By Christina Radish
Having just finished up the first season of the highly successful new game show, Deal or No Deal, on NBC, Patricia Kara is already looking forward to season two. Hosted by Howie Mandel, the emotionally charged game is played with contestants choosing one briefcase, among 26, with monetary values ranging from one penny to $1,000,000. As each round progresses, the contestant must either stay with their original briefcase choice or make a “deal” with the bank to accept its cash offer in exchange for whatever dollar amount is in their chosen case.
As the $5,000,000 case holder on the show’s big season finale, Kara is definitely more than just a pretty face. One of the 26 women working alongside Mandel, Kara is a natural at hosting, acting and modeling, having started her career 18 years ago, in her hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
“It was so hard in Chicago because everyone thought I was too ethnic looking,” the 34-year-old of Greek decent says, in an exclusive interview with MediaBlvd Magazine. “Dark hair and dark eyes did not work. Everybody wanted the blond haired, blue eyed, girl-next-door thing. So, I ended up going to Miami for a season and tried modeling there, but it just wasn’t what I was looking for. I realized I wanted to do more acting, not modeling, so I ended up moving to New York, with the thought in mind that I would live in L.A. I thought New York would be a great beginning for acting, and continuing on with modeling. I started getting auditions from my modeling agents for acting and hosting. Hosting had just started because reality shows had just started. I ended up booking those jobs, and realized I loved it and wanted to go further with it. I was in New York for about three years, and then moved to L.A., and I’ve been in L.A. for eight years, just continuing in every avenue of entertainment, meaning modeling, acting and hosting.”
Kara came to Deal or No Deal through an auditioning process that was rather unusual, since she was not given many details about for what she was even auditioning. The audition itself consisted of talking about herself on camera, and showing off her legs, as the girls would be wearing dresses on every show.
{quote_top}“I just knew that it was something on NBC, but didn’t know exactly what it was. I went to the first audition and got a callback. When I went the second time, I still wasn’t sure what it was for. I thought it was actually a modeling reality show. I was like, ‘If this is a reality show, I don’t want any part of that. That’s not what I’m looking for.’ They just said, ‘No, it’s a game show that’s going to be on NBC, and it will be big.’”
“I went and worked on it, and we did five shows, that aired in December, and were played from Monday through Friday. It got great ratings and they said they were going to bring it back, and asked if I wanted to work on it again. It’s amazing how it’s been taking off and just opening so many doors for me and for all of us that are working on the show. It’s bigger than what we thought it would be. This show is actually in 35 countries, and it’s big in Australia and England. It’s NBC’s first #1 show since Friends.”
Over the course of the season, the 26 women on Deal or No Deal have gone from just opening the cases to really letting their personalities show. “Initially, when they started microphoning some of us, during each round, they said, ‘Feel free to say something, but keep it to a minimum.’ Now, after such great response and everybody loving getting to know the girls, they came to us and said, ‘Feel free to say more. Show your personality. Don’t hold back.’ So, now, everybody’s trying to get a monologue in. It’s a game show, so we’re having fun with it. We’re just as hooked as the viewers are, or the audience that’s there. We’re not just standing there, daydreaming. It’s difficult not to say anything. Sometimes, I’m actually like, ‘I need to hold back because I say a little too much.’”
There is no significance to the case numbers that each of the girls open, as the cases are assigned to them. “They have us go up on stage, and the producer looks at everybody, taking various things into account. I think height plays a factor, but I’m not sure what else. They just rearrange us and then take a step back to see what works. Most of the girls, now, are the same number, every time. Mine has changed a few times.”
A veteran of the business, Deal or No Deal is Mandel’s first foray as a game show host. Having publicly spoken of some of his eccentricities in the past, including his struggle with OCD, Kara says that people often ask her what it is like to work with Mandel.
{quote_middle}“He’s great because he has so many different aspects to him. As we all know, he’s really funny, but he has this dramatic side to him too. And, he has this other side to him that people don’t get to see -- he’s a family man. He’s brought his wife and kids to the set. Actually, his daughter was up with one of the suitcases, during one of the shows. He’s just a really sweet guy, who’s very much about his family. He talks about them all the time. Because of his OCD, people will ask, ‘Isn’t he nutty?,’ but he’s really not. You talk to him and he’s a great listener. He remembers everybody’s names. If you talk to him about family or work, he remembers details about other people in your life. He’s enjoyable to work with and he keeps us entertained in between takes on the show.”
Being a part of the show does not mean that the 26 women do not get as emotionally invested as the contestants themselves. Kara admits that, oftentimes, she’s just as excited or nervous as the individuals who are playing for the money.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve been on the show, jumping around, where it almost knocked a suitcase over because I’m so excited. And, there have been times I’ve been in tears. You just get really hooked. It’s addicting. I know people have said that about watching it at home, but it’s just as much for us, up on stage. You get so involved.”
So far, out of 39 shows, Kara says that the most memorable moment, for her, came with the contestant who was from her hometown of Chicago. “He was our biggest winner, and it was really cool to see a fellow Chicagoan up there, winning the big money. He’s won the most for the season -- $464,000. I was able to go out there with one of the other models, and surprise him with the check, at his door.”
Contrary to popular belief, Kara says that 26 women really can get along together. During down time, they talk, goof around and play games. “The girls have a game they play that’s just trick questions like, ‘What would you do if . . .,’ and they give a scenario. And, we talk about everything you could possibly imagine. We know everything about each other’s personal lives and work lives. When we’re on stage, in between takes, they have a DJ playing music, so we dance. We’ve all become very close. We hang out together, outside of the show. It’s created quite a bond.”
Throughout the first season, filming was sporadic, as they would add more episodes along the way. But, Kara believes that season two will become more structured, now that everyone has had time to see what works best with the show.
{quote_bottom}“Sometimes, we would shoot two or three shows a day, and it could be three or four days in a row. For the second season, they’re talking about having a set schedule. With the first season, we’d get a phone call saying, ‘Are you available to do six more shows on these dates?’ Now, I think they’re going to set a couple times a week, every other week. The first season, nobody knew what to expect, and we all just kind of rolled with it. The second season should be interesting, and more organized. The first time around, they were just trying to figure it all out.”
Because the women are allowed to take other work, so long as it doesn’t interfere too much with the shooting schedule, Kara is still looking for more hosting opportunities. “Hosting is so much fun. I’ve hosted the U.S. Surf Open, a fishing show, the Kentucky Derby, wake boarding, paintball. It’s always something different, and I get to try whatever it is I’m hosting. I get to meet such a variety of people. It’s spontaneous, and I love that part of it.”
With all the doors that have opened to her, as a result of the exposure that comes with having a hit show, Kara reveals that she is always looking to the future. “I would love to do more acting, definitely. I’d like to be the next Kelly Ripa, and have my acting show that I could do, and than do the hosting. That would be awesome. But, as long as I’m working in the entertainment field, that’s what makes me happy. We’ll see where it goes, but I definitely want to continue with what I’m doing, and go for bigger and better things. Right now, I’m definitely going to enjoy every moment, and just enjoy the process.”
