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The person who is in charge of casting Deal or No Deal Island deserves an Emmy since they made the reality show one of Peacock’s best shows. Thanks to the hiring of Joe Manganiello, who is a great host, the Survivor Hall of Famer Parvati Shallow, and Courtney “C.K.” Kim, whose game was ruined by a twist, DONDI is a must-see. Of course, casting Dr. Will Kirby boosted DONDI’s ratings thanks to his feud against Parvati and when he confronted David Genat.
Fortunately for Alexis Lete, she was so great on Deal or No Deal Island that she became the runner-up. However, before coming in second place, Lete had an explosive falling out with C.K. that she explained to TheThings.
Deal Or No Deal Island’s Alexis Lete Explained What Went So Wrong In Her Relaionship With Courtney “C.K.” Kim
During the first episodes of Deal or No Deal Island Season 2, it was clear that Alexis Lete and Courtney “C.K.” Kim were a team. Then, the once tight pair had a falling out and it seemed like there was a lot of anger and frustration between them.
As a viewer, it was fascinating to see that Lete was so upset with C.K. considering who else she was surrounded by. For example, Dickson Wong and Dr. Will Kirby were both openly duplicitous throughout the season and Lete clearly wasn’t upset with them.
Given how much more upset Lete seemed to be with C.K., that begged an obvious question. Why did Lete’s relationship with C.K. blow up so badly? Fortunately, Lete explained to TheThings why she was so upset with C.K. during the game.
In March 2025, TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas interviewed Alexis Lete about her Deal or No Deal Island experience.
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Which Celebrities Have Played Deal or No Deal Island |
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|---|---|
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Claim To Fame |
Celebrity |
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Survivor Hall of Famer |
“Boston” Rob Mariano |
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The Real Housewives of Atlanta/The Celebrity Apprentice |
Claudia Jordan |
|
Big Brother Icon |
Dr. Will Kirby |
|
Survivor Hall of Famer |
Parvati Shallow |
|
Australian Survivor Legend |
David Genat |
|
Former Miss Indiana USA/Professional Wrestler |
Alexis Lete |
During that conversation, Lete was asked if she was so upset with C.K. because she initially trusted her. In response, Lete began by explaining how tight she once was with C.K. during the game.
“The anger from CK is we sat by each other going to every excursion, going to every temple. You know, a bus takes us to all these excursions and takes us around the island, and she was the person that I always sat by. So we did become close. We did bond on a lot of stuff because we’re not able to talk about game on the buses, but we are able to talk about nonrelated stupid things. So we bonded over that.”
After explaining what their relationship had been like, Lete went on to touch on the turning point.
During one of the most memorable moments in Deal or No Deal Island history, C.K. was caught cheating. During an excursion, C.K. had to grab a coin with one of her castmates’ name on it without seeing what she was doing. However, C.K. could see the coins and put the first one she grabbed back so she could choose another player. After being caught, C.K. was forced to choose another coin without looking that time.
In March 2025, Courtney “C.K.” Kim told TheThings that she didn’t mean to be able to see the coins and cheat. “There’s no way you can’t see it. There only this tiny little thing that barely covers it. You can see right into the box. And, again, it’s my height. I’m about probably my eyes to that box might be nine inches. So, you know, what am I gonna do? And the coins are this big. So it was definitely not intentional, and then it just kind of happened. And then because of the person that I am, I’m like, ‘Oh, wow.'”
While talking to TheThings about their relationship blowing up, Lete explained that she found C.K. cheating during the excursion to be unethical. Lete also expressed frustration that C.K. didn’t suffer a penalty for cheating as “Boston” Rob Mariano did during DONDI’s first season.
“For her to pretty much do something unethical. Right? Like, cheating is technically unethical, and it’s unethical in a game. Like, lying is ethical, technically, in a game. But cheating is not. And there’s usually repercussions. You know? Boston Rob got a penalty. She got no penalty.”
Based on what she said next, it seemed like Lete might have been able to get over C.K. cheating if things played out differently after the case.
During her March 2025 TheThings interview, Courtney “C.K.” Kim expressed how annoyed she was by players like Alexis Lete talking about playing with integrity. “I think it’s the dumbest s*** I’ve ever heard in my entire life… Lete was so about her integrity, but when Will thought about throwing the comp, she was like, ‘Yeah. Let’s do that. Like, that’s great.’ You know? So I don’t know. To me, it’s like there’s no room, I think, for integrity and honesty in a game of manipulation. You know? That’s that’s kinda the name of the game in reality TV.”
As she went on to explain to TheThings, Lete became furious when she believed C.K. was trying to blame cheating on her at the time.
“She tried to blame me for her cheating, and that just made no sense. And I was not taking any responsibility for that idea because you cheating has nothing to do with me because you’re the one who made the decision to do that. So that’s where the anger came from there.”
While continuing to discuss her relationship with her former ally, Lete went on to talk about C.K.’s other actions that made her feel betrayed.
During her TheThings interview, Lete brought up how she and her allies had worked to keep C.K. safe. As Lete explained they tried to keep C.K. safe so they could work together in the game.
“The previous day, we kept her safe. We’re like, ‘Hey. We have this idea to make sure you make it to the next round, and then you can work with us. Right?’ So then we would have the larger alliance.”
While talking to TheThings, Lete explained that despite trying to work with C.K., her former ally began helping “The Family” instead.
“So not only does she put all of our game on blast, we were down now two alliance members because she was not in it, and she sent Seychelle home. And now she was on the other side supporting Dickson, David, and Parvati. So this was a huge issue for me. And it was more frustrating because she came off as ignorant to what she was doing. You know, she didn’t realize how much she was helping David and Parvati by doing this. She thought she was screwing up everyone’s game, but, really, she was also, by screwing up people’s game, helping two people’s games specifically.”
Clearly, C.K. working with “The Family” also played a role in them having bad blood in the game.
Deal Or No Deal Island’s Alexis Lete Revealed The Current Status Of Her Relationship With Courtney “C.K.” Kim
While talking to TheThings in March 2025, Alexis Lete was asked about the status of her relationships with her former Deal or No Deal Island castmates. During that discussion, Lete revealed that there was only one of her former DONDI castmates that she isn’t friendly with.
After being asked which of her former castmates she isn’t friendly with, Lete asked TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas to guess who she was on bad terms with. During the resulting conversation, Lete reacted to the guess that she was on bad terms with C.K. by saying that wasn’t right.
With that comment, Lete confirmed that she is friendly with C.K. now that the game is over.
For anyone who wants to know the answer, Lete went on to reveal that she isn’t friendly with Phillip.
As Lete explained to TheThings, she was mad at Phillip for helping David win the after he was her ally throughout the season. Furthermore, Lete labeled Phillip a people pleaser and stated she doesn’t want someone like that in her life. “I’ll just say I do not tolerate people pleasers being in my life. I have had people pleasers in my life before, and I’ve been done dirty by them. And Philip’s a people pleaser. Right? Like, he wants everybody to like him. And if you stand for nothing, you fall for everything.”
