NBC taking DOND ... to an island

[steveleb]

i hate voice texting

[TLEberle]

Replying to Jeremy because this pertains to the outcome and assorted stuff that maybe you haven't seen yet:

The ginormous right-side (and comparatively peanuts left side) does make it feel nearest to what I would prefer DOND was--and what the Dutch lottery version was--a single event episode with a potentially huge prize as opposed to the weekly/bi-weekly circus where a big chunk of the board is $100k or more, and you just have to ride out the silliness for a substantial payday.

[TheInquisitiveOne]

Wanted to bump this thread because a lot of the criticisms levied against this show in the first season…were made even more apparent this season. First, let’s just get straight to the results of the season (spoilers in place in case there are still people who haven’t watched):

The Banker this season ended up being Chrissy Teigen, whose “roots” with DOND was simply being the model who held the number 10 case in the Howie Mandel studio version. That did NOT go over well with a lot of people on the socials, because of some apparent outside stuff that I won’t go into here. With that said…

After some rather bold gameplay, David, a champion of Australian Survivor (an issue I had with this season…more later), ended up taking a deal worth $5.8 million after leaving only his case ($75) and the Final Case (over $12 million, something I knew after just the FIRST episode, another issue I had with this season…again, more later). He’s the biggest money winner in network television history (bolded because that word was added in between the first and last episodes, apparently because of a bigger cash prize won in another game).

The challenges to build that final case were even more confusing than the previous season. I was struggling to follow along with the rules and couldn’t get what was going on until the game was actually played, and even then, some of this was baffling.

I know they did this last season (Island Rob), but the overuse of contestants from previous reality shows - while a good move for those who are reality show fans - comes off as desperate (IMO) and actually puts more shine on the shows from which they came versus DONDI itself. While the following is not necessarily a clear indication of anything, it was somewhat telling that they didn’t announce casting for the next season as they did at the end of the previous season.

Also, I know the technique of spoiling potential outcomes and scenarios has been a thing for years, but the way NBC did it for this season of DONDI was as close to blatant as it gets. The Final Case total for the finale was clear by the end of the first episode, and the person playing for it was pretty clear at the end of the penultimate episode (even if they used quick cuts to try and hide it). Also, the banker’s identity was revealed (purposely) in multiple articles days before the episode aired.

Mixing DOND with Survivor and other tried and true tropes of reality television seemed like a good idea on paper, but the execution just isn’t there…and it was even WORSE this season.

The Inquisitive One

[TLEberle]

I was spoiled by looking at Reddit before clicking so good jorb to me, but respect for turning down more than one seven-figure offer in an all or peanuts setting. Certainly brings up memories of the all time winnings arms race and not in a good way.

NBC didn’t really have a serial reality competition in the vein of Survivor or The Mole. Treasure Hunters was a one off and Average Joe was a patch on The Bachelor, so this comes about twenty-five years late and isn’t as good as a standard reality show, or DOND.I wonder how the ratings split between terrestrial and streaming.

[BrandonFG]

The new Banker kinda makes sense, given how she developed a reputation for being a bit of a villain on social media.

[TLEberle]

I was kind of hoping it would be the winner from last year. I’m not sure the reveal and live element adds too much to the proceedings.

[TheInquisitiveOne]

I was kind of hoping it would be the winner from last year. I’m not sure the reveal and live element adds too much to the proceedings.

I was wishing that, while she was someone outside of the DOND bubble, she had enough experience on another NBC game show and watched enough of this one to know how this show works. I’d think someone like Jane Lynch. Even last year’s winner, like what you said, would’ve been palatable.

Just the way the actual banker presented herself in the show, and in the post-logo clip, just didn’t hit right with me.

The Inquisitive One

[Neumms]

Now pocket idols make players stress over every vote, and those low players on the totem pole can pull off massive blindsides that add just enough chaos to be intriguing.

I reread your Survivor post—which was really good, so thanks, Travis—and I think a funny twist would be to not offer any hidden immunity idols or advantages but not tell the contestants. (Players would still be taken away from their tribes, so when they return, tribemates may think they’re hiding something.) It might not be amusing for the whole 10-12 weeks, I realize.