As far as we can tell, here are the responsibilities for hosting Deal Or No Deal:1. Repeat the painfully obvious rules of the game over and over and over.
2. Loudly announce the names of pretty ladies holding suitcases.
3. Pretend that a game requiring absolutely no skills whatsoever requires skills when choosing numbers in a logically devoid random order.
4. Convince fully-grown adults that you're not pretend-talking on the phone to a villainous, money-hungry banker.
5. Never ever touch the palm of another human being.
NBC would like to have you believe that Howie Mandel possesses charm or insight or talent or something. At the very least, the network would like you to believe that the host of Deal or No Deal has something - anything - to do with the game show's massive success (when, in fact, it's because the show requires literally nothing of the viewer, other than - at the very most - knowing how to guess). So, in a move well-tailored to infuriate Chuck Woolery, Greg Proops, and Peter Marshall, the network has bestowed upon Mandel his own show.
Following in the footsteps of shows bound for cancellation upon the announcement of the pilot, Howie Do It (as in "how he do it," a phrase often used throughout history by nobody) revives the hidden camera genre, a niche in about as high demand as a variety show starring Rosie O'Donnell. Howie Mandel wears wigs, and then takes off the wigs to show people that he's Howie Mandel. And that they're on TV, too (if, of course, they've signed the proper release).
Needless to say (we hope), Howie Do It is an insult to good television (heck, it's an insult to Ashton Kutcher!), and we wish Mandel wouldn't push his luck with such an asinine project. Let's face it: the dude got incredibly lucky with Deal Or No Deal. Does the world really need another prank show, no less one based entirely around the narcissism of a glorified game show host?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-12-2009 @ 9:27AM
Jimmy said...
I've only suffered through one episode of Deal Or No Deal, but I thought this post was hilarious.
Nice work, Eliot! You are giving Jay Black a run for the money.
Reply
1-12-2009 @ 10:16AM
Tony said...
Deal or No Deal is already unbearable as it is. Another show with Mandel makes me wish that Leno takes over NBC primetime completely.
Let's hope Howie Do It dies a quick death so the network execs realize what a sham Mandel is.
Reply
1-12-2009 @ 11:18AM
Jason said...
Don't sell him short yet. A: He was brilliant in St. Elsewhere, and B: He is a great stand-up comedian. I take it none of you guys saw the Aristocrats? Between him and Bob Saget is enough material to make a whore at a truck stop restroom orgy blush.
Reply
1-12-2009 @ 12:10PM
Pingles said...
That's some serious hate you have going!
Howie Mandel is a clever, successful comedian who hosts a popular game show. Now he is hosting a hidden camera show.
Perhaps you should have just called this post "I don't like Howie Mandel!" Do you have any other point?
Reply
1-12-2009 @ 5:53PM
Argus said...
Its just become really popular to hate on Howie Mandel for some reason these days. NBC won't cancel this, because like Flashpoint, a Canadian network is footing half the bill.
Reply
1-13-2009 @ 5:55AM
Mags said...
Re: 3, technically skills ARE involved, but not in the case number picking stage.
The skills in Deal or no Deal are the probability based math involved in figuring out opportunity costs in taking or declining deals. Not that I can watch it all the way through, but every once in a while I used to fast forward watch it to figure out how far the bank was pushing contestants.
Another couple seasons of remakes of Japanese imports
(http://tinyurl.com/8u2jdw)
maybe a remake of some sort of Pyramid like game
(http://tinyurl.com/7868lm)
or even prime time episodes of The Price is Right
(http://tinyurl.com/6edrhz)
would remain preferable.
Reply
1-13-2009 @ 3:49PM
john said...
sorry to hear howie landed in a hospital hope he is ok but i've seen his new show "howie we do it" and its a total mess everything looks staged
he should stay with deal or no deal ! love those models with cases
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3-17-2009 @ 8:56PM
robert crawford said...
wife always wants to go to cascino,husband, always says no. wife goes anyway only to hit a jackpot when her husbands face appears on all three lines. everyone else around her acts as if they do not see him. ha ha.
Reply
4-03-2009 @ 7:49PM
HARRY05641 said...
HOWIE WE DO IT, Worst show i've ever seen .
Reply