July 1st - July 7th, 2012

Text by: Jim Williams

Utilizing the Secily Rule, we flash back to Wednesday, June 27th for this week's "Dumb Answer of the Week".

It comes from the UK's "Deal or No Deal" (thanks to an article from BuzzerBlog for tipping us off to this) and is actually quite a roller coaster of a ride.



This is Mariyam, and as you can see we've fast forwarded to the point where 5 boxes are in play.

Mariyam's backstory is a most interesting one. After not being happy with who she had become in life, she went on to lose 100 pounds and become a fitness instructor.

The timing of her appearance on "Deal" is heartwrenching, to say the least. A week before the episode taped, her father passed away. She's, in essence, playing this game in her father's honor because he would have wanted her to go on with this once in a lifetime opportunity. Mariyam goes on to say that everything that has gone on in the recent past has brought her to "Deal", almost as if it was fate guiding her to this crucial point in time.



With 5 boxes left in play, host Noel Edmonds reassures Mariyam that regardless of how the game goes, it is certainly not a reflection on herself or her family going so far to say, "It is only a game. Life is more important than this."



So, on we go to the, seemingly, trivial aspect of the program: the game itself. Mariyam picks Box 11.



With 2 sizable amounts and 2 miniscule amounts left in play, she weighs her options which are boxes 10, 21, and 22. Something is driving her towards 10, and she considers 22 to be a "death box".



She ultimately decides on Box 10.



She looked at Box 10 twice earlier in the game and alluded picking it. She picks it now and inside finds...





Look at that board! She's got a 2 out of 3 chance of walking away with at least £50,000.



That is unless she chooses to walk away and take the banker's offer of...



As they say in Britain, "let's have a think about this". Mariyam has gone through a lot as of late and £60,000 would do wonders for her. But, fate could still be on her side and she may become the 5th female to win the top prize.



She mentions she's been feeling that she has the £250,000 in her box the whole time, and even if it came down to having the 1p & the £250,000, then that's it.



"No deal."

It takes a lot of guts to turn down £60,000, but since the board has 2 sizable sums of money, I can't fault her for going on.



She goes on to ask what boxes 21 and 22 concealed yesterday in the hopes to get some vibes or karma on which box to pick.



Though conflicted, she goes with Box 21...a number that corresponds to the age in her life when she wanted to do something about the person she saw in the mirror.



"It is no exaggeration. A flash of blue...and the roof of the 'Dream Factory' goes off. Open it."





Mariyam, Noel, her fellow contestants and the audience are all in a state of shock and silence.



The banker rings up to make a final offer of £19,000. Noel goes on to say that to the best of his recollections this might be one of the highest offers the banker has put on the table with 1p and £50,000 left in the game.



Mariyam, admittedly, is mindblown over it all. She is second guessing herself to the nth degree.



"It's such a massive amount of money, but I strongly feel I need to finish this game as I started...so no deal."

Wow. Just. Wow.

She is then given the opportunity to swap boxes and declines.



So, let's lay it all out on the line. She's either going away with £50,000 or 1p. Very recently the show had its 43rd winner of a penny under far less emotional circumstances. If the penny shows up here, it'll be one of the most morose endings to an episode of UK "Deal" that I can recall.







"I'm not often at a loss for words, but...I really, genuinely do not know what to say."

And the same holds true for me.

As you know, this article is usually reserved to make fun of bad decisions on game shows. And, ultimately when Mariyam had a chance to take a sure £19,000 home, she made a bad decision. But, how can anyone not feel bad for her given the recent events in her life? In games, as in life, one is often told to trust their gut instincts. Mariyam did that until the very end, and ultimately her instincts and lady luck were not to be.



The banker made one final call after the game. Earlier on in the game, he had offered Mariyam a sum of money and a red rose.



As a kind gesture, the banker decided to give Mariyam the rose in addition to her penny.



And in the end, Mariyam smiles. Because, despite the way the game goes, in the great scheme of things she's lost just a game.

So for Mariyam, and for all of us, the world will keep on spinning. Next time we'll hopefully lighten the mood with another "Dumb Answer of the Week". 

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