DONDI fans got some bad news this week. Deal or No Deal Island will not return for a third season on NBC, and some viewers think they know why.
The first season of the reality competition-style spinoff of the hit game show Deal or No Deal saw its contestants heading to a remote island to do a series of daily challenges in order to determine which player would be facing the banker in the temple (and thus face potential elimination). Season 1 kicked things off with a bang, with Survivor all-star Rob Mariano joining the lineup of reality newcomers in the battle for the final prize pot. In the end, it was then-unknown Jordan Fowler who emerged victorious and took home a very respectable $1.23 million for all her troubles.
Season 2, however, ramped up the stakes considerably. Instead of just one reality star, there were three on deck to play: Survivor and The Traitors favorite Parvati Shallow, Big Brother legend Dr. Will Kirby, and Survivor: Australia alum-turned-DONDI2 winner David Genat (plus Boston Rob returned for his own aftershow, and former suitcase model Chrissy Teigen stepped into Howie Mandel‘s shoes to play banker). Genat’s winnings were also truly massive: After declining multiple major deal offers, he ultimately walked away with $5.8 million and became the biggest game show prize winner in history, even dethroning Jeopardy!‘s Ken Jennings.
Some fans reacted to the news of Deal or No Deal Island‘s cancellation with a lack of surprise, pointing to Genat’s massive cash prize as the probable cause.
“The prize money was too high,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), though adding, “It was Nice seeing a different Island from the same Survivor Island while it lasted.” (The series was filmed in Panama, while Survivor is traditionally shot in Fiji.)
“David bankrupted NBC,” another theorized, while a third fan noted, “That money would have bankrupted any show.”
Aside from the record-setting prize money at issue in DONDI‘s second season, the ratings were also problematic. Season 2’s average viewership was 2.133 million, which was a nearly 22% drop from Season 1’s 2.73 million viewers.
Genat also hasn’t responded to the news, but he has certainly moved on to new pastures. In addition to hosting Survivor: Australia‘s next season, he recently competed on Survivor: Australia V the World.