Villainess Blown Opportunity: Claudia Jordan Should Have Been the Banker in Season 2 (Deal Or No Deal Island)

When the first news of the Deal or No Deal Island program broke, I was all in! I was (and still am) a huge fan of Deal or No Deal; I watched religiously on NBC when it aired a few times a week. I loved everything about the show, including and especially the show's host: Howie Mandel. I've been a Howie Mandel fan since I was five years old, back when he was doing Muppet Babies and more notably, Bobby's World.

Mandel did quite a bit during that early part of the 90s, but Deal or No Deal was his first big major project in a while. Regarding the rules, they were kinda simple. 26 briefcases, all on display and each one with a model next to it, contained different dollar amounts--the highest being $1 million, the lowest being a penny (given the fact that the penny's now defunct, it would probably be a nickel if this gets rebooted again). A contestant is chosen from the audience, and said contestant chooses one of the 26 briefcases that they believe has that million bucks. That briefcase is theirs, and as for the others, the contestant has to open each of them. First, six are opened, then five, then four, then three, then two, then one at a time until it's down to just one case left. In that situation, the contestant can opt to keep their case, or swap it for the last one left.

At the end of each round, to quote Daffy Duck, "Then the villain enters."

Deal or No Deal was rare, because it was the only game show that had an actual physical antagonist. In the case of this show, it was the mysterious semi-seen banker, and the banker's objective was the purchase the contestant's briefcase for as little as possible. The offer was always determined by what was left on the board. If there were still a lot of large amounts left as a result of the contestant eliminating small amounts, the banker's offer will increase, and eventually reach six figures. If large amounts (especially the million) are eliminated, the offer decreases. Regarding that final moment when it's down to one case left after all offers are turned down, the reveal determines if it's a good deal or not.

During NBC's original run, the banker was male, a physical presence only shown in silhouette form. When the show returned briefly on CNBC, the banker was female, which was a very epic change for this fan of villainesses. Though, the female banker wasn't the first villainess on the show. NBC's run showed that the male banker actually had models of his own, and they had the same look: all black, slicked-back hairstyle, deliciously sinister.

It was in 2024 that Deal or No Deal Island premiered on NBC, with Joe Manganiello (True Blood, Magic Mike) as the host. The show was basically DOND meets Survivor, with challenges similar to the latter show, while a contestant is selected to actually play the DOND game. If the contestant ends up making a good deal, they choose someone else to eliminate. But if they make a bad deal, their time is over. I mentioned Survivor; one of the contestants in Season 1 was the legendary Rob Mariano, commonly known to fans as "Boston Rob," still wearing that signature (ugh!) Boston Red Sox cap. Oh, and regarding the banker, Season 1's finale revealed the banker as none other than Howie Mandel, the original host of the show, and I knew it from the moment it premiered. Mandel being the banker made the most sense in the world and he truly nailed it!

But on to the subject, finally. The promo for Season 2 included a moment where Joe Manganiello hinted that the banker was a woman. I absolutely gushed over this news! Again, it wouldn't be the first time that the show had a female banker, but it would be the first time we'd actually see her. And Season 2 was already wild due to the fact that one of the contestants was another Survivor alum; legendary villainess Parvati Shallow. I've never seen Parvati's seasons of the show, but I know enough to know that she was one of the most devious players in that show's history, and I--for the very first time--got to see Parvati's evil magic at work. Seriously, she'd be a perfect Lifetime villainess, and she also reminds me of those evil "cult leader" characters I've seen in wrestling, and yes, Bray Wyatt (I miss that man) does come to mind.

But despite Parvati's Svengali-like charm stealing the season, the moment finally came. The season finale arrived, and I would finally see who this main villainess was. Finally, she came out, and it was... Chrissy Teigen!

Wait, what?! Chrissy Teigen?!

Before I could fully say, "What the hell are you trying to pull?!," Chrissy stated that she was a briefcase model on the show once upon a time. Before I could fully shout, "No, she wasn't!," they showed an image of her at case #12. Even so, my memory of Chrissy on that show was borderline non-existent, and the reason was simple: she was on for a cup of coffee. Chrissy did the first season of that show, which (again) explains it, because those are vague memories. She was out following that first year, but in 2007, Chrissy turned heel on the show and appeared as one of the banker's evil models.

Even so, I had my hopes for who would be the banker in Season 2, and sadly, the obvious choice was right on their laps:

Among the many contestants from Deal or No Deal Island's first season was a familiar face to fans of the show: Claudia Jordan. I still remember Claudia as a model on The Price is Right, but after leaving that long running show, she joined Deal or No Deal, standing alongside briefcase #1. I was very elated to see Claudia; it was a very awesome callback to the original show. As early as mere hours after Season 1's finale aired, I had hopes that Claudia would be the banker in a potential Season 2. Hell, I now wish that Claudia had been a villainess in Season 1, she could have been portrayed as a mole working for the banker.

Claudia would have been golden as the banker in Season 2; I could see her owning that role while donning a power suit and expensive heels. Any other former briefcase model in that role (especially Claudia, Tameka Jacobs, or Leyla "Lucky 13" Milani), but I picked Claudia she was right there in Season 1. Also, I watched Claudia as a villainess in a film titled, All I Want is You, a two-part film that saw Claudia's central character, Chloe, as a hero protagonist in Part 1, but later turned heel in Part 2 and served as the main villainess. Claudia's heel turn in that movie was so spectacular, and she would have been amazing as the villainous banker in Season 2.

Unfortunately, NBC pulled the plug on Deal or No Deal Island after two seasons, and honestly, I wasn't surprised. I think the luster was decreasing during Season 2, and I think I wasn't the only one disappointed with Chrissy Teigen being the banker that season. But I'll leave it up to you. Should Claudia Jordan have been the banker during Deal or No Deal Island's second season? Would it have saved the show from cancellation? Feel free to comment with your thoughts below!