When Deal or No Deal first started airing in 2005, it quickly became a nationwide phenomenon.
The tricky game show is deceptively simple: contestants pick one briefcase, hope it's worth a million dollars, and bite their nails as each of the other 21 cases are opened one by one.
And, for added pressure, the Banker calls them from time to time, offering to make a deal if they hand back their case and walk away.
The show is great for inspiring those "What would you do?" discussions, and fans love to break down the mistakes players make the next day.
When the show returned this week for a holiday special, a contestant named Luis Green tried to prove he was smarter than the average player.
Instead, he made a historic last minute blunder, and says his family still hasn't forgiven him.
Here's the situation Luis found himself in:
There were two cases left, his and another unopened case. The only two cash values left were $750,000 and $5, meaning either Luis' case or the other contained the huge prize.
In her last offer, the Banker made Luis a sweet deal: he could take $330,000 and walk away. In earlier rounds, Luis had turned down another offer from the banker worth $240,000.
The crowd, and even Luis' family, urged him to make the deal. But the stubborn player stuck with his case. And.... we bet $5 you can guess what happened next.
In an interview with TMZ the next day, Luis explained that he wanted to push his luck because he hoped to spend the prize money on his mortgage and his mother's medical bills.
"I wanted to take $10 and go all the way and let it land where it may land," he said.
While he says his wife has supported him, his mom (who urged him over and over again to take the deal) is not happy about the result.
"She's still upset," he admitted.
"It's funny how at one of the points I was like 'Moms know best!' But when [push came to shove] I was like "˜Mom, I'm not gonna listen to you!"
Host Howie Mandel may have put it best, saying that Luis and his family left "with $5 dollars, but a priceless memory."
Yeah, no way!
[H/T: TMZ]
