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Who Is the Banker on Deal or No Deal Island?
As Deal or No Deal Island's players compete on the Banker's private island, the mysterious figure observes from their yacht just offshore ...
Deal or No Deal Island transports the classic game show to a tropical island and adds a gauntlet of physical challenges that the 13 contestants must endure in order to have a chance of winning the biggest prize in Deal or No Deal history. We’ve already explained how the game works, introduced viewers to the new host, Joe Manganiello, and previewed what to expect on the Banker’s private island.
One question remains: Who is the Banker?
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Unfortunately for curious fans, the simple answer is that we don’t know. But, if past versions of Deal or No Deal are anything to go by, the good news is that it might just be that we don’t know yet.
Who Is the Banker on Deal or No Deal?
The Banker is a fixture of Deal or No Deal, as they are the enigmatic figure whose full face is never seen and whose true voice is never heard. They oversee the contestants as they pick briefcases and, every so often, the Banker will make a call to the host (Howie Mandel in the original; Manganiello on Deal or No Deal Island) with an offer and a quippy comment. If the contestant accepts the offer, the game ends. Their other option is to reject the option and press their luck.
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The Banker is the villain of Deal or No Deal, essentially. They want to offer the contestants as little money as they think they’ll accept — sometimes an outright insulting offer — in the hopes that they’ll accept it, tail between their legs, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars more on the table.
In the original NBC series and the CNBC revival series, the silhouette of the Banker was visible behind the stage, and Mandel occasionally interacted with them. So far on Deal or No Deal Island, we haven’t even gotten that much of a glimpse of the Banker. We’ve only seen his or her helicopter and yacht anchored off their private island.
Will We Learn the Banker’s Identity?
It’s certainly possible — though by no means assured — that the Banker’s identity will come out eventually. On the original NBC show, which ran from 2005 to 2009, the Banker was a man whose identity was never confirmed while the series was on the air. After the show ended, however, his real identity was confirmed to be actor Peter Abbay.
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On the CNBC revival series, which aired from 2018 to 2019, the Banker was a woman. Sleuths on the internet were able to correctly identify actor Carrie Lauren as this Banker.
For now, Deal or No Deal Island viewers just need to accept that the Banker’s identity is a mystery. That’s the deal.
New episodes of Deal or No Deal Island premiere on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. All episodes will be available the next day on Peacock.
