Claudia Jordan Is Proud To Continue Her ‘Deal Or No Deal’ Legacy On ‘Deal Or No Deal Island’: “I Love The Game”

You can’t have an iteration of Deal Or No Deal without the great Claudia Jordan. The Fox Soul host has been with the iconic game show since the very first episode, so there was no better alumni Briefcase Girl to pick for a spot on Deal Or No Deal Island. Hosted by Joe Manganiello and executive produced by Howie Mandel, this enticing format of this new vehicle combines the Deal Or No Deal you love with Survivor-esque challenges and living conditions. Here’s the deal. 13 players are sent to the Banker’s Island—including Jordan and fellow celebrity contestant Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano— to vie for the chance to get their hands on the Banker’s valuable briefcases by withstanding demanding physical challenges and more. With a potential prize pot of $200 million, the competition is fiercer than ever!

Before joining the show, Jordan admitted that she was “excited and scared at the same time.” Thankfully, Jordan soon got over those nerves. “I love being able to face a challenge and do something that I didn’t think I could do,” confided Jordan. “I just turned 50 last year so there’s a lot of things I want to check off my bucket list.” Luckily for fans of reality TV, Deal or No Deal Island checks off a lot of boxes for Jordan. “This experience is something that I’ll always appreciate,” confirmed Jordan.

What Jordan didn’t expect is for her fellow contestants to be so “shady” so early. “Some people went for the jugular a little soon for my tastes,” explained Jordan. Jordan was shocked at contestant Kim Mattina’s decision to blindside competitor Jamil Sipes after she won a high-stakes game against the Banker in Episode 2. “I remember seeing Kim put her hand on his back,” recalled Jordan. “It just gave me an eerie feeling, like a witch had just put a spell on somebody.” Kim’s cutthroat game move and manipulation put her on Jordan’s radar. “Listen, I’ve been in some B movies; I know bad acting when I see it because I’ve done it,” said Jordan simply.

Jordan stopped by the Page Six studio to speak with DECIDER about returning to the Deal Or No Deal Franchise, Joe Manganiello’s hosting skills, and why this “humbling” experience did her a world of good.

DECIDER: What was it like returning to the Deal Or No Deal franchise after all these years?

CLAUDIA JORDAN: It was a little nostalgic. Deal Or No Deal is one of the favorite bookings I’ve ever had. I feel protective of the Deal Or No Deal brand. I was down with the show when it was a pilot. It felt good that I was even included in Deal Or No Deal Island. Actually, I would have been really mad if I wasn’t [laughs].  I love the game. I have nothing negative to say about Deal Or No Deal. I loved it.

What was it like holding the number 1 case?

Holding case number 1 felt like it was meant to be, especially since I have been with the show from day one. It meant a lot to me. Plus, I had the bragging rights [laughs] of being the number 1 girl.

Deal Or No Deal Island is a mashup of the iconic game show and reality competition shows like Survivor. Did this twist make you even more excited to be a player in the game?

I was excited but scared at the same time. I don’t really watch a bunch of Survivor shows. I know you have to be ready to survive on rice. I’m wondering, “Am I too spoiled to do this?” However, I love facing a challenge and doing something that I didn’t think I could do. I just turned 50 last year so there are a lot of things I want to check off my bucket list. Being able to play Deal Or No Deal, being able to be in a Survivor type environment, being able to potentially win millions of dollars—the show checked all the boxes. I was nervous but it was an excited, nervous kind of happy.

What was your first reaction when you found out Joe Manganiello was tapped to be the host of Deal Or No Deal Island?

Well, Joe’s fine. If we’re gonna be away from our friends and family, I might as well have some eye candy to look at. He had his arms out the whole time! I know he saw us all checking him out.

How did his hosting style differ from Howie Mandel’s?

Howie will always be the GOAT. Howie is amazing and a huge part of the success of the show. The way he leads people like to the edge of the cliff and goes to commercial? That’s amazing! Joe did a fantastic job too, though. He kept it fun. He was talking a little trash. He definitely moved the game along.

Howie Mandel always greeted the Banker’s phone call with his iconic, “Hello.” Joe Manganiello greets the Banker’s phone call in Deal Or No Deal Island with “Yes?” How would you answer the Banker’s phone call?

“What’s going on? What kind of money we talking, Banker? What we doing?” I just cut to the chase. I’m not a beat around the bush type of person, so we don’t need to bother with formalities. How much money are you talking about? That’s what I want to know.

Let’s get into the premiere episode. When someone asked you what you did, you had the most iconic response: “I’ll just say this, I work in the entertainment business and I’m not a porn star.” Was it part of your strategy to downplay your resume at first?

I wanted to downplay that I was actually a Deal Or No Deal model until later on. I didn’t want to just come out of the gate with my background because I knew there’d be a target on my back. People would think I would have an unfair advantage. So, I wanted to be a little coy about it. However, we had some contestants there that had already done the Google searches and tried to look people up before we turned in our phones. So eventually, I felt like I had to let everyone know that I do have a history with the show but that I can be an asset and a help. I know the game of Deal Or No Deal inside and out. I wanted to convey that if they kept me around I could help with their game.

Aron could NOT have won the first Deal Or No Deal game without your counsel. You have a sixth sense that is downright freaky. How did you develop your gamer intuition over the course of the season?

Deal Or No Deal fans always ask me, “do you know what’s in the case?” The answer is absolutely not. There are lawyers and other people who are watching us to make sure that we never crack open a case. They are very, very strict about that. They did not play any games with us, so I did not know what number was in the case. I only had a gut feeling. During Deal Or No Deal Island, I would think back to the hundreds of episodes that I’ve been on. For me, it was more about following where the big money numbers used to be placed when I was on Deal Or No Deal. Plus, I’m a gambler. Anyone who knows me or who’s been with me in Vegas knows I have a low key gambling problem [laughs]. Though, it’s not a problem when I’m helping people win. It was all good.

Speaking of gamblers, you’re not the only celebrity on this season. Survivor legend Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano is also quite the gambler. Were you aware of his reputation beforehand?

I had no idea about Boston Rob, but some of the contestants early on were really intimidated by him. There was a couple of people that were trying to sway me to not like Boston Rob and to be against him. I wasn’t down with that. I don’t think that because he had success somewhere else, that he should have been prevented from winning here. Like what’s wrong with that? I also don’t think it is appropriate to say, “you’ve had enough success, so you shouldn’t be here.” I think the smart thing would be keep the good players around to help build a pot and then go for the throat later on. Some people went for the jugular a little early for my tastes. Why would you not keep someone around who is an asset? Why ya’ll trying to go for Boston Rob?

Spoken like a true strategist. Speaking of someone who went home too soon, I want to talk about Jamil. It seemed like a really dumb gameplay on Kim’s part to eliminate someone who had so much gameshow experience. Were you aware that Kim was after him from the start?

I didn’t know Kim was after Jamil. I do remember seeing Kim put her hand on his back. It just gave me an eerie feeling, like a witch had just put a spell on somebody. . I thought, “Wow, she’s really being kind to his face.” But I read people for a living, so I felt like she was putting the touch of death on him. I got nervous because Jamil was honestly one of the bright lights in the cast. He kept everybody’s energy up. He cheered for everyone.

He was a solid, good person, and I don’t like that he was portrayed as a sneaky person because he wasn’t. Just because he didn’t go along with Kim’s plan doesn’t mean he’s a negative person to have around. I think he was unfairly targeted. My mission going forward is to get Kim off the show for what she did to our friend Jamil. Everybody was sad about it, and nobody was really happy with Kim. He didn’t deserve to go home.

The disrespect Kim was giving you during her Deal Or No Deal game made my jaw drop. Did that interaction change your dynamic with her going forward?

I started to feel that Kim was putting on the helpless old lady act. I notice when people cry and no tears come out. It’s called acting. Listen, I’ve been in some B movies; I know bad acting when I see it because I’ve done it [laughs]. You can take all that nonsense to Tubi. It’s all manipulation. Didn’t we all learn from what Kim did to Brantzen? She stabs people in the back, even if they help her. I didn’t know there was so many conversations going on this early in the game.

I thought the backstabbing would come a little bit later down the line. Personally, I felt it was too soon. There was so much more game to go. Our priority should have been building the board as a team to get the most money possible. A lot of people missed that part of the game because they were so thirsty to have a moment on television, but that’s what happens.

What was the toughest part for you: the emotional subterfuge or the physical challenges?

NBC really did a great job of coming up with physical challenges that I would never have thought of. I’m like, what wicked mind came up with these challenges? Who goes in mud waist deep on the very first day of the show? However, the mental part of the game was the toughest part. You are isolated from your friends and family; you have to turn in your cell phones and your laptops; you have no contact at all with the outside world. You are literally in a jungle. Y

our fellow contestants are your new friends and family. Love it or hate it, you have to deal with these people, and you have to work with them. It was difficult because I just met these people. I didn’t know when they were lying or trying to run a game on me. They may have seen me, but I’d never seen them. It was hard trying to figure out who was who and what was what. I was like, “well, we got some players here. I see y’all’s shady asses.”

What was the most surprising thing you learned about yourself over this process?

I’ve made no secret of my life outside of the show. I have a really comfortable life, but I’ve worked really hard for almost 30 years in the business. It was a challenge to strip all that away and be on even ground with everybody else. I wanted to see what I could do. I liked getting out of the celebrity world where everything’s catered to me. My everyday life is what Joe experienced on the set. He had five people holding fans around him, cooling him off. He was squeaky clean and ready to host while here I am, covered in mud with centipedes on my briefcase. It really was very humbling.

It’s important for celebs or people who’ve been a bit spoiled to remember where they came from. I pride myself as being someone who is easy to work with, and someone who you want to have back. I get disgusted when I see bad celebrity behavior out in the world. Doing Deal Or No Deal Island was a reminder of how good I have it in real life and that I’m blessed. This experience is something that I’ll always appreciate.

New episodes of Deal Or No Deal Island air Mondays at 10/9c