To those who hate Deal or No Deal's brain-dead philosophy, Radio-Canada brings an offshoot with smarts:
Paquet Voleur (Trade Up).
- Watch the Web video report!
Premiering this Friday Sep 21 at 8:00 PM, the hour-long show features a gorgeous 360-degree set and gameplay that had one TV columnist "on the edge of my seat the whole time".
The rulesThe game starts with 8 players. At the end of each round, the bottom half goes home with the money they're holding; the top half moves on. The winner gets to play an end game worth up to $100,000 in cash. Even better, after 8 weeks, the 8 winners come back for a champions' episode where the top prize is ONE MILLION dollars. This is *huge* for Canada! And non-taxable, too.
Each round starts with the players picking a disc from the 30 in play. Each player gets to see the amount they're holding (so does the home audience) but nobody knows what the other players hold. Even the host, hot blonde superstar Véronique Cloutier, has no idea who holds what; this adds to the fun, as her interventions ("I think you're bluffing") are variously dead-on or out to lunch.
A question is asked; whoever enters the fastest correct answer on their touchscreen has the advantage of playing last. Each player, in turn, has 3 options:
1) Keep their disc;
2) Trade their disc for another from the board; (their discarded amount is revealed)
3) Attempt to "steal" another player's disc, who would be stuck with the thief's former amount.
Players must answer a question in order to trade against the board, to defend against a steal, or to complete a steal. There are additional rules, but that's the basics.
End gameThe end round is a game of luck, but again, includes an element of knowledge. The winner picks 6 discs from a 30-disc board containing amounts up to $100,000. The 6 amounts in play are revealed without anyone knowing which disc they represent. A question is asked; if the player answers correctly, the
lowest amount is taken out of play. A wrong answer causes the
highest amount to be removed, a real heartbreaker. Clever! That one question holds high stakes.
The player then picks one disc out of 5, 3 others are progressively eliminated, then the player has to decide whether to keep their original pick or swap it for the lone remaining disc. (A useless decision, only good for creating bogus "shoulda or shouldna" after-the-fact
drammma.) Finally, the prize is revealed.
If you answer the end game question right, you have a 4% chance of winning the $100,000 or million-dollar prize. A wrong answer removes the highest amount in your hand, which would be the top amount had it been picked.
AnalysisAs you see, this is
Le Banquier (our Deal or No Deal) turned into a real quiz show. Players must be lucky, but also knowledgeable, strategic, good bluffers, and intuitive. You must analyze, in real time, the decisions and demeanor of those who play before you, and keep track of who you think holds a high/medium/low amount, all weighed against the global money pool for that round, while yourself trying to bluff as credibly as possible when grilled by the host. It's no wonder the producers approached poker message boards to troll for contestants.
This show will appeal to both audiences: those who enjoy the flashy, high-stakes Deal or No Deal, and those who pooh-pooh that show because it requires no skill whatsoever, except overemoting. (The Québec version of DoND has been harshly criticized for its hypercaffeinated contestants and their histrionics.)
The show seems like a winner: great concept, great set, great host.
ReviewsToday, two TV columnists wrote full-length articles on Friday's premiere -- and they are ecstatic!
The headline in La Presse reads
"Véro hits the jackpot". "Even better than the questions is the players' attitude. [...] A contestant going home with $15 laughed it off, saying 'it won't even cover the taxi ride'. They have great chemistry. The pace is brisk. And we laugh. [...] Véronique Cloutier holds what is undoubtedly one of this season's hits."
Le Soleil hits hard:
"Le Banquier is sent to the locker room." "
Paquet Voleur creates such suspense that viewers will be on the edge of their seat.
Paquet Voleur seduced me as much as
Le Banquier bores me to tears. Le Banquier spends an hour having contestants open briefcase after briefcase.
Paquet Voleur puts them through their paces, challenging their general knowledge, but also their talent for bluffing. And no wasting time with superhero costumes or hysterical contestants, desperate for exposure." Ouch! "
Paquet Voleur features a gorgeous, US-style set and its contestants are funny and just expressive enough to avoid getting on our nerves. The dramatic music is effective, our hearts race, and we're never bored."
(Tapings typically last two hours; the show is heavily edited down to an hour to keep the punchiest exchanges between sly, rival players.)
Fellow players!Our friend Ryan has already auditioned; I declare him a shoo-in! With his charisma, energy and high mastery of French, he's guaranteed to grace our screens this season. I'm slated for my own audition later this fall, and can't shake a very positive feeling about this one -- I think I'll get picked too!
Check out the
video for tantalizing glimpses of the show, and for those who receive Radio-Canada, set your dual-tuner PVRs for Fridays at 8:00, right against 1 vs. 100.
