“Deal or No Deal Island” is your next reality TV obsession

It is chaos in the Banker's Temple. Absolute anarchy. “They are hyped up on Red Bull and ready to go!” announces one crew member as the players from Deal or No Deal Island enter the arena just outside of Bocas del Toro in Panama to watch one of their own battle the Banker, and that assessment soon proves to be an underestimation of epic proportions.

As cameras begin to roll, so do the arguments about who dropped a deuce outside of the porta potty instead of in it, the joking (we think?) mentions of sexual favors offered in exchange for high value briefcases, and the straight-up personal attacks, including, “You looked for evil, and the only place you did not look was in the mirror. A lot of people on the stage don’t think you’re a good person.” Oh, and apparently, Dr. Will Kirby has been surfing naked. It’s just one jaw-dropping revelation or confrontation after another… and the Temple game has not even started yet!

“That was f---ing glorious!” Joe Manganiello says to no one and everyone during a break in filming. Grinning from ear to ear, the host walks across the set to a stunned Entertainment Weekly reporter and says simply, “Welcome to Animal House.”

That house is now officially back open and accepting pledges as Deal or No Deal Island returns on NBC tonight for a second season of high-stakes gambling, and even higher interpersonal drama. The first season of the hybrid reality-adventure-meets-game-show was a surprise hit thanks to oddball alliances, no-holds-barred feuds, and contestants actually walking off the Banker's Temple set during filming. And that was just the appetizer.

“There’s more spice this year," Manganiello says. “If you ordered medium spice last season for your Thai meal, this one's hot — very hot, very spicy. Some of my favorite lines I've ever heard come out of people's mouths are this season directed at other contestants. Very, very spicy in a lot of different ways.”

Related: How Joe Manganiello turned being a 'compulsive math nerd' into Deal or No Deal Island job

In terms of the inter-personal drama, DONDI in some ways feels like a throwback to old-school Survivor, which has taken on a kinder, gentler lean in its new era. As to why his contestants appear to be going at each other so hard, showrunner Matt Kunitz says it is all about the stakes. “I think one of the reasons why we see more conflict on this is that the stakes are so incredibly high on this show. We hid over $200 million worth of cases in the jungle, and they are playing for potentially the biggest prize ever given on a reality show. So that ratchets up the competition. People want it more, so they're going to fight for it. They are fighting and they're passionate, and passion makes good television.”

As with all reality competition shows, the key is always in the casting. “We put together a diverse group of people,” says Kunitz. “I'm not talking about racial diversity, I'm talking about just diversity in their characters. And I've learned from my Real World days that diversity brings drama. And then we have the ace in the pocket, which is that we're going to bring in some villains like Dr. Will."

Ah yes, Dr. Will. Like season 1, which featured Survivor legend Boston Rob Mariano and Celebrity Apprentice contestant (and former Deal or No Deal Island briefcase model) Claudia Jordan, the newest installment features Traitors-like stunt casting with a few reality all-stars, including Big Brother season 2 champion Will Kirby, who was actually a last-minute replacement for another contestant Kunitz reveals had a medical issue. “I'm shocked that we were able to get him here on time,” says the showrunner. “We had to get him through background, medical, and psych tests, get him on a plane. And we are so in the middle of nowhere! So the fact that we were able to get him here is quite amazing.”

Will’s late arrival actually worked to the show’s benefit in that he now gets to make an absurdly dramatic entrance. In a tuxedo. On a yacht. But it could have been an even more ridiculous introduction. “Part of my request to participate was a live parrot and a pirate's outfit and Captain Morgan leg,” says Dr. Will, who also guest-starred on The Traitors wearing a Sherlock Holmes-esque deerstalker cap alongside two wolves. “They denied that, but they did allow for the tuxedo as a nod to Winston Wolf in Pulp Fiction."

Related: Deal or No Deal Island season 2 cast includes Parvati Shallow and Dr. Will Kirby (exclusive)

Suffice it to say, the big entrance garnered some big reactions from his cast mates. “He comes on to the show on a yacht in a tuxedo,” says Phillip Soloman, “and all I could think to myself was: The things that older straight men will do to avoid going to therapy is astonishing.”

Maria-Grace Cook is even more blunt. “I was like, this guy's really pale. Who is this? And everyone's like, 'It's Dr. Will.' And I was like, ‘Who the hell is Dr. Will?’ I think he's kind of a jerk-off and a prick. He's just so rich and thinks he's really relevant, but he's irrelevant to me since I wasn't even born when he became famous. He came in and he was like, ‘I'm the handsomest Big Brother player ever.’ And I was like, 'One, I don't watch Big Brother, and two, you're like 50, and three, I have no idea who you are.'"

The cast members were not the only ones with strong initial reactions to Will’s arrival. “I would say the first three days that I was dealing with him, I hated him here,” says showrunner Kunitz. "I just wanted it to be over. I think a lot of the people on the crew were saying, ‘Please just let it be over.’”

But then, similar to the jury on Big Brother season 2, that perception slowly began to change. “He started to wear on us,” admits Kunitz. “And the crew were like, ‘You know what? I get what he's doing. This is his strategy.’ His strategy is that he's an agent of chaos, whether that's with us or the cast. That's how he plays and that's how he plays to win. And I respect that, and I really do like him. I've come full circle. I think he's an awesome guy. And every day if he's on the show, he's going to do something that's going to make you go, holy s---!”

Related: First footage of Parvati Shallow and Dr. Will Kirby on Deal or No Deal Island unveiled

“Dr. Will is the Joker in Batman,” adds Manganiello. “He's going to drive everybody crazy. That's his game. But he's also unbelievably strategic, and that was fun to watch because there were moments where you thought, ‘Oh, he found a crack in the door in which he can inject strategy.’ And you watched that happen repeatedly. So I definitely appreciated him having around.” The host pauses. “But, I mean, he drove all of us nuts.”

Less infuriating to the host and showrunner were the two Survivor winners in the cast: Parvati Shallow and David Genat (who triumphed in the Australian version of the franchise). “I love having people involved with the game who are reality competition series champions, because I like to see how their brains function and how they figure this game out,” Manganiello says. “Every reality competition series champion has some form of superpower, some sort of metaphysical something or other that is really hard to put your finger on, but you watch them interact with people and that crowd is magnetized towards them. We saw it with Rob last season. Everybody wants to make Rob happy. They're either afraid of him or they want to be on his team.”

The host saw that up close with Parvati. “Parvati has this undeniable charisma. She smiles, and you watch all the guys go like puppy dogs and start following her around and want to help her. She's still got it, and she's got it 10 times more than she ever had. Also, you watch her social game, and she's a threat in the challenges. So it was really great to watch her.”

While not all of the cast members were aware of Parvati’s reality TV past at first (“I thought she was a yoga instructor from LA,” says La Shell Wooten), there was no way she was going to go completely unrecognized… no matter how hard she tried. “I clocked her from the airport,” says Phillip. “She was trying so hard not to be Parvati. It looked like it was a person wearing a Party City Parvati costume. She was trying so hard to be an anti-Parvati and had the long hair in front of her eyes, like the girl from The Ring. I was like, ‘What is Parvati doing?’”

Related: Parvati Shallow is bringing the Black Widow back for Deal or No Deal Island

Some were definitely excited to play side-by-side a true icon of the genre, yet not everyone was enthused to compete against the pro. “When I first saw Parvati, I was like, ‘Oh, not this bitch,'" reports Seychelle Cordero. “I knew who she was.”

Seychelle and others were wary of Parvati’s tricks, some of which may definitely come into play, as she and fellow Survivor legend David will end up competing closely together — very closely. Even though the two were in committed relationships back home, Kunitz notes that Parvati and David have “the closest thing to a showmance that I've ever seen. So it was complex for us because we were watching it unfold and they had such an incredible chemistry together and it really felt like we were watching two people fall in love, but we were constantly like, ‘Is this strategy?’”

Ultimately, Kunitz says, “I think they're both playing each other. She's known for being the Black Widow and he's no dummy. But watching that unfold and them get very close, I think it's going to make some people really uncomfortable. But I think they were playing each other, which is really brilliant.”

Related: Australian Survivor champ David Genat reacts to seeing Parvati on Deal or No Deal Island

While that connection may be merely a serving of phony baloney from seasoned competitors looking to gain an edge, there will be a legitimate season 2 showmance between two newbies, and it was no accidental occurrence either. “I wanted to make sure that we did have single men and single women in the cast,” says the showrunner. “I wanted a showmance, because I thought that would be a different way to distinguish season 2 from season 1. And so it was pretty deliberate. I feel like we had a master plan, and it worked.”

Continues Kunitz, “I've never really produced a dating show, but there's a term called misattribution of arousal, and that's if two people have an adrenaline event together that it can trigger something in their brains that makes them connected. And I think that's probably what happens here, because the whole entire time here is a giant adrenaline event, and they're doing it together.”

Another way season 2 looks to differentiate itself is through the challenges, or as they are called in DONDI parlance, excursions. “We went into this saying that all of our challenges had to be multi-tiered,” says Kunitz. “They had to have strategy, but they had to have a surprise involved. I've been doing challenge shows for 30 years, and this is by far the most difficult development of challenges I've ever been involved in. We spent six months developing the challenges on this show, and I hope the viewer sees that.”

Related: Deal or No Deal Island winner (and Banker) revealed

While the contests will undeniably be physical and taxing, there will also be elements that tie directly into relationships that have developed — both good and bad. “We wanted to have social game have real tangible, quantifiable ramifications," explains Manganiello. “And so towards the end of the season, there are excursions where if you thought you could burn bridges through this competition, that might come back to bite you in the ass. So we will test how people play this game, and there will be ramifications for toxic social interactions.”

That also means the cast will be on edge early and often. “I told the contestants on day one, as soon as you think you have the answers, we're changing the questions,” Manganiello says with a devious smirk. “And the strategy that could have won you the game last year is what's going to get you thrown out week one. So go ahead and try. We're going to keep you on your toes and you're not going to know what's coming next. And I think we definitely succeeded in that.”

Another thing the production strived for in its second season was making the Banker’s Island feel decidedly more high-end, which included bringing in a full-time production designer during filming. “We wanted to really upgrade artistically and make it feel even more rich and opulent than it was before” says Kunitz. “If there's an umbrella, that umbrella has custom fabric that's got the Banker's logo on it. The chairs that they're sitting on have the Banker's logo. It's all a lot more branding and a lot more richness.”

Related: Boston Rob reacts to Deal or No Deal Island copying penalty

Speaking of the Banker, it was revealed in the first season 2 promo that executive producer Howie Mandell will not be back as the yacht-dwelling Richie Rich making low-ball offers. And while it will not be revealed until the finale who is pulling the strings for season 2, the new Banker has already been identified as a “she.”

When it comes to the shifting Bankers, it seems there is a bit of DONDI world building going on. “Deal or No Deal is in many countries,” Kunitz says. “There's thousands and thousands of episodes and scores and scores of Bankers, so we feel like there's this secret society of Bankers. It's fun to meet a lot of these different Bankers, so I feel that probably there will be a new surprise Banker every season.”

Kunitz will not reveal who Manganiello is actually speaking with on the cell phone to receive various offers (“Joe’s talking to the Banker,” the showrunner insists, with a knowing grin), but he does provide some insight into how the offers are decided upon: “There's a very complex algorithm that gives a range that the offers can be in and the Banker has to stay within that range when these offers are made. It's based on how many cases are left on the board and how many are in the low range and how many are in the high range. So the Banker has some flexibility on the offers, but it's within a very specific range.”

Related: Boston Rob Mariano to host Deal or No Deal Island After Show

While Manganiello’s job is to relay the offer he is given in the Temple, the host is so much more. There’s a heaping helping of easy, breezy charm — as evidenced during season 1 when the True Blood and Magic Mike star started discussing the intricacies of chicken nugget consumption — but there is also a geeky love of competition. “He actually hosts and is the game master for Dungeons & Dragons games at his home with other celebrities, so he has this extreme love of gamesmanship,” Kunitz raves. “When he's doing this show, it's not like a job. He's having so much fun and he's so into it. He knows more about the strategy that each person is playing because he's studying the game.”

The showrunner has seen his host’s evolution, and even goes so far as to compare him to the absolute best in the business. “Season 1, he was sort of figuring it out,” Kunitz recalls. “But as each episode went, he was getting better and better. And then he came into this season and he doesn't need a script. he just calls it as he sees it. I've never had the pleasure of working with Jeff Probst, but obviously Probst is amazing. And I think that for only season 2 of Joe, that Joe is going to be nipping at Probst’s heels.”

Unlike Probst, Manganiello has some foils to play off of in the forms of Banker’s Assistants Ben Crofchick and Kamari Love, who get to open those all-important briefcases that determine a player’s fate in the game — a fate you can see all over Crofchick and Love’s faces. “Everything that you're seeing through a TV screen, we're seeing in real life,” Crofchick says. “And we get connected to these people a little bit more. We hear more of their stories. So when it's a case that we know is going to break their heart, it breaks ours first. It does truly, because we're opening it, and we're seeing that $500,000 before anyone else. It's tough.”

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And although you will never see it on screen, the Banker’s Assistants do admit to having certain people they may be rooting for… and against. “We're fans!” Crofchick says. “So you'll instantly start picking favorites. You'll never show it and never let anyone know, but there are definitely favorites and there are definitely people that we don't like — either don't like the way they play the game, don't like the things they say, don't like the integrity they have at challenges, and you kind of have to fake it on camera.”

That doesn’t mean the briefcase openers can’t show their true feelings regarding an outlandish deal. “If they make a good deal or a bad deal, just look at our reactions,” Love adds. “You'll know. Because some of them we’re like, ‘Uh, no.’ And others, we’ll be jumping up and down when they make a good deal. We're very emotionally invested.”

Meanwhile, back in the Temple, “emotionally invested” certainly describes the mood during the current game between player and Banker, although no one is quite sure what to make of a seemingly inexplicable decision by said player — a gamble that seems to buck the odds, as well as basic logic. “What a f---ing maniac,” mumbles a crew member to air while shaking his head in disbelief. Even a reality TV veteran like Parvati, who has seen and done it all, is astonished. Her mouth agape and eyes as wide as saucers, Parvati struggles to find the right words before gasping, “He’s out of his mind.”

You might say the same about television executives and producers who decided to reboot a cheesy network game show in a new island setting, but that is one deal that appears to have paid off in a big way.

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