Let's Make a Deal

Monty Hall was the original host for nearly three decades of the quiz series, Let's Make a Deal.

Let's Make a Deal (also known as LMAD); formerly known as The All-New Let's Make a Deal, is the long-running game show that is also dubbed as "The Marketplace of America." The network television game show originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created and produced by Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall (1921-2017), with Hall serving as its original host for nearly 30 years. Since 2009, Wayne Brady has hosted the program.

The format of Let's Make a Deal involves selected members of the studio audience, in older versions of the show was referred to as "traders," making deals with the host who calls them down with his microphone by costume/character name. In most cases, a trader will be offered something of value and given a choice of whether to keep it or exchange it for a different item. The program's defining game mechanism is that the other item is hidden from the trader until that choice is made. The trader thus does not know if he or she is getting something of greater value or a prize that is referred to as a "zonk," an item purposely chosen to be of little or no value to the trader.

Let's Make a Deal is also known for audience members who dress up in outrageous or crazy costumes in order to increase their chances of being selected as a trader.

The most recent edition of Let's Make a Deal has been airing on CBS since October 5, 2009, when it took over the spot on the network's daytime schedule vacated by the long running soap opera Guiding Light. Wayne Brady is the host of the current series, with Jonathan Mangum as his announcer/assistant. Tiffany Coyne is the current model, joining in 2010, with musician Cat Gray in 2011.

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") consists of several "deals" between the host and a member (or members, generally a married couple) of the audience, referred to as "traders" later refereed to be known as "Contestants". Audience members are picked at the host's whim (Actually they were also picked by Producers watching for smiles and high energy from audience members in between commercial breaks while music plays). As the show moves along, couples are often selected to play together as traders. The deals are mini-games within the show that take several formats.

In the simplest format, a trader/contestant is given a prize of medium value (such as a television set or a few hundred dollars in cash), and the host offers them the opportunity to trade for another prize. However, the offered prize is 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 trader may also be concealed, such as in a box, wallet or purse, or the trader/contestant might be initially given a box, envelope or curtain. The format varies widely.

Technically, contestants were supposed to bring something to trade in, but this rule was seldom enforced. (Even though Producers tell incoming contestants to be prepared and to bring small items in before the show tapes.) On several occasions, a trader/contestant is actually asked to trade in an item such as their 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 are either a legitimate prize, such as a trip, electronics, furniture, appliances, or a car. Legitimate prizes ran the gamut of what was given away on game shows during the era and into present day. Certain trader/contestants also win cash, or a junked booby prize called a "zonk". Zonks were unwanted booby prizes which could be anything from animals (usually farm animals such as horses, cattle, donkeys, mules, pigs, ducks, geese, "A Bucket O'Chicken" which was real chicken in a coop that was shaped like a bucket, sheep, llamas, goats, and rabbits) to large amounts of food (cabbage, pumpkins, and bananas) to something outlandish like a giant article of clothing, a room full of junked furniture, an old washer-and-dryer, an old gas station, a moose head, the "World's Largest Crying Towel," 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. Zonks are often demonstrated by the announcer, and legitimate prizes were modeled by the model (On the original series, Merrill would often help model the zonks). On rare occasions, a contestant would appear to get zonked, but the zonk would be a cover-up for a legitimate prize; for instance, the old washer and dryer having a pair of old jeans that had thousands of dollars in cash or a set of keys to a new car in one of the pockets.

Though usually considered joke prizes, trader/contestants legally win the zonks. However, after the taping of the show, any trader who had been zonked is offered a consolation prize (currently $100) 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. (such as live animals or the guy in an animal costume), or the props are owned by the studio. A disclaimer at the end of the credits of later 1970s episodes read "Some traders accept reasonable duplicates of zonk prizes." Starting in the 2012–13 season, CBS invited viewers to provide zonk ideas to producers. At the end of the season, the zonk declared the most creative was worth $2,500 to the winner, and other viewers' zonk ideas were also used. For every viewer-developed zonk, the host announced the viewer who provided the zonk. The contest has been continued throughout the past several seasons after its 2012 introduction.

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.

Quickie Deals

As the end credits of the show roll, it is typical for the host to ask random members of the studio audience to participate in fast deals. In the current Wayne Brady version, these are often referred to as "quickie deals", and are conducted by the host, announcer, and model each. CBS will post information on the show's Twitter address (@LetsMakeADeal) days before taping to encourage audience members to carry certain items in their pockets in order to win an additional $500 cash, when one of the hosts approaches them at the end of the show and asks to see such items. The deals are usually in the form of the following:

• Offering cash to a person for possessing a certain item.
• Paying a small cash amount for each instance of a certain item (coins, paperclips, etc.) that a person can produce.
• Offering cash for each instance of a particular digit in the serial number on a dollar bill, credit card, driver's license, etc.
• Offering to pay the last check in the person's checkbook, if they had one, up to a certain limit (usually $500 or $1,000).
• Offering cash to one person if they can correctly guess how much the Big Deal of the Day was worth exactly, or the name of the contestant who played for it.
• Offering cash to one person if they can correctly choose which one of two photos appeared on the show's Instagram account.
• Offering cash to one person if they can correctly answer a question relating to the costume they are wearing on the show.
• Offering cash to one person if they can correctly guess how much money ($100, $200, or $300) was in the announcer's hand.

One memorable incident from a series of fast deals involved host Monty Hall offering a woman $100 for every dime she had; she produced a roll of dimes. After that, there were limits placed on how much a trader could get.

Other deal formats

Deals are often more complicated than the basic format described above. Additionally, some deals take the form of games of chance, and others in the form of pricing games, similar to those used on The Price is Right

Trading deals

• Choosing an envelope, purse, wallet, etc., which conceal dollar bills. One of them conceals a pre-announced value (usually $1 or $5), which awards a car or trip. The other envelopes contain a larger amount of money as a consolation prize. The trader/contestant must decide whether to keep his/her choice or trade. In some playings it is possible for more than one trader/contestant to win the grand prize.
• Acting as a team with two or three unrelated trader/contestants. Sometimes, only one trader/contestant was allowed to speak for the team without consultation of the others. Other times, a "majority rules" format was used. Usually after a series of deals, the host breaks up the team and each contestant could individually decide on one or more options on a final deal.

Related: A contestant acted as an "adviser" to another unrelated trader/contestant, being offered a cash amount or an unknown prize, with the contestants acting on their own on a final deal.

• Being presented with a large grocery item (e.g., a box of candy bars)—almost always containing a hidden cash amount—or a "claim check" at the start of the show. Throughout the show, the trader is given several chances to trade the item and/or give it to another trader in exchange for a different box or curtain. The final trader/contestant in possession of the item prior to the Big Deal of the Day is usually offered first choice of the three doors in exchange for giving up the item. The contents of the item are only revealed after the Big Deal is awarded (or prior to the Big Deal if the last trader with the item elected to choose one of the three doors). A variation included a cash box with at various points the host inserting packets of money inside, with the trader allowed to give it to another trader in exchange for a curtain or box. As with the above deal, the host revealed the contents only after the last trader with the box goes for the Big Deal (again, he/she is given first choice of the doors) or after the Big Deal segment and before the closing credits.
• Three contestants each being given a curtain of his or her choosing, and offering the trader an opportunity to turn down the curtain in exchange for a sum of money.

Games of chance

A wide variety of chance-based games have been used on the show. Examples:

• ‘’’Seven Envelopes – 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 – wherein a couple had to punch keys on a 15-key register. Exactly 13 buttons hid amounts of either $50 or $100 and 2 were marked "no sale", and getting to a stated amount (usually $500–$1,000) won a grand prize. Stewart marked off any buttons hit so they could not be used again. The couple could stop at any time and keep what they have (always then being tempted with a follow-up keep-or-trade deal), but hitting "no sale" at any time ended the game and cost the couple any and all cash accumulated up to that point. If a couple chose a "no sale" button on the first try, hitting the second "no sale" button the very next time also won the grand prize. Otherwise, Hall allowed the couple to take home whatever dollar amount they hit with the next key punch; sometimes he would double the cash they got (if they hit $50, they got $100; if they hit $100, they got $200). In the 2009 version, the game is played using a board of fifteen numbers, thirteen with cards marked either $200 or $400, and the remaining two are 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 in the 2003 and 2009 versions using an ATM motif and involving an ATM card. Each withdrawal was worth a random amount of cash that accumulated, and "OVERDRAWN" on the screen meant the player lost everything. The player had the option to stop after each withdrawal.
• ‘’’Three Keys – 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 "dud" 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 gave rise to 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 – 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/$500 continued on to try to win an additional prize by picking the higher-suited card out of nine off a game board. The trader 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. In the CBS version, the trader must give back all previous winnings for a shot at the big prize.
• ‘’’The Egg Game – 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.

"CBS version games"

• ‘’’Panic Button – A contestant or couple 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 player(s) are asked to press three of six buttons on a control panel. However, three buttons close one of the three curtains (which eliminates the prize), and the other three have no effect. After pressing the buttons, the player(s) can either take the prizes still remaining, or press one of two additional buttons revealed for a 50/50 chance at either opening all three curtains again and winning a cash bonus, or losing everything.
• ‘’’Race to the Finish – A contestant 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. He/she/they draws until either one of the prizes or the Zonk crosses the finish line (five hearts, four spades, three diamonds, three clubs). In the event a prize crosses the finish line first, the contestant is given an offer to continue on or keep the prizes they have earned so far (if the former happens, he/she will not be allowed to have the option of bailing out until another prize crosses the finish line), knowing that if the Zonk suit crosses the finish line, all prize(s) earned are forfeited. A cash buy-out may be offered to stop if the contestant is one away from the Zonk and no prizes have crossed the finish line. Prior to December 2011, the game was called Finish Line. On one episode, six hearts, five spades, and four diamonds or clubs were necessary.[4] On March 1, 2012, a contestant won the car by drawing five hearts in only five cards drawn.
• ‘’’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.
• ‘’’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.
• ‘’’Smash For Cash – A contestant/couple chooses a Piggy Bank containing an amount of cash. 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 $20,000 for $15. The contestant(s) 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. Prior to Season 3, the maximum value is $10,000.
• ‘’’Spell Me a Deal – The name of a mystery prize is hidden behind a chalkboard. One at a time, a letter is revealed. Then a contestant will decide if they want to go for the chalkboard, or take a prize hidden behind a box or a curtain. If the contestant goes for the chalkboard, the prize is automatically given to another player. The game continues until the first three letters of the word is revealed.
• ‘’’Rap Me a Deal – Brady and Mangum rap a contestant a clue to a curtain.
• ‘’’Red or Black - Introduced in Season 9, replacing Hi-Lo. This game is played similar to Hi-Lo except for a few differences: There are five cards in the sequence. The contestant now decides whether the next card in the deck is red (heart/diamond) or black (spade/club). The contestant is given $500 to start for each correct prediction doubled. If the contestant gives an incorrect prediction, he/she goes back to $500. The Free Pass as well as the option to stop has been eliminated. If the contestant can get all five cards right, he/she wins $16,000. Thus, the contestant must play the game in its entirety. Starting in Season 11, if the contestant accumulates at least $1000, he/she is given a sixth and final card to play for a car. He/she can also take the money accumulated. If the contestant gives a correct prediction, he/she wins the car. Otherwise, he/she goes home with nothing.
• ‘’’Let's Make a Deal Lotto – A contestant faces a board of eight numbers that resemble a scratch-off lottery ticket, and then is given a giant coin with which to "rub off" the spots. They must pick three, with the idea to match pictures of either the on-air talent, or two car symbols. After the first two are revealed, Wayne offers the player a sure thing to avoid the risk of the player leaving with nothing. In the first season, matching anything but the car won $3,000. In Season 2, matching two "Wayne's" won $1,000; two "Tiffany's" $5,000; and two "Jonathan's" are worth an amount less than $100 ($79.95 from Seasons 2 to 8). In Season 3, two Waynes are worth $5,000 and two Tiffany's are worth $3,000 (two Jonathan's still are worth $79.95). In some episodes in Seasons 4 and beyond, some of the faces switched prizes.
• ‘’’Dice Derby – A contestant rolls a single die, hoping to roll odd numbers four times to win a trip; rolling even numbers four times wins nothing.
• ‘’’Cash Board – An update of "Monty's Cash Register". A board of 15 cards is presented (Originally 8 "$100"s, 5 "$200"s & 2 "ZONK"s"; currently 8 "$200"s, 5 "$400"s & 2 "ZONK"s) to a couple. The goal is to accumulate a goal amount (originally $1,000 or more; now $2,000 or more) before choosing a "ZONK" card. If they do, they win a car. If they pick a "ZONK", they lose everything. If it happens on the first pick, the couple picks another number, and wins money as a consolation prize (originally double the revealed amount; now half the revealed amount). If they choose the other "ZONK", they still win the car.
• ‘’’Keep on Rollin – A contestant/couple is shown increasingly valuable prizes behind all three curtains, with the Curtain 3 prize usually being a car. They are given one six-sided die and up to 4 rolls to accumulate a total of 10 or more points to win the Curtain 1 prize. They can then stop, or give back the prize to try to roll 10 or more points in 3 rolls for Curtain 2's prize. If successful, they can then give back THAT prize and try to roll 10 or more points in only 2 rolls to win the Curtain 3 prize.
• ‘’’No Duplicates – A contestant rolls a single die. After the first roll, he/she/they win a certain amount of cash. He/she/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).
• ‘’’Head 2 Head for a Car – 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 – Not to be confused with the short-lived 1975 NBC daytime game show of the same name, 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).
• ‘’’Who Wants to Answer Multiple-Choice Questions for Cash and Prizes? – Similar to Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, contestants answered three general knowledge multiple-choice questions for cash. Each question contained three answers. When contestants were to confirm their response, Wayne would ask them "Is that your definitive response?" (similar to "Is that your final answer?" on Millionaire). Each correct answer was worth $500. Choosing a wrong answer at any time automatically ended the question round. Afterwards, contestants could risk their cash on one of 2 curtains, in hopes of winning a big prize (usually a car).
• ‘’’Let's Make a Deal Casino – The game is played in three rounds: Three Card Tiffany, Four Card Jonathan, and Five Card Wayne. In the first round, the contestant chooses one of three cards (two with Tiffany's picture, one with cash). If the contestant picks a Tiffany card, he/she wins a small prize, otherwise he/she wins the cash (most likely less than the value of the prize). In the second round, there are four cards (two with Jonathan's picture, two with cash). Picking a Jonathan card wins a medium-valued prize, otherwise they get the cash. In the final round, there are five cards: one card with Wayne's picture (worth a new car), two cash cards (usually $500 and $2,000), and two Zonk cards. The contestant can leave with the money and/or prizes from the first two rounds or risk it all on the final round. If the contestant picks a Zonk card in the final round, he/she loses everything and leaves with nothing. Otherwise, they keep the cash and/or prizes from all three rounds.
• ‘’’A or B – The game is played in three rounds. In the first two rounds, a contestant is shown two prizes. There are two letters, A and B, both hiding an arrow that points to one of the prizes. The contestant wins the prize that the arrow points to in each of those rounds. In the final round, the contestant can win a better prize (usually not a car but a trip or a motorcycle) but has to risk the two prizes won previously. If he/she plays, he/she once again chooses A or B, one points to the grand prize (they win all three prizes) and the other points to a Zonk prize (they lose all prizes).
• ‘’’Dr. Wayne – The game is played with a couple. The couple is shown two prizes and must separately choose what prize they want (or what they think their partner wants). Whatever prizes the couple match, that's what they win, otherwise they win neither prize. They repeat the process with two different prizes. After two rounds, they can risk what they've won for an unknown. In this game, Brady impersonates Dr. Phil.
• ‘’’Gold Rush – A contestant or couple plays for a car. They choose from eight numbered boxes, six containing pieces of gold and two containing dynamite (representing Zonks). If a contestant picks a piece of gold, they move closer to the car (Level 1: $500, Level 2: $1000, Level 3: $2000, Level 4: $4000, Level 5: Car). If a contestant chooses a dynamite, they lose all their progress and have to start from the bottom again. Whenever gold is found, he/she is given the option to stop playing and take the money or risk it for the car. If both dynamites are chosen, the game ends and any money accumulated is lost.
• ‘’’Dice Duel – Two contestants battle each other, taking turns rolling a pair of dice. They first roll a single die and the player who rolls the higher number goes first. If a specific number (between 2 and 12) has been rolled, the contestant wins an amount of cash behind the number. Once a number is rolled, neither contestant can roll that number again. The first time the contestant rolls a duplicate number, they are allowed to use a free pass to roll again; in which starting in Season 5, the contestant can give the other contestant the win by taking a cash-buyout of $300. If a contestant rolls a duplicate number without having a free pass, the contestant is eliminated and loses all money accumulated. The other player can keep the cash or trade it in for an unknown.
• ‘’’Go For a Spin – A revival of the Dealer Wheel seen in the '84-'86 revival. The big difference is that (like the Match Game '90 wheel) instead of the whole wheel spinning, a pointer spins. A contestant plays for a car. They spin a wheel which initially contains 16 spaces (one car space, five Zonk spaces, and cash spaces of $100, $200, $300, $400, $500, $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, and $5,000). Before spinning, the contestant is asked three audience survey questions; which have been given to them before the show; each containing two possible answers. The contestant has to pick the most popular answer out of the two. For every question answered correctly, one of the Zonks is replaced with a car (for a maximum of four car spaces and a minimum of two Zonk spaces) before the contestant spins. After the Zonks are replaced by cars (if applicable), the contestant gets one spin and gets what he or she lands on. Before spinning, Wayne offers the player a chance to go home with an amount of cash, usually at least $500.
• ‘’’Strike a Match – A contestant can win cash and/or prizes. It is not clear whether or not the contestant can win a car. On a board is 24 numbered squares each containing either a cash value, a deal (box, envelope, or curtain), or a Zonk. The board contains two squares each of the following dollar values: $500, $1000, $1500, and $2000, two squares each of the following deals: Curtain 1, Curtain 3, Small Box, and Small Envelope, and eight Zonk squares. The contestant is shown what is behind which number for five seconds and then must match cash values or deals to win them. Contestants can keep whatever they earn unless they match two Zonk squares in which they

lose everything; in the event one is found, from that point on, they are offered the opportunity to stop after each choice until they find a second Zonk.

• ‘’’Go Big or Go Home – A contestant can win a car and/or cash and prizes. On a board is 16 squares. One of them says "Go Big". Initially, two squares say "Go Home". The contestant starts at "Go Big" and rolls a single sided die to determine how many spaces the contestant moves. The contestant wins any cash and/or deals he/she lands on. If a contestant lands on "Go Home", the contestant loses everything and the game ends. If a contestant lands on "Go Big", the contestant wins the car in addition to any cash and prizes he or she landed on along the way. Every time a contestant lands on a square, the space is then replaced with an extra "Go Home" space. If a contestant makes it around the board completely without landing on either a Go Big or a Go Home, he/she must avoid the additional Go Home spaces as well. To prevent the contestant from "going home" (losing it all), he or she always gets a choice to stop after each safe roll and landing on a safe square. This option to bailout is available only if the contestant is six or less spaces away from Go Home.
• ‘’’Car Pong – A contestant can win a car and/or cash by throwing a ball into cups. Contestants starts with 5 seconds. He/she can earn up to 15 more seconds by answering a pop culture list question containing four possible answers. He/she must choose three out of the four answers. For each correct answer, the contestant wins five seconds. If the contestant chooses an incorrect answer, the question round is over. Later, the eight outer cups each earned cash. Four cups earned $500 per ball, two were worth $250 per ball, and two were worth $1,000 per ball. No matter how much time a contestant has, each time a ball is thrown, it must bounce at least once in order for the throw to count and must land in a cup and stay in a cup within the time limit. This was due to an episode from February 15, 2017 when a contestant's final throw landed in the "CAR" cup after the clock hit zero.
• ‘’’Tiffany's Great Key Escape – A contestant is offered $1,500 and a chance to win a car by unlocking a box containing the car key using the right key out of 15 keys in 15 seconds. The contestant can choose to buy up to 15 extra seconds by paying $100 per second. He/she must choose one key at a time from the 15 keys and must run back and choose another key if the key doesn't open the box. If the contestant chooses the right key, he/she wins the car and any money left over. Since the beginning of Season 5, Wayne would caution the contestant "The box must be unlocked before the clock hits zero." This was due to an episode from April 23, 2013 when a contestant unlocked the box after the clock hit zero. On the 2019 New Year's Day episode, it was called "Tiffany's Great Check Escape" as the grand prize was a check for $19,990, which was won. The $19,990 represents the year 1999.
• ‘’’Cash Train – A contestant can win cash by filling in a train with five money bags. Each car represents a different color (red, orange, yellow, blue, and green). One color at a time, a contestant chooses one of three cards representing cash. After each successful pick, Wayne offers the contestant a sure thing to stop playing. Choosing a Zonk at any time automatically ends the game and the contestant leaves nothing. (The red row has two $250 spots and a $500 spot, the orange row has two $750 spots and a $1,000 spot, the yellow row has a $1,250 spot, a $1,500 spot, and a Zonk, the green row has a $2,000 spot, a $2,500 spot and a Zonk, and the blue row has a $3,000 spot, a $3,500 spot, and a Zonk)
• ‘’’Four Keys – A contestant or couple chooses one of four keys that opens the door to a car. Once the contestant chooses a key, Wayne offers a contestant a sure thing to stop playing.
• ‘’’The Zonk and Winding Road – Wayne and a contestant takes a journey around the set towards one of two curtains. Before the game begins, a contestant chooses a path which contains a clue.
• ‘’’Fact or Fiction – A contestant is asked to choose one of two envelopes, one says "Fact" and the other says "Fiction". Wayne gives the card to Jonathan and offers the contestant an unknown. Before the contestant decides, Jonathan makes a statement about the unknown (a fact or a fictional statement depending on which envelope the contestant chose). The contestant can choose the unknown or a sure thing cash amount.
• ‘’’Jukebox – A contestant is asked to choose one of four numbered CD's, each containing a specific style of music and an unknown amount of money. After the music style is revealed, Wayne and Jonathan offer a clue to the unknown by singing a song in the style of music chosen from the CD picked by the contestant. The contestant can then choose the unknown or the cash amount behind the CD. "Note" in a November 2018 episode, host Wayne Brady and announcer Jonathan Mangum sang one of the LMAD program's first duo songs with lyrics they emulated from a (Led Zeppelin) hit after a contestant chose a CD to clue the contestant based on their original lyrics in the songs same Melody. The winning contestant was actor Bryan Kreutz, dressed as a Roman gladiator.
• ‘’’Head 2 Head Marbles – Two contestants face off each other winning cash. There are eight marbles: seven blue, one red. Each contestant secretly chooses a marble. If a blue marble is found, the contestant wins cash. If a red marble is found, the game is over and the other contestant wins.
• ‘’’My Husband Sounds Like... – A couple plays against each other by imitating three sound effects. Wayne gives the husband a name of a person, place, or thing for him to make a sound. Then the wife has to guess what sound is that from using "My husband sounds like...", and only one guess is allowed for each one. If she is right, the couple wins $500 for each correct word. If the husband talks, the word is disqualified and the game is over. Afterwards, the couple can keep their cash won or trade it in for an unknown. Other variants of this game include "My (family member)", "My boyfriend", or "My wife." Since Season 8, Tiffany will put the guesser a blindfold with eyes so that the player can be out of sight and not out of hearing.
• ‘’’The Dealing Game – A contestant must choose from two unknowns. Before choosing, Wayne and Jonathan reveal information about their respective unknowns by answering Dating Game style questions.
• ‘’’0 to 80 – A contestant can win a car by having a mini car go down the speedway to 80. The contestant chooses up to four tokens with speed amounts ranging from 0 to 40. For each token they pick, the mini car goes down the speedway. After each pick, Wayne offers a contestant a sure thing to stop playing which increases per pick. If the contestant has their car go to 80 in four picks or less, he/she wins the car. If the contestant is mathematically impossible to win, the game is over.
• ‘’’Pair-A-Dice – A contestant or couple plays for a car. They are shown 8 boxes, each of which conceal a colored die; either a red 4, a green 5, a blue 6, or a yellow Zonk. If two red 4's are found, the contestant/couple is awarded $400. Two blue 5's, $500. Two red 6's, $600. When a pair of numbered dice is found, the contestant/couple is offered the opportunity to take any cash won, or keep going, knowing that if both Zonk dice are uncovered, they lose everything; however, if all numbered dice are found, the car is won along with the accumulated cash.
• ‘’’9 Cards – A contestant (or couple) is asked to cut a standard deck of 53 playing cards (the standard 52 plus one Joker). From game shows "Hi-Lo" and "Card Sharks", the first nine cards are dealt. The player may either go from left to right or right to left. For each card they turn over, they earn $500 in cash. However, among the 9 cards, is a Joker. If the Joker is revealed at any time, the game is over and they lose everything. But, if they turn over all 9 cards successfully without a Joker, they win $4,500 in cash. The original name of the game, hence the object, is Avoid the Joker.
• ‘’’Big Deal Surprise – A lesser version of the Big Deal. It plays just like the endgame, with the top prize being of lesser value than the actual Big Deal's.
• ‘’’Accelerator – A contestant can win a car in this roulette-style game. The player rolls a giant ball down a ramp and it lands on a spinning roulette-style wheel with the letters C, A, and R, each appearing 4 times and each concealing a cash amount. The object is to collect all 3 letters. Each time a letter is collected, the cash amount behind is revealed and awarded to the player; but once that letter is collected, that and all instances of that letter are converted to zonks. If a player hits a zonk, all money accumulated is lost; but if all 3 letters are collected, the car is won along with all cash accumulated.
• ‘’’Numbers Up – Three contestants compete to win an unknown cash amount. In the first round, there are 4 colored squares concealing numbers and all 3 dealers play. Each player picks a color, and the player with the lowest number is out, while the highest number is added to the cash amount, starting at the tens digit. This repeats for the hundreds digit, but with 3 digits and 2 players. When one player is left, their choices are either the last digit or a zonk. At that point, they can decide whether to go for the cash, or take a sure thing.
• ‘’’Cash Country – Various items representing cash are placed along a map of the United States. There are also multiplier items that multiply the cash chosen. The contestant(s) first chooses a cash item on the map, followed by a multiplier item. They can either take the multiplied cash or a sure thing in the Let's Make a Deal envelope.
• ‘’’"WINNER – Two contestants face off each other in spelling out a six letter car name (Nissan or Toyota) (or "WINNER" if the car letter name is less than six letters). To begin the game, Wayne will give each the contestant an envelope, one with $100, one with $50. The contestant that found the $100 goes first, the other will go second. In the second portion, they are eight boxes representing letters of the car name and two zonks. One by one, a contestant chooses a box. If the contestant chooses a box containing a letter, he/she stays alive. If the contestant finds the zonk, he/she is out of the game but goes home with the cash amount won. After each successful pick, Wayne will offer a contestant a sure thing cash amount to stop playing. The game will end if the other contestant bails out, the first contestant to completely spell out the car name, or if both contestants get zonked. Prior to Season 9, this game was called Spell The Car Name Out. With the name change, this game is played for cars besides Nissans and Toyotas as well as $20,000.
• ‘’’Wishing Well – A contestant faces a table (designated by Wayne as the Wishing Well) containing coins containing cash and prizes totaling $15,000. The contestant is asked to draw two coins which represent pictures of the envelope, a curtain, or a box. Then, he/she decides which coins the contestant wants to keep. Afterwards, the contestant can go for the unknown or take the cash that's inside the coin.
• ‘’’Jonathan Big Head – A contestant faces five yes or no questions containing clues to a unknown. He/she must ask three out of the five questions to Jonathan Big Head [portrayed by Mangum]. After the questioning is complete, he/she can take the unknown or take a cash offer by Wayne.
• ‘’’Exactly $1000 – A contestant rolls a die containing cash amounts from $100-$300. The object of the game is to earn exactly $1000 to buy a car. After three rolls, Wayne will offer a unknown worth an amount. Once the contestant buys the unknown, the game is stopped. After the fourth roll, Wayne offers the contestant another unknown which also provides the contestant an opportunity to take whatever money won. If the contestant goes over $1,000, the contestant wins nothing.
• ‘’’Cat's Word – A contestant can win cash by spelling a seven letter word. The larger the spelling word, the more cash he/she can win. To begin, a contestant spells out a word then Cat will sing the word. Afterwards, the first three letters are turned into cash. Then, Wayne offers a contestant an envelope or box. The contestant can elect to take the unknown or the remaining money.
• ‘’’One Out Of Seven – A contestant faces a board of seven numbers. One number contains $500, one contains $1000, and one says car. The other four contain zonks. To begin the game, Wayne asks a contestant for three items [ala Quickie Deals]. If the contestant finds the item asked by Wayne, he/she removes a zonk. After the item searching is done, the contestant picks an number. Then, he/she is offered a sure thing which he/she can take or go for the selected number. Prior to Season 8, the game was called Seven Envelopes.
• ‘’’Majority Rules
• ‘’’Three Aces – A contestant is shown four pairs of cards, each containing an Ace and a zonk. The object of the game is to reveal two out of four aces for $3,500 and three out of four for a car. The contestant chooses a card and if it contains an Ace, he/she is one step closer to winning the cash and/or car. If the contestant draws two zonks, the contestant is mathematically eliminated from winning a car. If the contestant draws three zonks, the game is over.
• ‘’’Tic Tac Deal 2.0 – A 3 by 3 grid of numbers is displayed (3 4 5 / 6 7 8 / 9 10 11). The contestant has 5 rolls to create a tic tac toe across, down or diagonally by rolling a pair of dice to match the numbers on the grid. If the number rolled is either a 2, a 12 or a repeat number, it's a wasted roll. Wayne offers a buy out if the contestant is one roll away from completing tic tac toe (for a car) or not being able to get 3 in a row. The game ends when the contestant wins the car, accepts the buyout or run out of rolls/can not create a tic tac toe.
• ‘’’Dating Profile – This game requires two or three people: Two men and one woman or vice versa. Wayne will ask three dual-choice questions from a dating profile that was randomly chosen before the show (for example: If you were to buy a woman something sweet. Would she choose A) something chocolate or B) something vanilla?). The wo(men) will show Wayne their answers using paddles. This is followed by the (wo)man providing the choice. The (wo)man is given a blindfold with hearts from Tiffany, so that he/she cannot see the men's answer. Each correct match is worth $500 for a possible total of $1500. Afterwards, the contestants can keep their money or buy an unknown.
• ‘’’Solo Marbles – A contestant can win up to $10,000 or a car. There are six marbles [as opposed to eight on its sister game Head 2 Head Marbles], five blue, one red. One at a time, a contestant draws a marble. If he/she draws the blue marble, he/she wins $500. He/she is given the option to stop playing and take whatever money won, knowing that if the contestant draws a red marble, all money accumulated is lost. If he/she gets all five blue marbles drawn, he/she wins $10,000 and a car.
• ‘’’Winfall – A contestant can win a car by knocking six circle blocks (two of each red, yellow blue) before allowing a green “WIN” block to reach the bottom. The contestant rolls a heptagon shaped die with the colors of the block and one star side (indicating a wild). For each successful roll, Tiffany knocks the rolled colored block away. If the contestant eliminates two blocks of one color, he/she is offered $500 to stop playing. If two colors are eliminated, the buyout is increased to $1000. If the contestant rolls a color that is eliminated, the game is over.
• ‘’’Five Envelopes: One Car - A contestant faces a board of six envelopes. Only one of the envelopes is the word "CAR" The rest say "NO" (which acts as a Zonk). The contestant rolls a die twice. Whatever the numbers he/she roll, he/she receives the envelopes as indicated by the roll. If the same number is rolled twice, it's a wasted roll. After the envelopes have been selected, Wayne offers the contestant a sure thing. After the first envelope is chosen and if it contains the word "NO", he will either increase or decrease the sure thing by $100.
• ‘’’Make It Wayne! - A contestant faces a table of twelve coins. Each coin represents a money amount ranging from $200-$400. He/she is allowed to choose five coins. For each $100 accumulated, a rainbow which grows from the grow from the cloud on the left to the pot of gold on the right. Three of the coins have negative money which looses money and the rainbow will fade backwards. The object of the game is to reach $1,000 and complete the rainbow which decouples the winnings to $10,000. After each pick, Wayne offers a contestant a sure thing to stop playing. If the contestant is mathematically impossible to win, he would allow the contestant to use his/her remaining pic(s) as a consolation pick for half of the amount picked (similar to Cash Board).
• ‘’’Silent Auction - Two contestants face-off each other on bidding up to two unknowns. The contestants are given $1,000 to start. Wayne offers the players are unknown. They will write down their bid in secret. The highest bid wins the unknown. After the two unknowns, the players will individually decide to keep their prize(s) and any remaining cash won or risk it all for a chance at a bigger unknown.
• ‘’’Bobbing For Apples - Played only on family shows, usually on Halloween (as is done at Halloween parties). A family can win a car by bobbing apples. There are ten apples in a bowl filled with apples. Nine of the apples contain cash ranging from $100-300. The object of the game is to get up to $1,000 without bobbing for a Zonk. After each successful bob, the family is given the option to stop playing and take whatever money they earned. If they picked the Zonk, the family wins nothing. If the family accumulates $1,000, they won a car.
• ‘’’Closer to LA - A contestant can win three trips by choosing the distance of a particular trip closest to LAX in flight miles. Once each distance is locked in, Wayne offers a contestant a sure thing. After two correct distances, the sure thing is increased. If the contestant is incorrect, the contestant wins nothing.
• ‘’’I'm Drawn To You - Debuted in Season 11. Two men (or two women) will draw something assigned by Wayne on an easel located on the stage. The drawers have only fifteen seconds to do it. The guesser is blindfolded with eyes (from My Husband Sounds Like...) so that he/she cannot see who's drawing. Once the drawing is complete, he/she will decide who has the best drawing. The artist who has the award winning drawing will win $1,000 and the right to make a deal with Wayne. The loser goes home with $100.

"Retired games"

• ‘’’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. Ala Card Sharks, the contestant(s) must guess whether the next card is higher or lower than the previous, with aces counting high and deuces counting low, with ties an automatic loss. He/she 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. The Contestant(s) can quit after either he/she makes a mistake up to the $2,500 card or wins the $2,500. He/she/they can then 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.
• ‘’’Football Frenzy – Played only during football season. A contestant can win a car by having a team's helmet race down the field against the opposing team to the end zone. One by one, the contestant chooses one of eight boxes. Each box represent the helmet of the team's logo. After each successful pick, Wayne offers a contestant a sure thing cash amount to stop playing. If the contestant picks the opposing team's helmet, Wayne will penalize the sure thing. If the contestant's team reaches the end zone, the contestant wins the car. If the opposing team crosses it, the contestant will get zonked. This game was retired after CBS lost the rights to Thursday Night Football.
• ‘’’Time is Money – A contestant can win up to $15,000. There are four clocks ranging from :00 to :15. One clock at a time, each second deducts $1,000. A contestant can take a sure thing after the first clock is chosen which increases per every clock. If the contestant reaches $0, the game ends and the contestant wins nothing.
• ‘’’The Piñata – Contestants try to hit a piñata for $5,000 or a car. Each contestant is given an piñata, then he/she has the option to break the piñata or go for a prize hidden behind a curtain or box. At least one of the piñatas contains $5,000 or car keys, while the rest contain candy as a consolation prize.
• ‘’’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 a 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. After Season 3, the contestants get only three cards with either "X" or "O" as their letter.
• ‘’’Money in the Bank – A contestant can win up to $25,000 by playing a game that involves 4 questions and 4 answers. The player must match the answers to the questions, and for each one they get right, they win $500 in cash. In the second half of the game, they can opt to keep whatever cash they've won or put it into one of 5 safes. One safe doubles the cash, one cuts the cash in half, one multiplies the cash by 5, and two are Zonks which cost the player everything.
• ‘’’Checks in the Mail – A contestant can win cash and/or a car by opening four out of eight mailboxes. The contestant is given $500 to start. Then, he/she picks four out of the eight mailboxes consisting of five checks, two zonk checks, and the title to the car. After each successful pick, the contestant is given the option to stop playing and hopes that he/she doesn't choose a zonk check (which loses everything up to that point). If both zonk checks are found, the game is over and the contestant leaves with nothing.
• ‘’’Wac-A-Zonk – A contestant can win a big prize (usually a trip or a car) by smashing one of the three Zonkimals (Zonky the Donkey, Zonko the Gorilla, and Zurtle the Turtle) on a Wac-A-Mole like game board. At least one of the zonkimals contains the prize, while the rest reveal nothing. Before the contestant attempts to pick a zonkimal, Wayne would offer a contestant a unknown. If the contestant, smashes the zonkimal containing the prize he/she wins that prize. If the zonkimal contains nothing, he/she is truly zonked out.
• ‘’’Eight Boxes – Two contestants compete each other for a car. The game is divided into two parts. In the first part, the contestants wrote down what they believe the price of the car in secret. The contestant that is closest, high or low will win four picks in the second part. The other contestant wins three picks. In the second part, the contestants take turns on choosing one of the eight boxes. One of the boxes says "CAR" the rest contain the word "NO." If two contestants get "NO" boxes, Wayne offers the contestants a sure thing which increases per round. It is possible that the two contestants can win nothing. The game will end if either both contestants have used up their picks, get bailed out, or the first contestant to find the word "CAR."

Consolation games

Should a contestant get zonked out during a particular game. Wayne would offer a contestant a consolation cash prize with at least the house minimum of $50 by performing the following:

• ‘’’Dice – $50 x the number of rolled (i.e. 6 = $300).
• ‘’’0 to 80 – $5 x the number of shown on the token.
• ‘’’Hi-Lo – $50 for each correct prediction.
• ‘’’Cash Board – Half of the amount picked.
• ‘’’Accelerator - $500 if the contestant landed on a Zonk.

‘’’Pricing games Other deals related to pricing merchandise are featured in order to win a larger prize or cash amounts. Sometimes traders are required to price individual items (either grocery products or smaller prizes generally valued less than $100) within a certain range to win successively larger prizes or a car. Other times traders must choose an item that a pre-announced price, order grocery items or small prizes from least to most expensive, or two items with prices that total a certain amount to win a larger prize. These games are not used on the CBS version because of their similarities to The Price is Right.

‘’’Quiz games On the CBS version, due to the similarities of the pricing game concept with The Price is Right, quiz games are used instead. These deals involve products in the form of when they were introduced to the market, general knowledge quizzes, currency exchange rates (at the time of taping), or knowledge of geography of trips to certain locales used as prizes.

‘’’Big Deal The Big Deal serves as the final segment of the show and offers a chance at a significantly larger prize for a lucky trader. Before the round, the value of the day's Big Deal is announced to the audience.The process for choosing traders was the same for every series through the 2003 NBC primetime series. Monty Hall (or his successors) would begin asking the day's traders, starting with the highest winner, if they wanted to give back what they had managed to win earlier in the show for a chance to choose one of three numbered doors on the stage. The process continued until two traders agreed to play, and the biggest winner of the two got first choice of Door #1, Door #2, or Door #3. The other trader then chose from the remaining two doors. Since the 2009 series, the Big Deal has been played with just one trader.

Each of the doors conceals either a prize package of some sort, or a cash award hidden inside a prop such as "Monty's Piggy Bank" or the "Let's Make a Deal Vault." On occasion, a door containing an all-cash prize is opened before the traders make their choices, but the amount of the prize is not revealed. Most often, the value of the "Low" Door (the lowest-valued door) is less than the value of the player's original winnings, while the "Medium" Door's value is at least $1,000 more than the player's traded winnings.

When the Big Deal is not behind the selected door, one of the non-Big Deal doors is opened first, then the chosen door, with the Big Deal revealed last. If the Big Deal door IS selected, the other two doors are usually revealed first, although on rare occasions, the Big Deal door has been revealed second, after one of the other two doors (usually the "Medium" door) is revealed.

The Big Deal prize is usually the most extravagant on each episode, and is often a car or a vacation with first-class accommodations. On occasion, the Big Deal consists of one of the all-cash prizes mentioned above; at other times, a cash bonus is added to the prizes in the Big Deal to bring the total up to the announced value. On other occasions, the Big Deal is revealed to include "Everything in the Big Deal", meaning the prizes behind all 3 doors are won if the player chose the Big Deal.

The Big Deal is the one time in the show where a trader is guaranteed to not walk away with a Zonk.

‘’’Super Deal During the 1975–76 syndicated season, winners of the Big Deal were offered a chance to win the "Super Deal". At this point, Big Deals were limited to a range of $8,000 to $10,000. The trader could risk their Big Deal winnings on a shot at adding a $20,000 cash prize, which was hidden behind only one of three mini-doors onstage. The other two doors contained cash amounts of $1,000 or $2,000; however, the $1,000 value was later replaced with a "mystery" amount between $1,000 and $9,000. A trader who decided to play risked their Big Deal winnings and selected one of the mini-doors. If the $20,000 prize was behind the door, the trader kept the Big Deal and added the $20,000 prize, for a potential maximum total of $30,000. However, if a trader selected one of the other two doors, he or she forfeited the Big Deal prizes but kept the cash amount behind the door. The Super Deal was discontinued when the show permanently moved to Las Vegas for the final season (1976–77), and Big Deal values returned to the previous range of $10,000 to $15,000.From 2012 to 2016 of the Brady version, the Super Deal was offered as a limited event (usually for a week of shows promoted as "Super Deal Week") and was not played regularly. The show designated one or two weeks of episodes, typically airing during a special event (e.g., the 500th episode, 50th anniversary of franchise, etc.). In this version, the top cash prize was $50,000 while the other two cash prizes were $1,000 and $2,000. In addition, instead of using mini-doors, the cash amounts were hidden in three large colored envelopes of red, green, and purple, respectively referred by Brady as ruby, emerald, and sapphire.

‘’’Trip-Tastic In the 2019 premiere week, a variant called “Trip-Tastic” was played. At three random points in the game, Tiffany will show the dealer a golden ticket. This ticket allows them to play Trip-Tastic. This round is played like this: the three envelopes, ruby, emerald, and sapphire, are now attached to a map of the Earth. The first ticket holder makes a choice. Then, the second chooses between the remaining 2, leaving one envelope for the last ticket holder. After that, Wayne will reveal the envelope holding $500. Then he opens another envelope. The one that has the ticket, wins not one, not two but three trips. The others leave with $500 and $1,000, respectively.

‘’’Mega-Deal week On the CBS version's season premiere weeks in 2015 and 2016 of the Brady a "Mega Deal" was played as part of the Big Deal of the Day segment for every non-cash and non-zonk prize available on that day's show. The contestant, after picking his/her door, also picked a "Mega Deal" card from a row of seven numbers (minus one for each day the Mega Deal was not won); one of them had the word "WIN" written on it, while the others had "NO."If the contestant won the Big Deal, the "Mega Deal" -- unlike the Super Deal -- was a no-lose proposition, meaning the contestant kept his/her Big Deal winnings even if they did not pick the correct Mega Deal card. However, picking the Mega Deal card would net the contestant a prize package of more than $100,000, including the contents of the other two Big Deal of the Day doors. Regardless of the outcome of the Big Deal of the Day portion of the game -- if the Big Deal was not won or the contestant chose incorrectly -- Brady would reveal the correct Mega Deal card.

‘’’Mash-Up Week The week of May 9, 2016 was designated Mash-Up Week. During each of the five broadcast days, Deal and The Price Is Right each featured one game from the other's lineup. The games were slightly modified to reflect the nature of the shows on which they were played; those on TPIR required contestants to price items, while those on Deal used random draws and the offer of cash/prize deals to stop a game early.

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's Password had failed. Some critics described the show as "mindless" and "demeaning to traders and audiences alike".

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 prime time program. It was so popular that, when Hall moved the Let's Make a Deal to ABC because of a contract dispute, doing so greatly damaged NBC's daytime ratings and greatly improved ABC's. The show held the world's record for the longest waiting list for tickets in show-business history; there were 350 seats available for each show, and a wait time of two to three years after requesting a ticket.

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". 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.

In 2014, the American series won a Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song for "30,000 Reasons to Love Me", composed by Cat Gray and sung by Wayne 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. A similar concept is used in the game Check-Out on The Price Is Right.
• Competing against another trader 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 trader (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 trader/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.

“CBS Version Games”

• ‘’’Timeline – A contestant first plays for a trip or other similar valued prize by arranging three entertainment items (TV shows, music songs, movies, etc.) in order.

Placing the three in the correct order wins the contestant the trip and a chance to play for a car if they decide to give up the trip. To win the car, the contestant has to place a fourth item in the same timeline correctly (before the first item, between the first and second, between the second and third, or after the third item).

• ‘’’Remember When – A contestant can win a car by identifying when two of five entertainment items (TV shows, music songs, movies, etc.) premiered in the same calendar year. After revealing some of the years, Wayne offers the contestant a sure thing. If the contestant does not take the sure thing, another item may be revealed and Wayne may offer the same sure thing plus additional cash.
• ‘’’Think Big – Played for a car, a contestant faces a board of four numerical statements (i.e. Number of zonks that appeared on the first episode of Let's Make A Deal). The object of the game is to choose the statement that contains the biggest number. Once the contestant selects the statement, the first two statements are revealed. Wayne offers the contestant a sure thing to stop playing.

“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 white 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.

The current revival brought the wheel back under a new name, Go For a Spin.

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, Game Show Network (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 response was that all contestants came to the studio "dressed as they are", in the words of Jay Stewart.

The Let's Make a deal official guidelines to new contestants coming in for a taping in (North Hollywood) - Van Nuys,California say the following "WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO DRESS IN A COSTUME THAT FITS OUR SPECIAL THEMES! COSTUMES WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE FOR RENT OR PURCHASE!" The costumes contestants bring in should avoid logos and trademarked characters. There is also a costume shop inside after contestants arrive and have checked in where costumes are available for rent and accessories are available as well to add to costumes.

Broadcast History

Let's Make a Deal first aired on NBC in 1963 as part of its daytime schedule. The show moved to ABC in 1968, where it remained until 1976; and on two separate occasions the show was given a weekly nighttime spot on those networks. The first syndicated edition of Let's Make a Deal premiered in 1971. Distributed by ABC Films, and then by its successor Worldvision Enterprises once the fin-syn rules were enacted, the series ran until 1977 and aired weekly.

A revival of the series based in Hall's native Canada was launched in 1980 and aired in syndication on American and Canadian stations for one season. This series was produced by Catalena Productions and distributed in America by Rhodes Productions, Catalena's partner company. In the fall of 1984, the series returned for a third run in syndication as The All-New Let's Make a Deal. Running for two seasons until 1986, this series was distributed by Telepictures.

NBC revived Let's Make a Deal twice in a thirteen-year span. The first was a daytime series in 1990 that was the first to not be produced or hosted by Monty Hall. Instead, the show was a production of Ron Greenberg and Dick Clark, and featured Bob Hilton (best known for announcing other game shows) as host (although Hall would eventually return as host for special episodes).

A primetime edition was launched in 2003 but drew poor ratings and was cancelled after three of its intended five episodes had aired. This version had reporter Billy Bush as host, and had a significantly larger budget.

A partial remake called Big Deal, hosted by Mark DeCarlo, was broadcast on Fox in 1996. In 1998 and 1999, Buena Vista Television (now Disney–ABC Domestic Television) was in talks with Stone-Stanley (the producers of Big Deal) to create a revival hosted by Gordon Elliott, but it was never picked up. The show was one of several used as part of the summer series Gameshow Marathon on CBS in 2006, hosted by Ricki Lake.

On July 8, 2009, a non-airing pilot was taped at CBS Television City in Hollywood, California. Hosted by Wayne Brady, the show put out a casting call. 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 auditioned, along with 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.

Alison Fiori models one of the CBS version's zonk prizes, a live llama. As noted above, CBS revived Let's Make a Deal in 2009. The revival premiered on October 5, 2009, and CBS airs the show daily at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm Eastern time (9:00 am and 2:00 pm in other time zones). Like the program that it replaced, the long-running soap opera Guiding Light, affiliates can choose to air it in either time slot; dependent on local commitments to syndicated programming, most affiliates, prefer the early slot in order to pair the two CBS daytime game shows together.

Prior to April 2010, the current version taped at the Tropicana Resort in Las Vegas. When the Tropicana underwent a construction project during 2010, the show moved to Los Angeles. Jonathan 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 serves as the show's model. On February 15, 2010, Tiffany Coyne became the new model replacing Fiori. Hatos-Hall Productions, along with FremantleMedia North America, is credited as co-production company.

Unlike previous versions, only one contestant plays for the Big Deal of the Day.

In addition, viewers can send in Zonk ideas to CBS.com and if their idea is chosen, they win $2,500 in cash.

From September 20 to October 15, 2010, Let's Make a Deal and The Price Is Right aired two episodes a day on alternating weeks. CBS did this to fill a gap between the final episode of As the World Turns, which ended a fifty-four-year run on September 17, 2010, and the debut of The Talk. The double-run games aired at 2:00 pm Eastern.

Although the current version of the show debuted in September 2009, long after The Price Is Right (which made the switch in 2008, first with primetime episodes in February, then daytime in September) and the two Sony Pictures Television daytime dramas had made the switch to high definition, Let's Make a Deal was, along with Big Brother, one of only two programs across the five major networks that was still being actively produced in standard definition. For the start of production for its 2014–15 season in June 2014, Let's Make a Deal began being produced in high definition, with Big Brother 16 making the switch later in June. Let's Make a Deal was the last remaining CBS program to make the switch by air date, with the first HD episode airing on September 22, 2014.

Potential Revival

Between 1998 and 1999, Buena Vista Television (now Disney-ABC Domestic Television) was in talks with Stone-Stanley Productions (the producers of the 1996 flopped reboot Big Deal) to produce a revival with Gordon Elliott (who previously hosted To Tell the Truth for NBC Daytime in 1990), but was never materialized in the end.

Past Personnel

Monty Hall hosted the original daytime network series for its entire run (with the exception of a short time in early 1972 when Hall fell ill and early television pioneer Dennis James substituted in his stead); Hall also hosted its accompanying primetime and syndicated series as well as the two 1980s syndicated efforts, and he served as consultant for the current version until his death in 2017.

Game show announcer Bob Hilton became the new host for the NBC 1990 series; however, due to low ratings, Hilton was fired from the show and in October 1990, Hall returned to the show (but was announced as "guest host") and remained as host until the series was canceled in January 1991. Access Hollywood host Billy Bush emceed the 2003 series, with Hall making a cameo appearance in one episode.

Each Let's Make a Deal announcer also served as a de facto assistant host, as many times the announcer would be called upon to carry props across the trading floor. The original announcer for the series was Wendell Niles, who was replaced by Jay Stewart in 1964. Stewart remained with Let's Make a Deal until the end of the syndicated series in 1977. The 1980 Canadian-produced syndicated series was announced by Chuck Chandler. The 1984 syndicated series employed voice actor Brian Cummings in the announcer/assistant role for its first season, with disc jockey Dean Goss taking the position for the following season. The 1990 NBC revival series was announced by Dean Miuccio, with the 2003 edition featuring Vance DeGeneres in that role.

The longest tenured prize model on Let's Make a Deal was Carol Merrill, who stayed with the series from its debut until 1977. The models on the 1980s series were Maggie Brown, Julie Hall (1980), Karen LaPierre, and Melanie Vincz (1984). For the 1990 series, the show featured Georgia Satelle and identical twins Elaine and Diane Klimaszewski, who later gained fame as the Coors Light Twins.

Hall (2010 and 2013) and Merrill (2013) both appeared on the current Brady version, each making one-week appearances each. The 2013 celebration of the franchise's 50th anniversary was Hall's last official appearance on the show prior to his death, but Hall also appeared in 2017 CBS publicity shots with Brady as part of a CBS Daytime publicity photo celebrating the network's daytime ratings.

When the current version debuted in 2009 at Las Vegas, Alison Fiori was the show's original model, lasting for much of the first season in Las Vegas before the show moved to Los Angeles. During the 2013-14 season, Danielle Demski was the show's model for most of the season while Tiffany Coyne was on maternity leave.

Personnel Summary

Created by: Stefan Hatos and Monty Hall

Directed by: Joe Behar (1963–77, 1984–85) Geoff Theobald (1980–81) Hank Behar (1985–86) Barry Glazer (1990–91) James Marcione (1990–91) Morris Abraham (2003) Lenn Goodside (2009–present)

Presented by: Monty Hall Bob Hilton Billy Bush Wayne Brady

Starring Assistant: Carol Merrill Maggie Brown Julie Hall Karen LaPierre Melanie Vincz Diane Klimaszewski Elaine Klimaszewski Georgia Satelle Alison Fiori Tiffany Coyne Danielle Demski

Narrated by: Wendell Niles Jay Stewart Chuck Chandler Brian Cummings Dean Goss Dean Miuccio Vance DeGeneres Jonathan Mangum

Music by: Sheldon Allman (1963–77, 1984–86) Marilyn Hall (1963–77, 1984–86) Michel Camilo for Score Productions, Inc. (1984–86)

Composer(s): Ivan Ditmars (1963–76) Stan Worth (1976–77, 1980–81) Sheldon Allman (1976–77, 1984–85) Todd Thicke (1985–86) Jerry Ray (1990–91)

Executive producer(s): Stefan Hatos (1980–81, 1984–86) Dick Clark (1990–91) Ron Greenberg (1990–91) Monty Hall (2003) Sharon Hall (2003) David Garfinkle (2003) Jay Renfroe (2003) Jeff Mirkin (2003) Mike Richards (2009–present)

Producer(s): Stefan Hatos (1963–77) Monty Hall (1980–81) Ian MacClennan (1980–81) Bob Synes (1984–86) Alan Gilbert (1984–86) Bruce Starin (1990–91) Paul Pieratt (1990–91) Ross Kaiman (2003) Gloria Fujita-O'Brien (2003)

Production locations

The original daytime series was recorded at NBC Studios in Burbank, California and then at ABC Television Center in Los Angeles once the program switched networks in 1968. The weekly syndicated series also taped at ABC Television Center, doing so for its first five seasons. After ABC cancelled the daytime series in 1976, production of the syndicated series ceased there as well and the sixth and final season was recorded in the ballroom of the Las Vegas Hilton hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 1980 Canadian series taped at Panorama Studios in Vancouver, BC, which production company Catalena Productions used as its base of operations. The All-New Let's Make a Deal taped its first season of episodes in Burbank at NBC Studios, then moved to Hollywood Center Studios in Hollywood, California for the second and final season.

The 1990 NBC daytime series was recorded at Disney-MGM Studios on the grounds of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The 2003 revival returned production to Burbank, California.

The current edition of the series first originated from the Tropicana in Las Vegas. The show returned to Hollywood in 2010, first at Sunset Bronson Studios and later at Raleigh Studios. The show currently films at Saticoy Studios in Van Nuys, California. The distance between West Hollywood and Van Nuys is 13 kilometers (8 miles) so it's still technically taped in Hollywood.

Music

The theme music for the 1963-77 versions was composed by Sheldon Allman. The theme, along with all incidental music, was performed by an in-studio combo led by Ivan Ditmars, consisting of an electric organ, guitar, drums, and on the nighttime version, a harp. In some seasons of the nighttime show, the combo was further augmented by a horn section. The final season of the nighttime show taped in Las Vegas eliminated the in-studio band in favor of pre-recorded tracks, due to Ivan Ditmars' retirement.

The 1984-86 version featured a brand new theme provided by Score Productions, although original composer Sheldon Allman returned as music director for the first season. Todd Thicke replaced Allman in that role for the second season. Both music directors utilized music from previous Hatos-Hall shows, such as Split Second, as incidental cues during the show.

The 2009 revival features another new theme composed by Brian Teed. Since 2011, keyboardist Cat Grey has provided in-studio musical accompaniment.

Episode status

• ABC Daytime: 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).Episodes substitute-hosted by Dennis James exist in his personal library; a portion of one such episode is widely circulated as part of a pitch film for James's version of The Price Is Right.
• ABC Nighttime/1971–77 Syndicated: Episodes have been seen on GSN in the past. The CBN Cable Network reran the syndicated series in the 1980s and its successor, The

Family Channel, from June 7, 1993 to March 29, 1996.

• The 1980-81 version continued to air in reruns on Canada's Global Television Network through the late 1980s.
• The 1984–86 syndicated version has been seen on GSN in the past. Reruns previously aired on the USA Network from December 29, 1986 to December 30, 1988 and The Family Channel from August 30, 1993 to March 29, 1996. Buzzr began airing episodes from 1985 on June 1, 2016; this version of LMAD was returned on September 30th, 2019. GameTV in Canada aired 40 episodes of this version starting in July 2018 as part of their Gameshow RETRO block until it was dropped in October 2018.
• 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.

International versions

RTL Group holds international (and as of February 2009, American) rights to the show, and has licensed the show to more than 17 countries.

• An Australian version aired for a brief period from 1968 until 1969 and from 1976 until 1977 on Nine Network which had four host, the original version was hosted by Mike Dyer from 1968 followed by John Laws in 1969 then Jimmy Hannah followed later by Garry Meadows respectively hosted the 70s version on the same network. In addition, a short-lived revival of the show hosted by Vince Sorrenti aired on Network Ten from 1990 until 1991. In 2009, 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.

• A Brazilian version under the name Topa um Acordo? hosted by Rodrigo Faro will premiere on Rede Record somewhere in 2014.

• An Egyptian version of Let's Make a Deal has been running on Al Hayat since 2013. The host for it was Moutaz El Dermerdash and its set is based on the 2009 Brady version.

• The French version was called Le Bigdil hosted by Vincent Lagaf' along with an animated character named Bill aired weeknights from 1998 until 2004 on TF1. 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 until 2003. The show began on Sat.1 from 1992 until 1997, then on tm3 from 1997 until 1998 and later moved to kabel eins from 1999 until 2003. The show was initially hosted Jörg Draeger, who was later succeeded by Elmar Hörig. The German version of the Zonk was always a red and black plush mouse the trader got to take home.

• A Greek version called To Megalo Pazari originally ran on Mega Channel for a brief period from 1992 until 1993. Thirteen years later, its revival under the title To Pio Megalo Pazari ran on Alpha TV also for a brief period from 2006 until 2007, both versions were hosted by Andreas Mikroutsikos. Ten years later, the show has now been repackaged as Kane Pazari hosted by Doretta Papadimitriou airing on SKAI since 2017.

• The Hungarian version called Zsakbamacska ran on M1 for a brief period from 1994 until 1995, hosted by Rosza Gyorgy.

• A Spanish-language American version called Trato Hecho aired on Univision in 2005. Guillermo Huesca was the host.

• The Turkish version called Seç Bakalim, hosted by Erhan Yazicioglu, originally ran on Kanal 6 from 1992 until 1995 then on ATV from 1995 until 1998, with future Spice Girl Geri Halliwell as a model.

• An Indonesian version called Superdeal 2 Milyar (Super Deal 2 Billion) ran for three seasons on antv with four different hosts: originally with Nico Siahaan from 2006 until 2007, then with Aditya Herpavi Rachman in 2010, finally with Indra Berkait and Indy Barends in 2011. Three years later, the show was revived on the same network which was now under the name of Super Deal hosted by Uya Kuya from 2014 until 2015. It was then revived (and ended) in 2016, hosted by Raffi Ahmad and Ruben Onsu. Since 2018, its now been rebooted as Super Deal Indonesia on GTV hosted by Ananda Omesh and Edric Tjandra.

• An Indian version was aired for two seasons called Khullja Sim Sim, ran on STAR Plus from 2001 until 2004. Aman Verma hosted the first season while Hussain Kuwajerwala hosted the second and final season of the series.

• The Israeli version called Asinu Esek ran on Channel 2 from 1994 until 1996. First it was hosted by Avri Gilad from 1994 until 1995 and then with Zvika Hadar in 1996.

• A short-lived Italian version hosted by Iva Zanicchi of OK, II Prezzo e Giusto! fame called Facciamo Un Affare (We Make a Deal) ran on Canale 5 for a brief period from 1985 until 1986.

• The Polish version is called Idz na caloscand has aired on Polsat from 1997 until 2001, originally with Zygmunt Chajzer then with Krysztof Tyneic respectively as host for the series.

• A Portuguese version called Negocio Fechado ran for a brief period from 1999 until 2000 on SIC. The host for the short-lived series was Henrique Mendes.

• A short-lived, Romanian version called Batem Palma! (Deal!) ran on Antena 1 from 2002 until 2003. The host for the short-lived version was Dan Negru.

• Another short-lived version of LMAD aired in Spain also called Trato Hecho ran on Antena 3 from 1999 until 2000 with Bertin Osbourne as host.

• The short-lived UK version called Trick or Treat hosted by Mike Smith and Julian Clary ran only for three months on ITV in 1989.

• The Vietnamese version called O cua bi mat ran three years on VTV3 from 2009 until 2012, hosted by Tran Ngoc.

Let's Make a Deal Telephone Game

In 1990-1991 thirty second 1-900- phone adds were run on American televisions for the LMAD phone game. The 30 second ads continued as Monty Hall also hosted two half-hour infomercials for this game in 1992. Essentially from 1990 up until late 1995 ads were running for their 1-900 phone game regularly where you can play LMAD on your touch tone phone. The commercials featured Monty Hall who also did the informercials for it explaining that you can win fabulous prizes by choosing doors. One specific prize on the commercial was a trip for two at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. The phone call rates on the disclaimer during the commercial stated $2 for the first minute and $1 for each additional minute early on in 1990 and from 1991 till the end the phone call pricing was raised to $2.95 per minute, Average call:4 minutes. The Let's Make a Deal phone program was operated by Teleline,Inc. from a (c) The Maltese Co. production in Beverly Hills,California. There were some rumors saying that there were legal troubles with the game and a lot of players didn't receive the prizes they'd won or received far less than the prizes they were told they won on the phone game.

Star Trek & Let's Make a Deal

Celebrating almost all season long during the Wayne Brady version of LMAD, the Ten years milestone the television game show brought on for one episode was Star Trek themed on on February 4,2019. The episoded featured official Star Trek prizes, props, costumes, and a special guest appearance by Mary Chieffo from Star Trek: Discovery. Chieffo portrays the Klingon Chancellor L'Rell on the television series Star Trek: Discovery. Let’s Make a Deal Executive Producer Mike Richards partnered with the CBS Star Trek franchise partnering, showcasing items such as Klingon translators, gifts of Capt. James T. Kirk and a wealth of knowledge about the iconinc TV series. Richards wanted to incorporate a specific pop culture “brand” into the LMAD show. the Let’s Make a Deal team was said to have a great time coming up with deals that would fit into the Trek universe and adapting some of the current games to be played through a Star Trek lens.

The Monty Hall Problem

Main article: Monty Hall problem The Monty Hall Problem, also called the Monty Hall paradox, is a veridical paradox because the result appears impossible but is demonstrably true. The Monty Hall problem, in its usual interpretation, is mathematically equivalent to the earlier Three Prisoners problem, and both bear some similarity to the much older Bertrand's box paradox. The problem examines the counterintuitive effect of switching one's choice of doors, one of which hides a "prize".The problem has been analyzed many times, in books, articles and online. In an interview with The New York Times reporter John Tierney in 1991, Hall gave an explanation of the solution to that problem, stating that he played on the psychology of the trader, and why the solution did not apply to the case of the actual show.

External Links

• CBS Lets Make a Deal official Website
• LMAD TV.com
• Game Shows Fandom
• Star Trek on LMAD
• OCA LMAD