‘Deal or No Deal’ finally gives away $1 million prize

It finally happened. Howie Mandel crowned the first $1 million winner on Monday’s episode of “Deal or No Deal.” It doesn’t seem like it has been three years since the game show first came to our television screens, but it really has taken that long for someone to reach the $1 million mark. So, although I’m extremely jealous, congratulations to Jessica Robinson from Sandy, Utah. With a baby on the way and dreams of owning a home close to her family in Texas, she appears to be a deserving winner.

The Man on the Couch and I are still planning to make our winning “Deal” audition tape, but just haven’t found the time to get it done. You’d think it would be simple, but in addition to letting the casting crew get to know a little bit about you as a contestant, you have to give them a glimpse of the support staff you want to bring with you and tell them why you want the million.

The answer as to why is easy. The first task would be to pay off college loans, mortgages and car payments. After all the taxes, I hope there’d be some left over to put toward next year’s pending wedding and honeymoon while still sharing some dough with the family members who we hope will help get us to the NBC stage.

But enough dreaming. There’s plenty of reality TV slated for the fall lineup and I think it’s going to be an exciting season.

Now that the Olympics are over, my favorite “America’s Got Talent” is continuing to go strong on NBC. The problem is that Piers Morgan needs to stop buzzing acts that he already voted to put through. The Man on the Couch and I were annoyed Wednesday night when he buzzed three acts in a row saying they didn’t have what it takes to make it to the Vegas stage. Aren’t we supposed to be down to the best of the best?

Season 11 of “America’s Next Top Model” also kicked off this week on The CW and will air at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. See if you can pick out the model that’s not really a woman. That’s right – I said there’s a transgender top model contestant – and he’s harder to spot than you might think.

I’m also very excited about this season of HGTV’s “Top Design” that is on at 10 p.m. Wednesdays. While some critics say it’s “lackluster” and that host Todd Oldham couldn’t be any less exciting if he tried, I love to watch for the creative ideas that these designers have. Some of them are a little wacky, but it’s always fun to see tricks of the trade in action.

September really is packed with new seasons and all-new shows, such as “The Rachel Zoe Project,” which premieres this week at 11 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, on Bravo.

For those of you who don’t know, Zoe is a designer to the stars and is ready to reveal her trade secrets as she builds her business. While I haven’t made it all the way through the preview, I intend to watch it this weekend. Check out the Reality Bytes blog Monday morning to find out if it’s worth your while to tune in.

adolloff@bangordailynews.net

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