Travel 'Deal' puts Howie on the road

By RICHARD HUFF
DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR

Monday, May 5th 2008, 4:00 AM

Viewers tuning into NBC's "Deal or No Deal" tonight at 8 are going to find the same show, with a dramatically different look.

That shift includes the set, the music, and the 26 beautiful women holding the famed silver cases at the heart of the game, because the show was shot in the Philippines.

"It was the most bizarre, out-of-body experience ever," says host Howie Mandel. "We were doing what I do ... doing the exact same game on the other side of the world, surrounded by different culture."

As part of a May sweeps stunt, Mandel, a skeleton crew from the U.S. version, and a handful of contestants were shipped to the Philippines, South Africa and Estonia to tape editions of the popular game show.

"I went around the world in nine days," Mandel says.

Endemol, which produces "Deal or No Deal," has local versions of the show in 50 countries around the world. Each one uses the basic model, but has a distinctly local flavor.

"'Deal or No Deal' is an international success story, so it makes perfect sense to take our act on the road and provide American audiences with a first-hand look at how it's done in other corners of the globe," David Goldberg, president of Endemol USA said in a statement.

But each one is different, Mandel said. In the Philippines, for instance, music plays a big part in the show.

"They have a deejay," Mandel says. "When somebody opens a case that is good for them, the music blares. The audience gets up, claps and dances."

Viewers will get to see that difference, along with the host of the Philippines version, tonight at 8, when former football player Mike Levy from Baltimore and teacher Patrick Hook from Roberts, Wis., attempt to win the money.

The off-shore trip for "Deal" is the latest twist producers have used to keep viewers interested in the game. In February, the producers upped the number of cases holding the $1 million prize, and they've done theme episodes and theme weeks in the past.

"I'm ecstatic they do this kind of thing," Mandel says. "The game, there's no stunt, no skill, not trivia involved. It's just a game of luck. For the most part, the producers are the creative force. I show up and I'm as surprised as the contestants and the viewers at what pops up."

Like everyone involved with the show, Mandel is still waiting for someone to walk off with the $1 million prize.

"The truth is, 17 people have had the top prize in the case," he says. "It just so happens, as luck would have it, those 17 people have decided to not go all the way.

"You have no idea how much we, me as the host, and the entire production team, root for someone to walk out of there with a million," Mandel says. "It is disappointing when people don't take the top money and it's devastating when people walk out with a little amount."

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