In 2025, reality show fans got to see one of the best reality shows in years when Deal or No Deal Island became one of Peacock’s best shows. After all, DONDI became a must-see show thanks to how great Joe Manganiello is as a host and the casting of the Survivor Hall of Famer Parvati Shallow. Deal or No Deal Island’s ratings were also boosted by the casting of Dr. Will Kirby, who feuded with Parvati and confronted David Genat in an amazing moment.
On top of casting several first-time reality show stars, Deal or No Deal Island also introduced Chrissy Teigen to the show in a surprising twist. When Chrissy’s inclusion was announced, many observers had no idea it was a return to the Deal or No Deal franchise for her.
Why Chrissy Teigen Took A Pivotal Role In Deal Or No Deal Island Season 2
During the first season of Deal or No Deal Island, fans waited until the finale to find out who the banker would be. Eventually, those fans learned that the banker was Howie Mandel, which made a lot of sense since he was the host of the original show, Deal or No Deal.
Similarly, fans found out during the early episodes of the show’s second season that there was a new mystery banker. The only thing that was revealed on the show at that time was that the second season’s banker was a woman.
During the finale of Deal or No Deal Island Season 2, it was revealed that Chrissy Teigen was the mystery banker. Once it was learned that Chrissy was the banker, many fans wanted to know why she would play such an important role on the show.
Before Deal or No Deal Island became a hit reality show, the original show it was based on aired off and on between 2005 and 2019.
Which Celebrities Have Played Deal or No Deal Island | |
|---|---|
Claim To Fame | Celebrity |
Survivor Hall of Famer | “Boston” Rob Mariano |
The Real Housewives of Atlanta/The Celebrity Apprentice | Claudia Jordan |
Big Brother Icon | Dr. Will Kirby |
Survivor Hall of Famer | Parvati Shallow |
Australian Survivor Legend | David Genat |
Former Miss Indiana USA/Professional Wrestler | Alexis Lete |
When Deal or No Deal was a hit show, millions of people tuned into each episode to watch Howie Mandel guide contestants through the high-stakes game. Similarly, there were people who watched Deal or No Deal to see the models who brought out the briefcases and opened them up.
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Aside from the most passionate Deal or No Deal fans, like DONDI’s Dickson Wong, most viewers have forgotten which models appeared on the show. Instead, the only model that many fans seem to remember opening briefcases on Deal or No Deal is Meghan Markle. As a result, many people forgot that Chrissy Teigen was one of the models who opened Deal or No Deal briefcases.
Models Fans Forget Appeared On Deal or No Deal, According to NBC
- Meghan Markle
- Chrissy Teigen
- Claudia Jordan
- Amanza Smith
- Leyla Milani
- Hayley Marie Norman
As a result of Chrissy’s Deal or No Deal past, her role as the Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 banker makes more sense.
In March 2025, Chrissy spoke to People about becoming Deal or No Deal Island’s banker. During that interview, Chrissy revealed how excited she was to be the banker.
It was an honor to be asked to come back.
As the People interview progressed, Chrissy also told the outlet about her time as a model on Deal or No Deal.
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As it turns out, part of the reason why many fans forget that Chrissy was a model on Deal or No Deal was that she didn’t last on that show for long.
In May 2020, People published an article about Chrissy Teigen posting an image of her Deal or No Deal tenure on Instagram. That article revealed that, in the comments of that Instagram post, Chrissy wrote about why she was fired from Deal or No Deal. “I never understood when I was supposed to make the sad face. I think that’s why I was gently replaced.”
In fact, while talking to People, Chrissy spoke about how her fans react when she brings up her brief Deal on No Deal tenure.
“It felt like a fever dream to me when we were shooting it [Deal or No Deal]. Sometimes I try to find clips and they’re hard to find, and I tell people and they’re like, ‘We don’t remember you.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I got demoted real fast.’ But I loved the experience. I loved all the women. To come back so many years later in this fashion is just unreal.”
As a part of People’s March 2025 interview, Chrissy also revealed an awkward interaction she had with Deal or No Deal Island’s winner, David Genat.
“I love watching Naked and Afraid and I’m very embarrassed because one of the first things I said to David was, ‘You should do Naked and Afraid.’ I didn’t realize how creepy it sounded! But I love that show, and he loves these shows.”
Deal Or No Deal Island Fans Predicted That Other People Would Be The Second Season’s Banker
After fans found out who Deal or No Deal Island’s mystery second season banker was, many were trying to predict who that person would be. In January 2025, a fan on the r/DealNoDealIslandNBC subreddit asked fans to predict who would be the banker. That post, that also reminded fans that the banker was a woman, had some interesting predictions.
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The top most-upvoted response to the post suggested that the banker was going to be Jordan Fowler. For anyone who doesn’t recognize that name, Jordan won the first season of Deal or No Deal Island.
Interestingly enough, the second most-upvoted response predicted that the Survivor Hall of Famer Amanda Kimmel would be the banker. Since Amanda played Survivor with Parvati Shallow twice, that could have been fascinating.
Surprisingly enough, another one of the top responses suggested that Reba McEntire could have been the banker.
While that may seem like a puzzling prediction at face value, Reba starred in the NBC show Happy’s Place and the fan thought the network would want the cross-promotion.
