What Luis Manzano can learn from his dad
You don't need a college degree to win big on ABS-CBN's "Deal or No Deal" (Saturdays, 6 p.m.) hosted by Luis Manzano. Take the case of 30-year-old Charles Adam Genato who took up Management of Financial Institution at the prestigious De La Salle University. With his educational background, he went home with a measly five pesos rather than the bigger amounts ranging from P100,000 to P2 million.
A college dropout or even an elementary school student can win P2 million because "DOND" does not require brain power. The winner is determined by chance just like in the lotto, although the odds of hitting the jackpot in the lottery are much higher.(Coincidentally, the host used to be known as Lucky Manzano.)
Contestants choose a briefcase based on how lucky they think the number is. Some choose their birthday, others opt for the age of their loved ones and still others go for the date they landed their first job. (Nobody has ever picked the number 13 in the episodes that I watched.)
In Genato's case, he went for briefcase No. 22 because it's the date of the wedding anniversary of his parents.
Bye-bye, 2 million bucks
So if he can open the lower amounts and keep the bigger ones unopened till close to the end, he could leave with several hundred thousand pesos or more.
His first task was to choose five numbers and though four of them contained small amounts, the P2 million disappeared right away. For the next 10 numbers, he was doing relatively well as the banker's offer had risen to P92,100. The La Sallite expressed confidence that he would win the P1 million when he commented, "I'm getting the hang of it."
It was downhill from thereon.
He chose briefcases that contained all the substantial amounts until the highest prize he could win had dropped to P1,000. With three numbers still unopened, the banker's offer had shrunk to P200. Of course, he did not accept it.
Things got pretty boring
Earlier in the game, Genato kept shouting "five pesos," meaning he wanted the small amount to appear. As it turned out, briefcase No.22 contained five pesos. Of course, he did not go home empty-handed. A trip for two to Bohol was attached to one of the numbers he had opened.
My interest in the game lasted as long as the bigger amounts were still unopened. When it became clear that Genato's winnings were going to be less than P100,000, things got pretty boring. The only reason I stayed till the end was to be able to do a complete report on the show.
Wanted: wittier host
It would have been different if the bigger prizes remained in the last 10 minutes. Most game shows try to prevent viewers from switching channels by making them look forward to the show's finale. On "DOND," the final minutes become anti-climactic when the prize a contestant can win is just a few thousand pesos.
Luis proved to be a likeable program host like his dad, Edu Manzano. However, he still has far to go to equal Edu's gift of gab. Between saying "Therese, buksan mo na (ang briefcase)" or "The banker's offer is P45,500," Edu would have been able to come up with witty asides. Luis should watch tapes of his dad's performance on "Game Ka Na Ba" to improve his hosting job.
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed.
