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Throughout Deal or No Deal Island Season 2, reality show fans got to meet a truly great cast that made the show one of Peacock’s best. DONDI became a must-see show due to how great Joe Manganiello is as a host, Seychelle Cordero being hilariously blunt, and the Survivor Hall of Famer Parvati Shallow’s feuds. Deal or No Deal Island’s ratings were also boosted by Dr. Will Kirby, whose “golden gods” feud was amazing and who confronted David Genat in a stunning moment.
There is also no doubt that Phillip Solomon and Dickson Wong also made DONDI great even though they played completely differently. Despite that, the sad fact is that Phillip and Dickson told TheThings about the brutal backlash they both faced.
Deal Or No Deal Island’s Phillip Solomon And Dickson Wong Faced Brutal Fan Backlash
During Deal or No Deal Island Season 2, Phillip Solomon went to great lengths to play the game with integrity. While every reality show star has to be deceptive occasionally, Phillip was virtually always honest with his castmates.
On the other hand, Dickson Wong was a self-professed weasel during his Deal or No Deal Island tenure. Perfectly willing to betray people in the game, Dickson made deals that he couldn’t or wouldn’t live up to seemingly without a second thought.
Considering how differently they played the game, it seems like Phillip and Dickson should have received very different responses from viewers. Despite that, Phillip and Dickson both told TheThings that they both faced brutal fan backlash.
In March 2025, TheThings journalist Matthew Thomas interviewed Phillip Solomon and Dickson Wong together about their 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, both DONDI players were asked about the reactions they got from the reality show’s fans. In response, Phillip revealed that one viewer sent him an extremely deplorable message on social media.
My personal favorite is that someone dm’d me to say that black people like me are the reason racism exists.
As appalling as it is that anyone would send Phillip a message like that for any reason, it is remarkable to see how the Deal or No Deal Island star reacted.
Simply reading that someone sent Phillip that message is bound to make most people angry. With that in mind, it is easy to imagine Phillip reacting to receiving a message like that with anger and disgust, among other extreme emotions.
While talking to TheThings in March 2025, Phillip Solomon expressed how happy he was to have met and bonded with Dickson Wong. “Why I came to the show was to make relationships like I made with [Dickson], where we never would have met each other normally, but we had so much in common, so much that overlap from between our past, our present, and our future. And I think that just in having a few years on him, I saw so much of myself in my twenties, and I was Dickson.”
While Phillip didn’t reveal how he initially responded to that message, his perspective on it now is incredible. Instead of expressing anger at that message while talking to TheThings, Phillip mocked how historically inaccurate that message very clear is.
“Let’s be honest. It’s 2025. That’s historically inaccurate.”
On top of revealing that he was sent an extremely hateful message and how he reacted to that, Phillip also explained to TheThings that he was sent a lot of negativity.
I got a lot of unnecessary hate and insults on Instagram and Twitter or whatever else.
Keeping in mind how people treated Phillip, it is fascinating to look at the reactions that Dickson received.
While talking to TheThings in March 2025, Dickson Wong explained how big of a reality show fans he is. With that in mind, it seems clear that Dickson expected other fans like him to react with respect for him trying to play the game hard.
Even though many viewers feel that he is duplicitous in real life, Dickson Wong told TheThings in March 2025 that he carries himself with integrity in his real life. “[Deal or No Deal Island] Dickson and real life Dickson are two different people. I’m more definitely like Philip in real life where I do strive on integrity, doing what’s right in the world, compared to, you know, a game show where I am being edited as a character.”
Unfortunately for Dickson, however, he explained that he received a lot of hate from fans. To be more specific, Dickson explained that a lot of people reached out to judge him as a person.
“I feel like I’ve gotten more negative reactions than I thought I would. You know, I’ve heard some people say I have mommy and daddy issues. I’m a narcissist. I’m stupid. I’m a follower. You know, a lot of that stuff.”
Dickson went on to explain that while he owns being a weasel in the game, he feels the claims he has mommy and daddy issues are completely off-base. Dickson then rightfully pointed out that the version of him that fans saw on Deal or No Deal Island was a TV character who’d been played up and edited to look that way.
“I’ll own it to the sense that I did play a weasely game. But to the mommy and daddy issues and stuff like that, I’m not gonna own because, you know, again, I’m playing a character on a show. And it’s part of the social game. It’s like, if David and Parvati wanna play a family alliance, I’m more than willing to call them mom and dad. You know, that’s part of the social game there, building trust and stuff like that.”
The fact that Phillip and Dickson both received so much hate shows that it is near impossible for reality show stars to not be criticized. On the bright side, at least Phillip got some love from fans too.
Deal Or No Deal Island’s Phillip Solomon Received Love From Fans Too
When Phillip Solomon was asked by TheThings about what kind of reaction he received from fans, he began his comments by stating that he wasn’t only going to focus on the negative. “Let’s start negatively so we can end it positively.” True to his word, Phillip went on to also reveal that he was being embraced by some DONDI fans.
During Deal or No Deal Island, Phillip showed a lot of heart and was very open about things that he’d overcome. While talking exclusively to TheThings, Phillip revealed that his openness motivated many people to reach out to him with love and support.
“I have received so many amazing messages from kids, teenagers, parents, mothers, fathers being like, ‘You’re my kid’s favorite because he had a teacher like you or because you’re so vulnerable and willing to put yourself out there.'”
While talking to TheThings, Phillip stated how much it meant to him to have people relating to and feeling motivated by his story and behavior.
For me, that was the reason that I came to the show.
Phillip finished his comments by explaining that he accepted that he was going to receive both love and hate from viewers. “It does totally even out at the end of the day of you take the good, you take the bad you understand that not everyone will love you or the game that you played.” While that is very mature, the fact remains that nobody should have to deal with the kind of hate that Phillip and Dickson have had sent their way.
