Deal or No Deal

After class today I decided I definitely wanted to blog about the concept of "frontstage" and "backstage" which has recently become obvious within the television show, Deal or No Deal. If one was flipping through the channels and came across Deal or No Deal without ever watching it, they would find what seemed to be a professional and classy reality game show. With the host, Howie Mandel, dressed in his best which consists of a suit and sometimes a tie, while the models are dressed to the nigh in glitz and glam, "frontstage" and a formal role is portrayed. However, until just recently the producers of the show have started to cater to the interests of it's contestants. For example, a female contestant who was a die-hard Grease fan was just recently on the show and the producers had each model dress as Sandy from Grease during the show, catering to the contestant's interests. Also, another contestant who was originally from some part of Africa or Korea (I don't remember exactly) was on the show simply for the purpose of putting the money she won toward a good cause in Africa/Korea. Since she has now been living in the U.S. for quite some time she has been unable to visit her mother, so the producers flew her mother to the U.S. and she surprised the contestant on the set of Deal or No Deal the night of the show. Now, this may not necessarily be "backstage" or informal, but it is more intimate, letting viewers into the lives of the contestants. Now, if Howie were to show up to the set of Deal or No Deal dressed as a street bum the theme and "frontstage" formal role would be thrown off causing the show to go from order to disorder. This show exhibits what is expected of a television show, however adds a tiny piece of backstage, making things unexpected and maybe a little more interesting to it's audience.