The "new" kuwarta o kahon

There's a new game on NBC, which hasn't been showed yet on cable, called "Deal or no Deal".



Hosted by comedianne Howie Mendel(Isn't he the guy who now hosts America's Funniest at Disney Channel?), here's how the game is played:

"The rules are simple. Choose a briefcase. Then as each round progresses, you must either stay with your original briefcase choice or make a 'deal' with the bank(a mysterious entity) to accept its cash offer in exchange for whatever dollar amount is in your chosen case. Once you decide to accept or decline the bank's offer, the decision is final. Contestants are encouraged to ask friends or family in the audience for advice; however, only the contestant's answer will be considered binding and final."

[Tuny coughs]

Rip-off!!

Maybe the producers, Endemol(also the makers of Big Brother) were avid fans of Kuya Pepe Pimentels's Kuwarta o Kahon, and saw how good the game was in the 80s. It also has shades of Eat Bulaga's Laban O Bawi, where you have the Sex Bomb Dancers holding the boxes, while at Deal you have 26 glamorous spokesmodels each holding a brief case.



Ang hirap mamili no? One of the Deal models btw. is Filipina, Jenilee. Maybe we can convince her to join the new Sex Bomb Dancers.



The difference I see in Kuwarta/Laban and Deal, which probably makes it more exciting, is you can actually see how much money you are loosing as the game progresses. Also, instead of winning a banig, bunot, or a bayong of kangkong (as in Kuwarta & Laban), the lowest you can loose here in $.01(a penny).

If you want to get a feel of the game, (or, ehem, nothing to do in the office)play the online version of the game. I won a penny in my last game (I'd imagine feeling like a total fool winning that over a million dollars on live TV).