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Joe Manganiello Teased Who the New Banker Is on Deal or No Deal Island
Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 premieres January 7 on NBC.
Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 is upping the stakes, increasing the drama, and introducing a mysterious new Banker. And though Host Joe Manganiello won't say who it is, he did tease their ties to the franchise's legacy and explain the ways he and the gamemakers tweaked the rules so last season's playbook won't work. Check out his interview with NBC Insider, below.
Why Joe Manganiello is so excited for Season 2 of Deal or No Deal Island
NBC Insider: What did you learn as a Host from the first season that you brought over to this season?
Joe Manganiello: We had a lot of conversations about ways to optimize the game. Our champion from season one, Jordan, she did what a lot of people refer to as "riding the middle." She didn’t get in anyone’s face, which is a really smart way to play the game. She played an honest game. And kind of snuck her way in while other people had conflicts with each other, and just slid right into the finale. She won challenges when she needed to toward the end, she played a nice social game, nobody really had anything bad to say about her.
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This season we wanted to think like the new batch of prospective Contestants. We knew that they’d have a season to study before getting here, and we wanted to take away their safety net. If you think you can get here and run the same game that someone else ran the year before...you could get eliminated that way right out of the gate.
NBC Insider: What has surprised you about being a Host?
Manganiello: When you take a new job, you don’t know how it’s gonna go, and given my background, I’m not surprised that I’m having so much fun, I’m not surprised that the show is doing well. But I’m really happy that it is. I really did think it was the perfect job for me, and it feels like it is the perfect job.
It seems like there’s a lot of people out there who love this show and are addicted to this show in the way that I hoped. Friends of mine’s kids tell their parents, "I wanna go watch Deal or No Deal Island," and this season will have a time slot that is a little more kid-friendly. I love that kids love the show. I love that strategic gamers love the show.
I’ve been in a lot of projects that were considered maybe niche, for certain audience, and it’s really funny to walk through airports and run into people who love the show. It’s got mainstream approval. I knew if people gave this thing a shot they’d love it, and I’m very happy that they do.
RELATED: Meet the Cast of Deal or No Deal Island Season 2
NBC Insider: What are qualities that make a good Banker?
Manganiello: Having lots of money to burn! We’ve tried to make a concerted effort to choose Bankers — yes, there’s a new Banker this season — that have roots in Deal or No Deal. To choose Bankers that make sense in terms of Deal or No Deal canon. And that’s all I’ll say, because there’s gonna be some fun surprises this year in terms of the Banker and people are gonna learn some things. You’ll just have to hang in there and see what I mean.
NBC Insider: How was it watching the Contestants last year see that Howie was the Banker? What was that reveal like?
Manganiello: By the time Howie [Mandel] was revealed, I think everyone saw the writing on the wall. It made the most sense. But it really was fun. It was a fun sendoff for Howie.
I’ve known him for many, many years. The fact that out of everybody on the planet, I wound up with the Deal or No Deal Island job was really fun for the two of us. We had a lot of fun handing the briefcase off. It made total sense. And this year’s banker is going to make total sense as well. I’m excited for the big reveal.
Where to watch DONDI Season 2
Watch the two-hour premiere of Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 on Tuesday, January 7 at 8/7c on NBC, or stream the premiere the next day on Peacock. Following premiere week, DONDI will occupy its regular time slot: Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.
