Joe Manganiello is dropping a major clue regarding the new Deal or No Deal Island banker’s identity.
“It isn’t an arbitrary person,” the competition series host, 48, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, February 18. “It’s someone connected to the Deal Or No Deal Extended Universe.”
Last season on Deal or No Deal Island, the banker was revealed to be the original Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel. However, in the season 2 premiere, Manganiello teased there was a new female power player on the Banker’s Island.
While Manganiello isn’t ready to reveal the banker’s identity quite yet, the internet has been speculating on who the mysterious benefactor could be. Some fans have theorized that the banker could be season 1 champ Jordan Fowler who took home the $1.2 million prize.
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Or it could be one of the game show’s original case girls like Chrissy Teigen, Meghan Markle, Amanza Smith or Claudia Jordan? Jordan, 51, competed on Deal or No Deal Island season 1 but was eliminated after making a bad deal with the banker.
As fans wait for the banker’s big reveal, things are getting interesting on the island. The cast includes a group of strong personalities and notable names including Survivor winner Parvati Shallow, Survivor Australia‘s Golden God David Genat and Big Brother’s Dr. Will Kirby. After the inaugural season’s group, Manganiello confessed he was surprised that season 2 had “turned out even better” than he imagined.
One of the standout fresh faces this season is Courtney “CK” Kim. During the February 11 episode, the poker player was caught cheating during the excursion and Manganiello stepped in to call her out.
“My job as host is multi-faceted and one part of it is referee. In those moments, I have to protect the integrity of the game,” he told Us. “This isn’t a ‘reality show.’ There are social gaming elements to it but it’s a competition in which players are competing for life-changing amounts of money.”
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Manganiello added that in those moments when he has to step in, his priority is making sure that it’s a “fair” playing field for everyone. However, while some players have an advantage because of their previous experience in competition shows, Manganiello acknowledged there’s a catch-22. While the gamers know how to navigate the format, their history also paints a massive target on their backs.
“You need to do your homework and come to play. DONDI is very strategic and favors gamers. It requires you to sense tectonic shifts in strategy quickly and act decisively while on your feet,” he explained. “With that said, coming in as a recognizable face from other competition shows pits a target in your back so it makes things even tougher.”
Deal or No Deal Island airs on NBC on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and is available to stream on Peacock the next day.
With reporting by Amanda Williams
