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‘Deal or No Deal’ risky business for Plano contestant
By Josh Hixson, Staff Writer
‘Risk taker’ may not be the first words that come to mind when visualizing a 33-year-old house wife and mother of two.
Uzma Lone, a Plano resident who will be a contestant on “Deal or No Deal” Sunday evening, said she would like to be included in the list of risk takers and thrill seekers after starring on the
popular high-stakes game show.
The game begins with 26 numbered cases that contain different amounts of money. Contestants randomly pick a case at the beginning of the show which could contain their winnings. They open the rest of the cases one by one to find out how much money is inside and eliminate potential winnings from the 26 possibilities. A mysterious figure known as “The Banker” sits in a dark office closely watching contestant’s reactions and periodically offers them a “deal” for the price of the case they chose in the beginning. Contestants must decide if the price offered for their case is worth more than what might potentially be inside when the rest of the cases have been opened.
Even Lone admits that a lot of her friends were surprised to see she had been picked to be a contestant on the show.
“I think a lot of people were surprised because I was a stay-at-home mom, and they were like, ‘How did you get on the show?’” Lone said. “It is the people who take the risks who make the show interesting.”
A study done by a team of economists showed that people appearing in U.S. and European versions of the show were more likely to take risks when their chances of winning an expected amount of money were diminished, according to “Deal or No Deal? Decision Making Under Risk in a Large-payoff Game Show.”
The game forces contestants to decide at what price they are willing to either take a chance or walk away, Lone said.
“You learn about what kind of risk taker you are and what amount of money is worth it to you to stop,” Lone said. “You really stand up there and you feel it. Is it really worth it to me to risk it? Anyone who has won on that show is a risk taker.”
Lone, who said she has never even been to California before, flew to Hollywood with her mother, husband, twin sister and children. With her young children watching from the audience and family on-stage offering advice, Lone said it was challenging to remain focused or even stick to strategy.
“It is very different playing the game at home and actually standing on the stage,” Lone said. “When you go up on the stage, unless you have a set strategy, you just forget. You are like ‘Oh my god I am really standing up here.’”
When asked if she had any regrets about taking her family with her on the show she said her motherly instincts made focusing while on the show even harder.
“If I had to do it all over again I probably would have chosen to not take my children with me,” Lone said, “My issue was just they were sitting in the audience trying to get my attention and you are their mom.”
After being on the show, Lone said she has a new appreciation for the large amount of hard work that goes into its production. She added that seeing host Howie Mandel for the first time was a surreal experience.
“The weirdest thing for me was being in the audience and when Howie comes walking out and you are like, ‘Is that really him?’” Lone said. “He is a super nice person. He is very interactive with you during the commercial break.”
For avid fans seeking a spot on the show, Lone said her advice is to be as creative as possible when it comes to creating an audition tape. Her tape included a Bollywood style dance routine toward the end that show producers said made her an instant contestant.
Lone’s show airs Sunday evening on NBC and while she didn’t reveal how she did in dollar amounts, she replied with very maternal answer.
“I think that I did the best I could do with what I was given,” Lone said.
Contact staff writer Josh Hixson at jhixson@acnpapers.com or 972-398-4255.
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