Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The contestants usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being for a valuable prize, or an undesirable item, referred to as a "zonk". Let's Make a Deal is also known for the various unusual and crazy costumes worn by audience members, who dressed up that way in order to increase their chances of being selected as a contestant.^[1] The show was hosted for many years by Monty Hall, who co-produced the show with Stefan Hatos.

The original and most widely-known version of the show aired from 1963 to 1976 on both NBC and ABC. A weekly nighttime syndicated version of the show aired from 1971 to 1977. Two daily syndicated versions aired in the 1980s. A show based in Canada aired from 1980 to 1981, while The All New Let's Make a Deal aired from 1984 to 1986. NBC aired a daytime series in 1990-1991 and three episodes of a weekly prime time version in 2003.^[2]

The weekly nighttime syndicated version, seen from 1971–1977, was distributed by ABC Films and its successor, Worldvision Enterprises. The 1980 daily syndicated version was co-produced and distributed by Canadian production company Catalena Productions (Rhodes Productions was the U.S. distributor). The 1984 daily syndicated version was distributed by Telepictures. One episode of the show was part of the summer replacement series Gameshow Marathon on CBS in 2006, hosted by Ricki Lake.

A new version premiered on October 5, 2009, on CBS. This version is hosted by Wayne Brady, with Jonathan Mangum as announcer and Tiffany Coyne (previously Alison Fiori) as a model. Hall serves as a creative consultant.^[3]

Format

Each episode of Let's Make a Deal (which was billed by Jay Stewart, who served as the show's announcer from 1964 until 1977, as "The Marketplace of America") consisted of several "deals" between the host and a member or members of the audience as contestants. Audience members were picked at the host's whim as the show went along, and couples were often selected to play as "one" contestant. The "deals" were mini-games within the show that took several formats.

In the simplest format, a contestant was given a prize of medium value (such as a television set), and the host offered them the opportunity to trade for another prize. However, the offered prize was unknown. It might be concealed on the stage behind one of three curtains, or behind "boxes" onstage (large panels painted to look like boxes), within smaller boxes brought out to the audience, or occasionally in other formats. The initial prize given to the contestant might also be concealed, such as in a box, wallet or purse, or the player might be initially given a box or curtain. The format varied widely.

Technically, contestants were supposed to bring something to trade in, but this rule was seldom enforced. On several occasions, a contestant would actually be asked to trade in an item such as his or her shoes or purse, only to receive the item back at the end of the deal as a "prize". On at least one occasion, the purse was taken backstage and a high-valued prize was placed inside of it.

Prizes generally were either a legitimate prize, cash, or a "zonk". Legitimate prizes ran the gamut of what was given away on game shows during the era (trips, fur coats, electronics, furniture, appliances, and cars). Zonks were unwanted booby prizes which could be anything from animals to large amounts of food to something outlandish like a giant article of clothing, a room full of junked furniture, or a junked car. Sometimes zonks were legitimate prizes but of a low value such as "Matchbox" cars, wheelbarrows, T-shirts, small food or non-food grocery prizes, etc. On rare occasions, a contestant would appear to get zonked, but the zonk would be a cover-up for a legitimate prize.

Though usually considered joke prizes, contestants legally won the zonks.^[4] However, after the taping of the show, any contestant who had been zonked would be offered a consolation prize instead of having to take home the actual zonk. This is partly because some of the zonks were intrinsically impossible to receive or deliver to the contestants. For example, if a contestant won an animal, he or she could legally insist that it be awarded to them, but chances are that the contestant did not have the means to care for it. In fact, a disclaimer at the end of the credits of later 1970s episodes read "Some traders accept reasonable duplicates of zonk prizes."

On some episodes, the first contestant(s) offered an unknown prize kept it for much of the show, not trading it in until the Big Deal.

In addition, as the end credits of the show rolled, it was typical for Hall to ask random members of the studio audience to participate in fast deals (Wayne Brady refers to these as "quickie deals"). The deals were usually in the form of the following:

• Offering cash to one person in the audience who had a certain item on them
• Offering a small cash amount for each item of a certain quantity
• Offering cash for each instance of a particular digit as it occurred in the serial number on a dollar bill, driver's license, etc.
• Offering to pay the last check in the person's checkbook (up to a certain limit, usually $500 or $1,000) if they had one

One memorable incident from a series of fast deals involved Hall offering a woman $20 for every dime she had; she produced a roll of dimes. After that, there were limits placed on how much a contestant could get.

Other deal formats

Deals were often more complicated than the basic format described above. Additionally, some deals took the form of games of chance, and others in the form of pricing games:

Trading deals

• Choosing an envelope, purse, wallet, etc., which concealed dollar bills. One of them concealed a pre-announced value (usually $1 or $5), which awarded a car or trip. The other envelopes contained a larger amount of money as a consolation prize. The player had to decide whether to keep his/her choice or trade. In some playings it was possible for more than one player to win the grand prize.
• Making decisions for another person, such as a husband or wife, or a series of unrelated players. Sometimes after several offers, the teams would be broken up to make an individual decision.
• Being presented with a large grocery item (e.g., a box of candy bars)—almost always containing a cash amount—or a "claim check" at the start of the show. Throughout the show, the contestant was given several chances to trade the item and/or give it to another contestant in exchange for a different box or curtain. The final contestant in possession of the item prior to the Big Deal of the Day was usually offered first choice of the three doors in exchange for giving up the item. The contents of the item was only revealed after the Big Deal of the Day was awarded (or prior to the Big Deal if the last contestant with the item elected to choose one of the three doors).

Games of chance

• Choosing four of seven envelopes, each containing $1 and $2 bills, whose contents they hoped added up to at least $7 for a grand prize. At various points, the host would stop and offer a buy-out.
• Monty's Cash Register, in which a couple successively pressed one of 15 keys on the register, each concealing different dollar amounts, winning any cash they reveal, periodically followed by chances to stop in exchange for another deal if they attempt to stop. As each key is pressed, it is marked off so that it cannot be pressed again. If the earnings reach a specific target amount (usually $500–$1,000), the couple would win a grand prize (such as a car), but if they hit a "no sale" button, the couple would lose all the money they had accumulated. Often they could reveal one more for a consolation prize, but if their final pick revealed the other losing button, the couple would win a larger cash prize. If the "no sale" button was pressed on the first try, and the contestant hits the other "no sale" button on the subsequent attempt, the grand prize would be won automatically. A version of this game was played on the 2009 version during a week of shows featuring guest appearances by Monty Hall; instead of a cash register, it used labeled cards with the "no sale" buttons designated as Zonks.
• Monty's Money Machine, which contained several bills connected end to end in one long strip. The machine dispensed one bill at a time, and the player had to decide after each one whether to cut the strip and stop (keeping all money won to that point), or risk it and keep playing. If the machine dispensed a blank card, the player lost everything. This format was updated for the 2003 and 2009 version using an ATM machine motif.
• A contestant or a married couple was presented with a choice of three keys, one of which unlocked anything from boxes (containing money, trip tickets, etc.) to cars. The host usually offers a sure-thing buyout consisting of a smaller prize package, which was offered once one of the non-working keys was demonstrated. A variation of this game involved more than one contestant selecting a key (sometimes from four instead of three). In this case, more than one key could (and often did) open the item, and contestants could trade in their key for an unknown behind a curtain/box or a cash amount. This probability game is defined in the Monty Hall problem.
• Deciding whether an announced prize was real or imitation, and choosing a cash amount or a box/curtain as a substitute.
• Beat the Dealer, where three contestants chose envelopes to start the game. Two of them contained $1,000, the other $100 (or $500 and $50 in earlier versions). The two dealers who chose the $1,000 continued on to try to win an additional prize by picking the higher-suited card out of nine off a game board. The contestant who won could then risk the prize and the cash by picking two more cards, one for themselves and one for the host, winner take all. If the player picked the higher card for themselves, they added a new car (or another big prize); otherwise, they lost everything.
• Deciding whether an egg given to a contestant was raw or hard boiled and choosing a cash amount or box/curtain as a substitute. A raw egg was typically worth $500 to $1,000.
• Putting a bill of a certain denomination through a magic trick device in the hope that the denomination is increased.

2009 version games

• Panic Button: Contestants can win any or all of three prizes, of which the most expensive is sometimes a car. After being shown the three prizes behind each curtain, the players are asked to press three of the six buttons on a control panel. However, three of the buttons close one of the three curtains (which eliminates the prize), and the rest have no effect. After pressing the buttons, the players can either take the prizes still remaining, or press one of the two additional buttons revealed for a 50/50 chance at either opening all three curtains again and winning a cash bonus, or losing everything.
• Finish Line: Contestants can win any or all of three prizes, of which the most expensive is usually a car. The contestant is given a standard deck of cards with three suits representing one of the prizes (most expensive is given hearts, the next is given spades, the least expensive is given diamonds), and the remaining suit (clubs), representing Zonks. Contestants draw until either one of the prizes crosses the finish line (five hearts, four spades, three diamonds), in which the contestant is given an offer to continue on or keep the prizes they have earned so far, knowing that if the Zonk suit crosses the finish line, all prizes earned are forfeited and the game is stopped. A cash buy-out may be offered to stop if the contestant draws two clubs.
• Three of a Kind: A contestant is shown six cards, all are either of two different ranks (either four of one rank and two of the other or three of each rank). To win a car (or other prize), they must pick three matching cards. Two of their three cards (that do match) are shown and the contestant is given a bailout. If the bailout isn't taken, other cards not chosen may be shown and the contestant(s) is offered an increased bailout.
• Tic Tac Deal: A contestant (or couple) is shown seven cards with each saying "X", "O", or "Wild Card", which can be used as either. Contestant(s) pick four of the seven cards. To win the car (or other big prize), they must get three X's or three O's. If chosen earlier in the game, the contestant(s) must state which symbol the wild card will represent (X or O) prior to continuing. Contestant(s) are offered a bailout before the last card is revealed.
• Moving On Up: Two versions of this game exist. In the first version, contestants choose one card from each of five rows and attempt to avoid choosing a card that says "Zonk". The first (bottom) row has six cards, the second five cards, up to two cards in the last (top) row, with one Zonk card in each row. The-non Zonk cards in the first four rows contain money, any money revealed accumulates which the contestant can quit and take after selecting a money card. If a contestant chooses the Win card in the top row, they win all the money previously banked and the grand prize (usually a car). In the second version of the game, the number chosen in each row is decided by the roll of a single die, and all the cards in each row contain money. If the contestant risks their money to play the next row and rolls a number that does not show up on that row (i.e. rolling a 6 on the second row when the cards are only numbered 1 through 5), it is considered a Zonk and the contestant loses. If the contestant successfully clears all five rows (rolling a 1 or a 2 on the top line), the grand prize and all money previously banked are won.
• Piggy Bank Challenge: Contestants choose from Piggy Banks numbered 1 through 10. Eight contain an amount of cash ranging from $1 to $3, while the other two contain a "Zonk" card. Five money plateaus can be reached by collecting all of the money in the piggy banks - $1,000 for $3, $2,000 for $5, $3,000 for $8, $5,000 for $11 and $10,000 for $15. The contestants have the option to quit if they find one of the Zonk cards. If both Zonk cards are found, the contestant loses all their winnings.
• Spell Me a Deal: Contestants try to spell a prize hidden behind a curtain.
• Rap Me a Deal: Brady and Mangum rap a contestant a clue to a curtain.
• Hi-Lo: A contestant (or a couple) is asked to cut a standard deck of cards. The first nine cards are dealt and the first card is revealed. The contestant must guess whether the next card is higher or lower than the previous, with aces counting high and ties an automatic loss. Contestants can make one mistake in the first five guesses (up to card #6) and keep playing but a second mistake ends the game and the contestant(s) wins nothing. Contestant(s) can quit after card #3 for $1,000 or attempt to guess the next three cards (up to card #6) for $2,500. Contestant(s) can either quit after $2,500 or attempt to guess the last three cards for the car with the condition that they cannot make a mistake even if they hadn't made one up to that point.
• Let's Make a Deal Lotto: Contestants match pictures of the host, announcer, model, and a car on a board of 8 squares to win cash or the car.
• Keep on Rollin': Contestants are given a single die and collect 100 points times the number rolled (e.g., rolling a 3 is worth 300 points). Contestants can win certain prizes by rolling a set number of points within a pre-determined number of rolls. After winning a prize, contestants can quit and take the prize or risk the prize in hopes of winning a better prize.
• No Duplicate Rolls: Contestants roll a single die. After the first roll, they win a certain amount of cash. They can stop and take that money or continue rolling to collect more cash but if they roll the number previously rolled they lose everything and the game ends. The contestant can quit after each roll and will lose everything accumulated if they duplicate a roll at any point. If the contestant rolls all six numbers from 1 to 6 without duplication, they win a grand prize (either $20,000 or a car).
• Time is Money: Contestants start at $15,000. They choose a number of clocks ranging from :00-:15. Each second deducts $1,000.
• The Piñata: Contestants try to hit a piñata for a cash prize. Each contestant is given an piñata, then he/she has the option to break the piñata for cash or go for a prize hidden behind a curtain or box. At least one of the piñatas contains cash, while the rest contain candy as a consolation prize.
• Cash for Clunkers: Two contestants face off each other, with one contestant's curtain carrying a new car and the other a Zonk (typically a junk automobile). Brady offers them cash, increasing as the game progresses. The first contestant to hit the buzzer will win the cash. The other contestant wins their curtain.
• Blank Check: A contestant is given a check. He/she chooses four colors to fill in the check. Once the contestant locks in the colors, the numbers are revealed one at a time. Before the last two numbers are revealed, Brady offers them a deal to give up the check for a prize hidden behind a curtain.
• Rock Paper Scissors: Two contestants select one of three boxes which contains a rock, a pair of scissors and some paper. Using standard roshambo rules, the winner gets $1,000 and the loser receives $100. The winner can continue and win a car (giving up the $1,000 he/she won) by selecting what item has the word "CAR" hidden on a card. The other two contain $100 (was a Zonk in the first season). If that is selected, they win the consolation prize ($100).
• Let's Make a Deal Auction: Two contestants face off each other, with a chance to bid on a curtain or a box. Each contestant is given $500 to start Brady will start the bidding on a curtain at $50. A contestant has the option to bid on it by raising his/her money.
• Dance Me a Deal: Two contestants are chosen to do a specific kind of dance assigned by Brady. When both dance acts are done, the audience will vote via screaming into the audience. The contestant with the highest number of screams will go on to do a deal with Brady.

Skill-based games

The following games were played for a grand prize, such as a car or trip, and almost always involved grocery items. At certain stages of these games, Hall often offered a sure-thing deal (a prize or cash) to quit before the result was revealed. If all of Hall's offers were turned down and the grand prize lost, Hall would usually give the grocery items to the contestant as a consolation prize along with $50 or $100 in cash.

• Arranging small prizes (usually $5–50) in order of dollar value.
• Determining which item out of several was appearing on the show for the first time, or which item was first to debut.
• Choosing which item was a pre-announced price, or which items' prices totaled a certain amount.
• Recalling which grocery items were concealed beneath the letters in the name of a car model or trip destination.
• Pricing successive items within a predetermined amount from the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) on the West Coast. The first item was always easy while the last item was always more difficult.
• Pricing successive items with the difference between the contestant's guess and the actual MSRP of each item being deducted from an initial sum (usually $5.00) placed in an account. If there was any money remaining after the last item was priced, even as little as one cent, the contestant won the grand prize. The last item was always more difficult, so the object was to come as close as possible to the MSRP of each of the previous items in order to have a greater chance of winning the grand prize.
• Pricing items with the total of all guesses within a predetermined range from the actual total of the suggested retail prices.
• Competing against another contestant or married couple to price a series of items closer to the suggested retail price and win increasing cash awards (usually $100, $200, $300 and $400, but sometimes $200-$200-$200-$300 or $100-$100-$200-$200-$300). The first contestant (or couple) to collect a pre-announced amount (usually $700) won a grand prize, such as a car or a trip (and kept any leftover money). The losing contestant/couple was offered a regular take-it-or-leave-it deal in exchange for any cash accumulated. The consolation deal was also played for both teams if both obtained less than the required amount.

Door #4 (1984-1986 only)

Played every few days, and announced with siren and quick-zoom fanfare, a contestant was chosen by a computer at random based on a number which now appeared on the contestant's tag (1 to 36). A contestant who had previously been chosen for a deal earlier in the show had their number called on a few occasions. This contestant was chosen to play a special deal, which had four incarnations:

• Version 1: The contestant was offered a prize in exchange for a mystery cash amount ranging from $1 to $5,000, which was concealed behind "Door #4" (in actuality another curtain).
• Version 2: A 20-space carnival wheel was brought out from behind Door #4, which contained cash amounts from $100 to $5,000. The contestant spun the wheel and could keep the amount won, or spin again in hopes of winning a higher amount. If a lesser amount was spun, all winnings were lost. One space on the wheel read Double Deal, and if it was hit on either spin, doubled the winnings up to a maximum of $10,000. Hitting Double Deal on both spins also earned the top $10,000 prize.
  • Wheel configuration: $5,000, $750, $600, $200, $3,000, $350, $700, $150, $1,000, Double Deal, $500, $2,000, $400, $250, $800, $4,000, $300, $450, $900, $100.
• Version 3: The contestant could keep $750 or risk it by spinning the wheel, which now contained spaces that earned $1,500 (by landing on a space marked "double") $2,250 (landing on "triple"), $3,000, a new car, or win less ($100 to $500, or perhaps even a zonk). The zonk was a T-shirt that read "I was ZONKED by Monty Hall". If the contestant kept the money, Hall would let the player spin the wheel to see what would have been passed up. In this format of Door #4 the car was always a Chevy Chevette. Also, instead of the car being displayed behind one of the doors, a film clip was shown.
  • Wheel configuration: Car, $200, Double, $100, $1,000, $250, $200, Zonk, $500, $100, Car, $250, $300, Double, $400, $300, Triple, $500, $400, $3,000 (the $400 and $3,000 spaces were swapped after a few playings).
• Version 4: Played the same as Version 3, except the contestant was given $1,000 to start and fewer money possibilities were on the wheel. The spaces on this wheel were modified after a few playings of this version to include more Double spaces.
  • Wheel configuration #1: Car, $100, Triple, $200, Zonk, Double, $100, $4,000, $200, $100, Car, $200, Triple, $100, Zonk, Double, $200, Triple, $100, $200.
  • Wheel configuration #2: Car, $100, Triple, $200, Zonk, Double, $100, $4,000, $200, Double, Car, $200, Triple, $100, Zonk, Double, $200, Triple, $100, Double.

Big Deal of the Day

Each show ends with the Big Deal of the Day. Beginning with the day's biggest winner, and moving in order to the winner of the lowest prize value, the host would ask each contestant if they wanted to trade their winnings for a spot in the Big Deal (whose value was usually revealed at that point). He would continue asking until two contestants agreed to participate. In the 2009 version, only one contestant participates.

The Big Deal involves three doors, famously known as "Door #1", "Door #2", and "Door #3", each of which contained a prize or prize package. The top winner of the two was offered the first choice of a door, and the second contestant was then offered a choice of the two remaining doors. One door hid the day's Big Deal, which was usually more than the top prize offered to that point. It often included the day's most expensive prize (a luxury or sports car, a trip, furniture/appliances, a fur, cash, or a combination of two or more of said items). The other two doors concealed prizes or prize packages of lesser value. The Big Deal does not offer Zonks, although there was always the possibility that a contestant could wind up with less than his or her original winnings. All three doors are opened, in order of increasing value.

Sometimes one of the doors contains a cash prize, contained within a container such as "Monty's Cookie Jar", "Monty's Piggy Bank", a "LMaD Claim Check", or in the 2009 version, the "Let's Make a Deal Vault". In some cases these cash prizes have been the Big Deal, but often they are not.

Super Deal

During the 1975-1976 syndicated season, a new "Super Deal" was offered for Big Deal winners. At this point, Big Deals were limited to a range of $8,000 to $10,000. The contestant could risk their Big Deal winnings on a 1-in-3 shot at adding a $20,000 cash prize. The other two doors caused the player to lose the "Big Deal", but he or she took home a $1,000 or $2,000 consolation prize. Given this scenario, a Super Deal winner could win as much as $30,000 in cash and prizes (in fact, the first-ever Super Deal won the $30,000 maximum). Later, the consolation prize was changed to $2,000 and a "mystery amount" between $1,000 and $9,000.

The Super Deal was discontinued when the show permanently moved to Las Vegas for the final season (1976–1977), and Big Deal values returned to their previous range of $10,000 to $15,000.

Value

The Big Deal values shown in the table are to give a general idea of the average value of said prize package. On occasion, Big Deals were worth considerably more than the highest stated value in a particular version.

Audience attire

When the series began, studio audience members wore suits and ties or dresses. Over time the show gradually evolved into the costume-wearing menagerie it became. In 2003, GSN presented the May 25, 1963 pilot with commentary from host Hall. In the special, Hall mentioned that two weeks into the series (January 1964), an audience member had brought in a small placard that read "Roses are red, violets are blue, I came here to deal with you!" The placard caught Hall's attention, and he chose the player to be a contestant. On later tapings, more people began bringing signs. Again to get Hall's attention, another audience member showed up at a taping wearing a crazy hat, which also eventually caught on with others. The costumes and signs became a part of the show itself and got crazier and crazier as the show went on.

The most frequently-asked question was if the show provided the zany costumes for the studio audience. The standard but ambiguous response was that all contestants came to the studio "dressed as they are", in the words of Jay Stewart.

Reception

Upon the original Let's Make a Deal's debut, journalist Charles Witbeck was skeptical of the show's chances of success, noting that the previous four NBC programs to compete with CBS' Password had failed.^[5] Some critics described the show as "mindless" and "demeaning to contestants and audiences alike."^[6]

By 1974, however, the show had spent more than a decade at or near the top of daytime ratings, and became the highest-rated syndicated primetime program.^[6] At the time, the show held the world's record for the longest waiting list for tickets in show-business history^[6][7] – there were 350 seats available for each show, and a wait time of two-to-three years after requesting a ticket.^[6][7]

In 2001, Let's Make a Deal was ranked as #18 on TV Guide's list of "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time."^[8] In 2006, GSN aired a series of specials counting down its own list of the "50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time", on which Let's Make a Deal was #7.^[9]

Episode status

Many of the show's estimated five thousand plus episodes exist:

• NBC Daytime/Nighttime: Status is unknown, though it is very likely that the original tapes were wiped as they were recorded over by NBC with new programming in an era when videotape was expensive. The 1963 pilot exists, with Wendell Niles as announcer, contestants in normal business attire (typical of its first season), and a Zonk behind one of the doors in the Big Deal (worth $2,005). Zonks have never been in the big deal since. The 1967 nighttime finale exists in the Library of Congress, along with a few scattered daytime episodes. Three daytime episodes are at the Paley Center for Media.
• ABC Daytime: More than 500 episodes exist. A clip from the ABC daytime premiere was used on Monty Hall's "Biography", which aired during Game Show Week on A&E. Another episode from 1969 was found, which features a gaffe that Hall himself rated as his most embarrassing moment on Let's Make a Deal – at the end of the show, he attempted to make a deal with a woman carrying a baby's bottle. Noting that it had a removable rubber nipple, he offered the woman $100 if she could show him another nipple (she didn't). This clip was restored utilizing the LiveFeed Video Imaging kinescope restoration process, and was re-aired in 2008 as part of NBC's Most Outrageous Moments series. Episodes substitute hosted by Dennis James exist in his personal library.
• ABC Nighttime/1971-1977 Syndicated: Exist almost in their entirety and have been seen on GSN in the past. The Family Channel reran the syndicated series from June 7, 1993^[10] to March 29, 1996.^[11]

(NOTE: All episodes exist from 1980 onward.)

• The 1980-1981 Canadian version was seen in reruns on the Global Television Network for much of the 1980s.
• The 1984-1986 syndicated version has been seen on GSN in the past. Reruns previously aired on the USA Network from December 29, 1986^[12] to December 30, 1988^[13] and The Family Channel from August 30, 1993^[14] to September 29, 1995.^[15]
• The 1990s NBC version has not been seen since its cancellation.
• The 2003 NBC prime time version only aired three of the five episodes produced, with no rebroadcasts since. One episode is viewable on YouTube.

International

RTL Group holds international (and as of February 2009, American) rights to the show, and has licensed the show to 14 countries.

• An Australian version aired from 1976-1977 on Channel Nine. A new Australian version of Let's Make a Deal has had its pilot taped and is expected to air on the Nine Network once again.^[16]
• The French version was called Le Bigdil and aired weeknights from 1998-2004 on TF1.^[17] Although the framing concept of the show is similar to the American version of Let's Make a Deal, stunts similar to those seen on Beat the Clock are played throughout the show as well.
• A German version called Geh aufs Ganze! ran from 1992-2003. The show began on Sat.1 and later moved to kabel 1. The show was initially hosted Jörg Draeger, who was later succeeded by Elmar Hörig. The German version of the Zonk was an always a red and black plush mouse the contestant got to take home.
• The show is scheduled to air on Alpha TV in Greece as an hour-long series. 140 episodes have been ordered.
• A Spanish-language American version called Trato Hecho aired on Univision in 2005. Guillermo Huesca was the host.
• The Turkish version is Seç Bakalım, hosted by Erhan Yazıcıoğlu with Spice Girl Geri Halliwell as a model.^[18]
• An Indonesian version debuted on the antv at April 2006 (now airs back since April 28, 2010), as Super Deal 2 Milyar (Super Deal Two Billions).
• An Indian version was aired on Star Plus for two seasons and was called Khul Ja Sim Sim.
• The Polish version is called Idź na całość! and has aired since 1997.

Home games

In 1964, Milton Bradley released a home version of Let's Make a Deal featuring gameplay similar to the television show. In 1974, Ideal Toys released an updated version of the game featuring Hall on the box cover, which was also given to all contestants on the syndicated version in the 1974-75 season. An electronic tabletop version by Tiger Electronics was released in 1998. In the late summer of 2006, an interactive DVD version of Let's Make a Deal was released by Imagination Games, which also features classic clips from the Monty Hall years of the show.^[19]

Various U.S. lotteries have included instant lottery tickets based on Let's Make a Deal.^[20]

2009 version

.]] On July 8, 2009 a pilot was taped at CBS Television City, with Wayne Brady as host and Jonathan Mangum as announcer. Components featured the same "zonks" behind one of the three curtains and Wayne choosing contestants in the audience based upon their attention-grabbing creative costuming. With the show now owned by FremantleMedia North America, the staff of fellow Fremantle game show The Price Is Right assisted in production of the pilot, with executive producer Michael G. Richards, and model Rachel Reynolds participating in their respective roles. Let's Make a Deal was one of three games the network considered, along with revivals of Pyramid and The Dating Game, to fill the time slot vacated by the cancellation of the soap opera Guiding Light. Monty Hall returns to this version as a creative consultant.^[21]

The current version premiered on October 5, 2009 in the time slot vacated by Guiding Light. Affiliates carry the show at different times depending on their commitments to syndicated programming, which is usually either 10 AM ET-PT / 9 AM CT-MT or 3 PM ET-PT / 2 PM CT-MT.^[22] The first two-thirds of the first season was taped at the Tropicana Resort in Las Vegas. Mangum, a longtime Brady associate from his former self-titled daytime talk show and his current "Making It Up" live stage show at The Venetian Hotel casino, joins Brady as the show's announcer and former Deal or No Deal model Alison Fiori served as the show's model initially. In late 2009, Tiffany Coyne replaced Fiori as model on the show; those episodes began airing in February 2010. Some episodes from the show's initial sessions, taped in September 2009, were not scheduled for airing until August 2010.^[23] The final weeks of the first season moved to the Sunset Bronson Studios at KTLA in Los Angeles. Hatos-Hall Productions, along with FremantleMedia North America, is credited as co-production company. As of 2010, it is one of only three CBS network programs not yet broadcast in HDTV, instead broadcasting solely in standard-definition 480i.

References

External links

• CBS' official website for the 2009 version
• Official Let's Make a Deal website (all versions)
• Let's Make A Deal at TV.com
• Let's Make a Deal at the Internet Movie Database
• CBC Television Archives profile of Monty Hall with behind-the-scenes footage of Let's Make a Deal (1970)
• http://www.tvparty.com/gamemonty2.html