Deal or No Deal?

Okay, I confess: I occasionally watch parts of Deal or No Deal? And after having watched parts of several shows the past couple years, I'm ready to announce that the show is an absolute fraud. Why do I say that? Because there is no way that a real person would turn down some of the offers that those actors turn down. If you think that I am off my rocker, then try watching an episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? On Millioniare, it is common for contestants to say such things as, "You know, Meredith, $16,000 is a lot of money; I just can't risk it (for $25,000) when I am not certain about the answer to that question." Put simply, it is obvious that the contestants on Millionaire are real, whereas the contestants on Deal or No Deal? are actors. Now try watching an episode of Deal or No Deal? from that perspective. By way of example, tonight I saw a guy turn down over $600,000 for a 2/3rds chance of winning a million. What did the guy ultimately win? Well, it came down to a 50-50 chance of him winning $1 (imagine that?) or $1 million (boy, that sure makes for great drama!). And what do you think would make for better water cooler banter: the foolish guy who turned down a $600,000 offer or the guy who won $1 million? The actor won $?????? I told you it was a farse. And while we are on the subject of real or fake, what about your life? Is it "real," or does it just look "real"? That's the true million dollar question.