Let's Make a Deal

Let's Make a Deal is a television game show. The show was based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The contestants usually had to weigh the possibility of an offer being for a valuable prize, or an undesirable item, referred to as a "zonk". The show was hosted for many years by Monty Hall.

The original, most widely-known version aired from 1963 to 1976 on both NBC and ABC. A weekly nighttime syndicated version of the show aired from 1971 through 1977. Two more syndicated Let's Make a Deal series aired daily in the 1980s. The first, based in Canada, aired one season from 1980 to 1981. The second, called The All New Let's Make a Deal, aired for two seasons from 1984 to 1986.

When the series began, studio audience members wore suits and ties or dresses. Over time the show gradually evolved into the costume-wearing menagerie it became. In 2003, GSN featured the long-lost 1963 pilot episode of Let's Make a Deal.

In the special, Hall mentioned that two weeks into the series an audience member had brought in a small placard that read "Roses are red, violets are blue, I came here to deal with you." The placard caught Hall's attention and he chose the player to be a contestant. On later tapings more people began bringing signs. Again to get Hall's attention another audience member showed up at a taping wearing a crazy hat, which also eventually caught on with others. The costumes and signs just became a part of the show itself and got crazier and crazier as the show went on.