Big Deal (game show)
Encyclopedia
Big Deal is a television
game show
that aired in the United States
for six weeks in 1996 on FOX
. It was hosted by Mark DeCarlo
and packaged by Stone-Stanley Productions
, with swing
group Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
as the house band.
Due to low ratings, it only lasted six episodes (only three of which were seen in their entirety by East Coast
viewers, due to NFL doubleheaders); the series was originally scheduled to return in the spring of 1997, shortened to a half-hour and with Heidi Mark
joining DeCarlo as co-host, but these plans were ultimately scrapped.
; however, stunts similar to those featured on Truth or Consequences
were also added to give the show its own personality. Some of these stunts were played in order to earn a smaller prize, which could then be gambled for an unknown behind a curtain or a box à la LMAD; other stunts awarded different prizes based on how well (or how poorly) the contestant performed.
While DeCarlo played up the fact that losing one of these games resulted in nothing more than a tragic loss, a disclaimer
at the end of every episode stated that contestants who damaged their own possessions would be reimbursed money according to the value of their belongings before they were destroyed.
. DeCarlo would go back into the audience and invite contestants who had won something to trade their prize(s) in for a shot at the Big Deal, starting with the top winner and working downward. After two players were selected, they were presented with three large screens (the only variant from LMAD, as actual doors were used in that series). One of these screens contained the Big Deal, a prize package usually worth more than any other prize offered that day. The top winner got first selection, and the contents of each of the three screens were revealed, usually in ascending order. The contestants kept whatever was "behind" their screen.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
that aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for six weeks in 1996 on FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. It was hosted by Mark DeCarlo
Mark DeCarlo
Mark DeCarlo is an American actor.DeCarlo is the voice of Hugh Neutron on the television show Jimmy Neutron. He hosted the Travel Channel's Taste of America with Mark DeCarlo for 2 seasons in 2004 and 2005, and is also known as the host of the early 1990s dating game show Studs...
and packaged by Stone-Stanley Productions
Stone Stanley Entertainment
Stone Stanley Entertainment was an American television production company founded by TV producers David G. Stanley and Scott A. Stone, who both began their careers working at Lorimar-Telepictures in the 1980s....
, with swing
Swing (genre)
Swing music, also known as swing jazz or simply swing, is a form of jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and became a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States...
group Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing revival band from southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O", "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight ", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played the Super Bowl XXXIII half-time show in 1999.The band was originally formed in Ventura,...
as the house band.
Due to low ratings, it only lasted six episodes (only three of which were seen in their entirety by East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
viewers, due to NFL doubleheaders); the series was originally scheduled to return in the spring of 1997, shortened to a half-hour and with Heidi Mark
Heidi Mark
Heidi Mark is an American model and actress. Heidi is of Finnish origin. Her father was born in Helsinki, Finland. She worked at her father's law office and Hooters. She was chosen as Playboy's Playmate of the Month in July 1995. Prior to being a Playmate, she appeared on the cover of April...
joining DeCarlo as co-host, but these plans were ultimately scrapped.
Format
The show's format followed that of Let's Make a DealLet's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
; however, stunts similar to those featured on Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences is an American quiz show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards and later on television by Edwards , Jack Bailey , Bob Barker , Bob Hilton and Larry Anderson . The television show ran on CBS, NBC and also in syndication...
were also added to give the show its own personality. Some of these stunts were played in order to earn a smaller prize, which could then be gambled for an unknown behind a curtain or a box à la LMAD; other stunts awarded different prizes based on how well (or how poorly) the contestant performed.
In-Studio Stunts
Some of the games played involved the contestants participating in the studio itself:- A contestant was hooked to a giant "skill crane" and given the appropriate oversized grabbers, with which he had to retrieve large teddy bearTeddy bearThe teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
s while being raised and lowered by his partner. Each bear represented a money amount or a prize, and the contestant could retrieve as many or as few of the bears as he or she wanted. However, one bear had a human inside of it, and attempting to grab this bear would "scare" it, the bear would run away, and the couple received nothing. - Contestants had to listen to a popular song being sung by a fat lady, a Wagnerian Valkyrie performed by Anne-Marie Bosche' Clinkenbeard, (and thus butchered from its original form); guessing the song correctly won a prize.
- A contestant was positioned on top of a small "building', and a chimpanzeeChimpanzeeChimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
was placed on an identical "building" in a "man vs. monkey" game. In a tribute to King KongKing KongKing Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
, the man raced the chimp to swat toy airplanes out of the "sky" (actually suspended from modified ceiling fanCeiling fanA ceiling fan is a fan, usually electrically powered, suspended from the ceiling of a room, that uses hub-mounted rotating paddles to circulate air....
s that rotated). Beating the monkey won the prize. - Couples raced to launch small teddy bearTeddy bearThe teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
s at a spiked wall with a slingshotSlingshotA slingshot, shanghai, flip, bean shooter or catapult is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame held in the off hand, with two rubber strips attached to the uprights. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket which holds the projectile...
; the couple "killing" the most bears won a prize. - DeCarlo once asked if anyone in the studio audience wanted to "kill" the show's enormous frog mascot (actually a large prop built onstage in the stunt area). Then he selected someone from the audience, who had 30 seconds to shovel pennies onto a scale. After the time ran out, the player had the option of either taking a bribe or seeing if he had shoveled at least 200 pounds of pennies onto the scale. Success meant that the player won a grand prize, plus as much money as shoveled onto the scale. Whether the player took the bribe or played for the grand prize, if there was at least 200 pounds of pennies on the scale, a giant anvilAnvilAn anvil is a basic tool, a block with a hard surface on which another object is struck. The inertia of the anvil allows the energy of the striking tool to be transferred to the work piece. In most cases the anvil is used as a forging tool...
was dropped onto the frog.
Demolition Stunts
Notable to many of these stunts was the overt destruction by the contestant to his own property in an attempt to win a better prize. Examples of such stunts included:- Throwing baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
s at the windows of one's house in order to win new furnishings (and new windows) for the home; - Destroying one's own automobileAutomobileAn automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
with a sledgehammerSledgehammerA sledgehammer is a tool consisting of a large, flat head attached to a lever . The head is typically made of metal. The sledgehammer can apply more impulse than other hammers, due to its large size. Along with the mallet, it shares the ability to distribute force over a wide area...
- if the car was judged by an insuranceInsuranceIn law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
agent to be totaled, the contestant won a brand new car; - Dropping one's own possessions (such as TV's, golf clubs, etc.) off of a crane onto a giant tic-tac-toeTic-tac-toeTic-tac-toe, also called wick wack woe and noughts and crosses , is a pencil-and-paper game for two players, X and O, who take turns marking the spaces in a 3×3 grid. The X player usually goes first...
board; getting three in a row won a larger prize package.
While DeCarlo played up the fact that losing one of these games resulted in nothing more than a tragic loss, a disclaimer
Disclaimer
A disclaimer is generally any statement intended to specify or delimit the scope of rights and obligations that may be exercised and enforced by parties in a legally recognized relationship...
at the end of every episode stated that contestants who damaged their own possessions would be reimbursed money according to the value of their belongings before they were destroyed.
The Big Deal
The Big Deal of the evening was played exactly like that of Let's Make a DealLet's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
. DeCarlo would go back into the audience and invite contestants who had won something to trade their prize(s) in for a shot at the Big Deal, starting with the top winner and working downward. After two players were selected, they were presented with three large screens (the only variant from LMAD, as actual doors were used in that series). One of these screens contained the Big Deal, a prize package usually worth more than any other prize offered that day. The top winner got first selection, and the contents of each of the three screens were revealed, usually in ascending order. The contestants kept whatever was "behind" their screen.