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Vas O No Vas in the Philippines

Every night, a local network airs a frustrating game show -- DEAL OR NO DEAL. It's a game show created by a Dutch-based company, Endemol, the same company that created the concept of Big Brother game show.

I've tried watching several episodes of DEAL OR NO DEAL. And every time I watch, I feel that the station doesn't want any player to win. The station doesn't want to make the contestants happy. Imagine, for two consecutive nights, players have been so desperate that they got low amounts -- P30 and P250 respectively for the last two contestants. Oh well, I can't blame the station, nor the so-called "banker." -- some players are so eager or maybe hopeful to bring home a large amount -- a million or so. But not accepting the deal makes the players feel so disappointed because they end up with few centavos to bring to their families.

Last night, Kris Aquino, the host, had to apologize to the celebrity-player for being so disappointed for getting P250. I could just imagine how much the network earns for this game show. With all the ads sponsoring the show and with only P30 or P250 to give to the players, the station must be earning a lot! What's more, the station must have known that the probability of winning in this kind of game is very low -- 1/26.

According to Wikipedia, only one contestant every 87 episodes may possibly take home a million or two million pesos. It's actually close to saying that taking home a million is close to impossible.

The banker would definitely assess the value of his "offer" based on the RISK TOLERANCE of the player. I think, that is the reason why the banker must see the player while the game is ongoing. -- so he's right there, but the players and viewers don't recognize him. Of course, the banker considers a lot of factors in deciding how much to offer: the amount of case chosen by the player, the amounts of the cases not opened yet, the reaction and facial expression of the player, and the influence of the relatives, maybe.

If the player is well-off, then he/she won't settle for any offer which is less than the mean value of all the unopened cases. If the player desperately needs the money, choosing to make a deal could be easy. However, some players hope for a million or two because of need for cash.

Joining that game isn't really fun -- the game simply fills the air with a mixture of excitement, suspense, frustration, and hope. It isn't worth going to the station and making the whole country know how financially "desperate" you are for desiring to take home a million. Don't forget that the researchers and writers try so hard to dramatize your life, making you appear so poor and pathetic, plus, at times, the host adds `insult to injury' by making sarcastic comments about your life.

Honestly, I don't recommend that you watch this game show. The frustration and disappointment of the players are contagious. The game show produces more losers than winners.

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