A decade after the last time it bade farewell in 2016, the well-loved game show “Kapamilya Deal or No Deal” is set to make its much-awaited comeback this coming April 25 with all-new original episodes—and Luis Manzano reprising his role as host.
Those who avidly watched Kapamilya shows from the mid-2000s to the late 2010s may recall that it was one of the most popular and highly successful gameshows on local television, as it ran for 10 years after ABS-CBN acquired the franchise in 2006. Based on the Netherlands' game show “Miljoenenjacht,” it was initially hosted by Queen of All Media Kris Aquino for three seasons (2006-2009), with Luis taking over when it was revived in 2012 and ran for another two seasons (2012-2013, 2015-2016).
During Luis’ era, several significant changes were introduced, particularly in the case models. While the fourth season largely followed the previous format, except for the reduced number of briefcases from 26 to 24, the fifth season took a completely different turn. Instead of having 24 or 26 girls hold the cases, they were replaced by “20 Lucky Stars,” which was comprised of celebrities.
One member of the “Lucky Stars” was selected to become a contestant through a roulette called the “Gulong ng Tala.” Whoever held the briefcase corresponding to where the ball landed would play the game. Since the cases were randomly assigned, celebrity contestants were given the option to either swap briefcases or stick with their assigned one until the end of the game.
As we look forward to what the upcoming seventh season of “Kapamilya Deal or No Deal” has in store, let’s revisit some of the most memorable winning moments of celebrities who took a chance on the game show and went home as millionaires after claiming the P1 million jackpot prize.
Bearwin Meily
Let’s begin with comedian-actor Bearwin Meiley, who was the first-ever jackpot prize winner of the fifth season and the only one in his batch. He may be known as the “Hari ng Sablay” from his 2005 comedy film of the same title, but he truly defied expectations with the choices that led to his victory.
Despite having the option to exchange briefcases with any of his fellow “Lucky Stars,” he still opted to stick with briefcase number 14, which was assigned to him via draw. He may have had a good start, but the high-value prizes were eliminated one after another in the early rounds. Fortunately, he was able to immediately recover by consistently getting rid of the smaller prizes in the succeeding rounds until only P100,000 and P1,000,000 were left.
The comedian couldn’t help but get teary-eyed while waiting for the last offer from the banker, knowing he was just one decision away from becoming a millionaire. He firmly stated, “Nandito ako para maglaro. From the very beginning, binunot lang ‘to eh. Binigay lang sa akin ang briefcase na ‘to. Pera lang ‘yan. Isang buwan lang ubos na ‘yang [P614,000]. I wanna play. No deal.”
In the end, he turned down the banker’s P614,000 offer—and his briefcase was later revealed to contain the jackpot.
Ara Mina
Unlike Bearwin, actress Ara Mina decided to swap briefcases with fellow “Lucky Star” Ella Cruz, who was in charge of briefcase number “7,” explaining that it was based on the suggestions of the people closest to her. It proved to be the right move, as her original briefcase number “4,” which she opened first, contained only P200.
Having the pink mitten of her then-baby daughter, Mandy, as her “lucky charm” seemed to have worked its magic, boosting her confidence and helping her stay calm throughout the high-pressure game. Although she had already eliminated the higher amounts, leaving only P100 and P1 million on the board, Ara boldly followed her instincts and declined the banker’s final offer of P355,000. In the end, all the nerves and pressure paid off, as she went home a millionaire that day.
Bela Padilla and Director Joyce Bernal
Artists and filmmakers go the extra mile to promote their projects—even embracing exciting challenges like playing “Kapamilya Deal or No Deal,” as seasoned director Joyce Bernal and actress Bela Padilla did back in 2015.
The banker—this time a woman—may have tried to buy their lucky briefcase number 19 with increasingly tempting offers, but they repeatedly turned them down, even when the final offer reached a whopping P699,000. With P400,000 and P1,000,000 left on the money board, Bela and Direk Joyce chose to go all the way and ultimately took home the jackpot prize. Everyone celebrated, including the “Lucky Stars” and their friends who helped them choose which briefcases to open one after the other.
Kaye Abad and Nikki Valdez
The two-decade friendship between seasoned actresses Nikki Valdez and Kaye Abad, which began during their stint on the ’90s youth-oriented Kapamilya program “Kaybol: Ang Bagong TV,” was put to the test when they teamed up for “Kapamilya Deal or No Deal.” Having remained loyal to ABS-CBN through the years, they chose briefcase number 2, held by “Lucky Star” Myrtle Sarrosa.
They got off to a very promising start after they got to open a slew of low amounts, including the P1. As the banker lured them into accepting the increasingly higher offers—peaking at P510,000—the best friends found it difficult to decide whether to accept or continue. In the end, they settled the decision with a game of “bato-bato pick” to help them come up with a decision during the highly critical situation.
With Kaye being assigned the “deal” and Nikki as the “no deal,” the latter’s victory prompted them to push until the end. And it was indeed a good call since they snagged the P1 million—with their friendship still intact.
Janine Tugonon
She may have fallen short in her bid to become Miss Universe 2012, but a lot of opportunities opened up for beauty queen Janine Tugonon, which include becoming one of the millionaires of “Kapamilya Deal or No Deal.”
Heeding a suggestion to go for briefcase number 1, Janine—who had just returned to the Philippines after two years of training and working as a model in Los Angeles, California—amazingly managed to wipe out all the low amounts on both sides of the money board early in the game.
With only P300,000 and P1,000,000 remaining, and a final offer of P650,000 on the table, the beauty queen-turned-model decided to take the risk—and ultimately became a millionaire.
The tandem of Kean Cipriano and Enchong Dee, veteran actress Janice de Belen, and King of Talk Boy Abunda were also among the gameshow’s millionaires during Luis’ time as host.
Will the upcoming season of “Kapamilya Deal or No Deal” produce more P1 million winners? Don’t miss a single episode starting April 25 and 26 airing every Saturday and Sunday, 7:30PM on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2, Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL) and iWant.