New series of Deal or No Deal flooded with complaints as viewers plead for format change

‘Stop chatting and open the box!’

The new series of Deal or No Deal continued today (November 6), with Chantel taking the hot seat to try her luck against The Banker.

Chantel explained to host Stephen Mulhern that she used to be in a girl band called Fierce and had supported Whitney Houston on tour. She also told how she’d spend her prize money on a trip to Barbados with her dad. And recalled the time she performed on Top of the Pops.

However, more than 10 minutes into the show, viewers started to complain that Chantel hadn’t actually got round to opening any boxes. And the complaints soon started to pour in…

Stephen Mulhern on Deal or No Deal
Stephen Mulhern took over from Noel Edmonds when the show was rebooted (Credit: ITV)

New series of Deal or No Deal sparks backlash

Today’s show sparked pleas for a format shake-up from regular viewers. They pointed out the amount of time host Stephen and the day’s contestant spent chatting before getting down to the gameplay, and called for it to stop.

They also urged host Stephen to stop his “inane patter” between boxes, and declared that he should “stop chatting [bleep]” and “get on with it”.

“Oh FFS. Just open the box,” said one. “Stop chatting [bleep] and get on with it. There isn’t a Banker,” said another about Stephen’s numerous calls with The Banker during the show.

“Gurgh this inane patter from Mulhern is really grating. Get on with it,” said another. “It takes 15 minutes to actually start the game!!” another added.

Chantel on Deal or No Deal
It was Chantel’s turn to take on The Banker today (Credit: ITV)

How much did Chantel win today?

However, poor Chantel probably wishes things had gone differently, too. Her game was a disaster, with the big reds falling one after the other. She even admitted: “If I could play my game again, I would play my favourite numbers first.”

She accepted The Banker’s offer of £1,050 after taking out the £100k box, leaving £2k as the biggest box on her board.

Ultimately, she did beat The Banker, though. Chantel had the £250 box on the table when it was opened by Stephen at the end of the game.