratch and claw my way back onto this stage, and I can’t thank CNBC enough for allowing me and our team this opportunity.” CNBC executive Jim Ackerman believes “Deal or No Deal” suits the network’s business brand while also possibly expanding it. “In many ways, we feel like we’re the perfect destination for ‘Deal,’ ” he said. “There is the life-changing money at stake, the high-pressure balancing act between risk and reward. And at the heart of each game, there is a story of someone looking for a shot at a better life. We are super-excited about this, but to do it, we needed to bring back the man at the center of the show. And we did.” That man, Mandel, cites what the appeal of “Deal of No Deal” remains for him. “I don’t know if it’s because of my age,” he said, “but this show made me comfortable with just ... sharing the foibles and the weaknesses and the strengths of being human.” Several of the original “Deal or No Deal” models also are returning, but season two featured a now-notable “Holder of Case No. 24”: Meghan Markle, presently the Duchess of Sussex. “She was a very nice person,” recalled executive producer Scott St. John. “I can’t say that I saw anything extra-special. I mean, all the women that we have on the show are special.” However, Mandel added with tongue in cheek, “She was slightly duchessy.”