Deeeeeeal or No Deal?

Winter got so boring this year I started watching more TV and now I find myself a huge fan of Deal or No Deal. I think Howie Mandel is adorable, and I love the models...but, frankly, I love watching ordinary people get the chance to change their lives by winning a sum of money they wouldn't otherwise ever see.



The show isn't about the game. It isn't about the banker. It isn't about the challenge of picking the right cases or even the guts to stay in the game when the odds shift against you. It's about the people.



All those other things, like luck, the banker, the odds...those bring out the best of the worst in a contestant. But they're window dressing. The truth is...I want to see each contestent get as much money as he or she can. I want to see them triumph...Win.



Watching last night's show I realized how much that feeling is like the feeling I get when I read a book that I really like. I want to see the contestants win the same way I want to see the hero and heroine resolve their conflicts in a romance. The way I want to see the protagonist save the world in a thriller.



It's all about the character...achieving a goal, finding love, saving the world.



All the other stuff is window dressing.