Gameplay
The Philippine version is very similar to the U.S. version of Deal or No Deal (including the logo), except for the sounds and musical scoring which were adapted from the Dutch version.
Before the game proper begins, a third party randomly places the possible amount of prize in the briefcases, which are distributed to 26 identically dressed models called the 26K who reveal the contents during the game. No one, including the host, knows what amounts are in the cases. Each contestant receives a new, randomly assigned set of cases. The prizes range in amounts from PHP1 to PHP2,000,000. See listing below.
After picking a case, the contestant then selects six of the remaining 25 cases, revealed one at a time. This is followed by a "phone call" by "The Banker", a mysterious figure whose face is not shown (at times a silhouette can be seen). He purportedly sits in a skybox (situated between the two audience sections) and makes an offer, via telephone to the host (his voice is never heard) to buy the contestant's case based on the mean of the cash amounts still in play, and also based on the player's psychology. This amount is usually lower than the mean. In more recent episodes, the banker "punishes" a player of opening a large amount by offering a very small amount, despite the number of larger amounts still left in play. The player is then asked by Kris the title question: "Deal or No Deal?"
Should the contestant refuse the offer (by stating "No Deal!"), they must choose five of the remaining cases to eliminate from consideration. The Banker makes another offer, and the game continues as before. The Banker's offer may be higher or lower than the previous offer (if a top prize is eliminated, generally the offer decreases; conversely, if lower amounts are eliminated the offer increases significantly).
The contestant is shown a button to press in case the contestant takes the banker's offer. The player can just push the button to take the offer, even without saying "Deal." On the other hand, the contestant can simply close the button's cover to imply "No Deal" without actually saying the phrase.
Subsequent rounds have the contestant withdrawing five, four, three, then two cases from play, with Banker's offer appearing in between rounds; should the contestant continue to decline The Banker's offer after the two cases were picked, he/she then eliminates one case at a time (with an intervening offer from The Banker) until two cases are left. If the player rejects the final offer, they receive whatever cash amount is contained inside the case that they originally chose.
Each contestant has several supporters (usually three or four), who sit in a special section just off stage during his/her game. As the field of briefcases dwindles, one or more of the supporters are asked to consult with the contestant and help him/her make a decision. These exchanges have become emotional, particularly when very high and very small amounts remained and The Banker offers a large cash buyout. The contestant's supporters are typically revealed after the second Bank deal and before the third round; although if a contestant is doing well, the host will let the game run its course for some time, often consulting the supporters when the tide begins to turn.
If in case the contestant decides to accept the offer of the Banker at the end of any round, the host will let him go on ("No Deal" instead of "Deal" assumed at that point) until the end (at the end of every subsequent round, the amount offered by the Banker is revealed to him and "No Deal" is assumed) to determine if he made the correct decision.
In the fourth season (2012), due to the reduced number of briefcases from 26 to 24, the number of briefcases opened in each round is also modified, starting from five in the first round, three in each of the next three rounds, two in each the next three rounds, and one in each the final two rounds. Gameplay otherwise remains the same, with the exception of a routine option to swap briefcases in the end. The offer to swap briefcases was only given one time during Aquino's tenure.
Contestants, who joined through text messaging, are selected and screened with a series of interviews and tests, including a psychological one, before they appear on the show.
Read more about this topic: Kapamilya, Deal Or No Deal