The 3 reasons why Deal Or No Deal Island was abruptly canceled by NBC after David Genat’s record-breaking $5.8m win
The 3 reasons why Deal Or No Deal Island was abruptly canceled by NBC after David Genat’s record-breaking $5.8m win
The network announced the shocking decision just months after the show made history by handing out the biggest cash prize in TV
THE REAL reasons why Deal or No Deal Island was abruptly canceled by NBC have been revealed, The U.S. Sun can exclusively report.
Fresh off of finishing its second season, the network pulled the plug on the Deal or No Deal spinoff after Australian Survivor legend, David Genat, pulled off a historic $5.8 million win.
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David Genat performs a challenge with Seychelle Cordero on Deal or No Deal IslandCredit: Getty
Pictured: (l-r) Joe Manganiello, and David Genat on Deal or No Deal IslandCredit: Getty
Deal or No Deal Island premiered in February 2024 and wrapped up its second season in March 2025.
Many fans were waiting for NBC to announce a third season; instead, the TV network announced on Wednesday that the show is not coming back.
While they didn’t provide reasons for the cancellation, an insider told The U.S. Sun that ultimately, it “boils down to the prize pot.”
“No one behind the scenes expected David [Genat] to win $6 million last season. That was millions more than the network thought they’d have to pay up,” the insider claimed.
The source explained that other reasons for the decision include: “After that, the risk became too big to fund future seasons.
“The show doesn’t get high enough ratings to justify that kind of prize. Last season’s prize wiped them out, they wouldn’t be able to pay up a similar number.
“Or even worse, what if next season someone won more? Again, it’s out of the realm of things the show’s budget can afford. And that’s ultimately why it got canceled.
“Also, Joe [Manganiello’s] host salary cuts deeply into the budget. Overall, it’s too expensive to produce for the ratings it gets.”
Pictured: (l-r) Joe Manganiello and David Genat on the finale of DONDICredit: Getty
MONEY TALKS
Season 2 of Deal or No Deal Island, the Howie Mandel-produced spinoff of his iconic game show, broke records by giving away the largest cash prize in American television history.
David, who became known as the ‘Golden God’ of Australian Survivor, ended up taking home a whopping $5.6 million.
The way that Deal or No Deal Island is structured, the winner who makes it to the end goes against a banker with a series of cases that are assigned a monetary amount.
The potential grand prize could’ve been as high as $12 million, or, if he walked away with the absolute lowest amount, David could have won just a single penny.
Luck was on his side, though, as David played a smart game to make a deal with the banker, who was Chrissy Teigen for season 2, and took home nearly $6 million.
The amount made headlines around the world and was a significant amount more than the show gave away in season 1.
In the first season of DONDI, Jordan Fowler made a deal to walk away with $1.2 million on the finale.
While Deal or No Deal Island stars were largely unknown, some familiar faces reality TV fans might now include Boston Rob Mariano and Parvati Shallow from Survivor and Dr. Will Kirby from Big Brother.
After making a splash on the show’s second season, Dr. Will reacted to the show’s cancellation, telling TV Insider: “I texted [executive producer] Matt Kunitz.
“He’s a super, super talented guy, and he’s just a super sweet guy. So I texted him, and I was like, ‘Dreams die, and this makes me really sad.’”
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“I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that I was a little disappointed that the show was canceled.
“There were some editing issues, and there were some formatting issues, and there were some game issues, as there are with any show. But I wish I had been involved a little bit earlier in the process,” he added.
Pictured: (l-r) Joe Manganiello, Maria-Grace Cook, “Dr.Will” Kirby, Alexis Lete, Seychelle Cordero, La Shell Wooten, Phillip Solomon, Parvati Shallow, David Genat, Courtney “CK” Kim, Dickson Wong, Storm WilsonCredit: Getty
DEAL OR NO DEAL ISLAND — “Trust Fall” Episode 205 — Pictured: David GenatCredit: Getty
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