When someone joins the cast of Deal or No Deal Island, they get to compete on a great reality show that is a must-see. As exciting as it is to compete on one of Peacock’s best shows that is hosted by Joe Manganiello, however, players have to overcome game-ruining twists and competitors who are weasels. Players may also have to beat a player like Dr. Will Kirby, whose time on the show included a “golden gods” feud, confronting people, and battling with the Survivor legend Parvati Shallow.

Since Dr. Will increased DONDI’s ratings, the show is likely to cast more chaotic players in the future. No matter who gets cast on the show in the future, Season 2 added a new element to the show that makes becoming the winner much more difficult.

Deal Or No Deal Island Season 2’s Final Excursion Made The Show Much Harder To Win

When fans discuss shows like Deal or No Deal Island, one of the things they tend to enjoy talking about the most is the strategy of the game. After all, since each reality competition show has different rules, what it takes to win becomes different.

For example, in order for someone to win Survivor, they have to get several eliminated players to vote for them. As a result, the show’s winners need to earn enough respect from those eliminated players that they get their votes.

During the first season of Deal or No Deal Island, the show’s winner didn’t have to face a jury like that. However, during the second to last episode of the show’s second season, it became clear that things had changed and winning Deal or No Deal Island had become much more difficult.

When Joe Manganiello announced the rules of the season’s final excursion, it became clear that the players had to face a jury of their peers.

That excursion required a player to get cases worth the most money as quickly as they could to win the season. Once all three remaining players finished the excursion, the person who took the longest was instantly eliminated. Then, the two players who were left have to open their cases and the person with the least money is also instantly eliminated.

The reason why that excursion made DONDI harder to win was that it wasn’t based on luck.

Throughout the final excursion, the three people who wanted to win had to ask six eliminated players for help. Those eliminated players were then able to sabotage or help the people who were still left in the game.

Since he had good relationships with the eliminated players during the excursion, David Genat got help and finished the fastest. Based on the guidance he received from the former players, David received good advice and also had the most money when the excursion was over. The help that David received based on his social skills allowed him to win the season.

When the final excursion was over, there was still one thing that was unclear. David still needed to play against the banker during a game of Deal or No Deal to decide how much money he would get as the season’s winner.

However, the season’s final excursion made a lot of things clear. For example, on top of deciding that David won the season, that excursion made it completely clear that Deal or No Deal Island was a more complicated game to win.

Since people who want to win Deal or No Deal Island need the help of eliminated players, they have to be much more careful about how they make it to the end.

After all, Deal or No Deal Island players who have enraged the eliminated players too much can no longer win the game because of that excursion.

To prove how hard Deal or No Deal Island is thanks to the final excursion, all anyone has to look at is what happened to Courtney “C.K.” Kim.

Since she became the biggest villain of the season, C.K. had many of the former players actively sabotaging her. As a result, C.K. took much, much longer to finish the excursion than the other players and was instantly eliminated from the game.

Courtney “C.K.” Kim Exclusively Told TheThings About Having The Final Excursion Ruining Her Game

In March 2025, TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas spoke exclusively to Courtney “C.K.” Kim about her Deal or No Deal Island experience. During that interview, C.K. spoke about how the final excursion ruined her chance to win Deal or No Deal Island Season 2.

Most notably, C.K. told TheThings that when she learned the rules about the final excursion, she knew she had no chance to win.

“As soon as I heard it, I was like, ‘Are you kidding me, NBC? ‘Like, I just worked this hard to get this far just to, like, pretty much know that I wasn’t gonna win when the rules were just explained to me. I was like, ‘Really?'”

While explaining why she knew she was doomed, C.K. stated that she knew she wasn’t going to get any help from the eliminated players. “Of course, the majority of this cast is not gonna help me.”

While still speaking to TheThings, C.K. expressed her opinion that the eliminated players spending time together outside the game made them hate her even more.

“They’ve had weeks back at the hotel to just “Lord of the Flies” the situation and just, like, stew and talk s*** and have a gang mentality.”

To C.K.’s point, it even seemed obvious to viewers that she was going to lose the final excursion since the former players were so angry with her.