Speaking to Zingo Bingo, former contestant Jayne said:
Why did you apply to be on the show?
“Well it was iconic wasn't it? I'd watched it and I thought, “You know I'm gonna give this a go,” and I applied for it and I pretty much heard back straight away. I had the audition and I was a big fan of Noel Edmonds too, and he was just incredible. Everything was off the cuff. There was no scripting or anything. He's a really, really bright guy.
“I didn't know when they would play me, but they're filming three shows a day. They have one at 8:30am and there was one just after lunch and then there was a late one as well. You just didn't have a clue.”
Why do you think you were chosen in the interview?
“I just think I'm good in front of the camera. I'm just so animated and I'm not afraid to talk. I'm not shy on camera. I think that's what they are after. It’s about being yourself and not trying to be something else. I've always been like that and I think that's maybe what they liked.”
What did a day of filming look like?
“We got there, everybody had breakfast together, then you were taken off to film for the day, then you came back, you had dinner together, you weren't allowed to walk around and about and outside. It was bizarre but you were treated so well. They did occasionally take us out somewhere where we'd have a meal out. But we were in this sort of bubble. We got really close with the contestants that you play with. It was an incredible experience.”
What was your reaction when you were chosen to play?
“We knew that they were going to play someone Welsh because it was Saint David's Day the day they recorded. They had all the daffodils when we came in. I didn't expect them to play me. I had a bit of a meltdown because I didn’t have my family there in the studio.
“I was really, really upset. They’d come in earlier in the week for two days of filming. So the day I didn’t have anybody was the day they chose me to play. I was absolutely crying my eyes out. Then, Noel Edmonds came backstage and he was just like he was like a dad. He was just so nice.”
How did it feel playing Deal or No Deal? Did you have any tactics?
“I played the most perfect game that I could have ever played. I was never going to win. I always said that I wouldn't deal on anything less than £20,000. I wiped out all the big numbers and the rest remaining were other small blue boxes. The banker offered me £10,000, and I said ‘No Deal.’ Noel said that I was brave, because I stuck to my word. But, at the end of the day, I came here with nothing as everybody says.”
“And the next round then I took out 3 blues. There was something like £10 in my box I remember, and the banker offered me £20,000 and that’s when I took it. It was just the most amazing experience and nobody can ever take that away from me. I can’t believe it’ll be 20 years next year. It feels like yesterday.”
What was Noel Edmonds like behind the scenes?
“He was just so lovely. When I was crying backstage, he said ‘Listen you've got a big family out there, everybody's gonna support you.’ He was just so nice, so normal, so down to earth, but just always made you feel really comfortable. I was blown away by how nice he was. He’s just a really nice guy.”
What do you think of the revamped version of the show? Do you think Stephen Mulhern is doing a good job?
“I'm sure he's a really nice guy, Steven, I just don’t know. I’ve done the original but he’s just not Noel Edmonds. It’s just not the same.”
Do you think Deal or No Deal will last another five, ten or 15 years?
“No, I don’t think so. We're getting sort of bigger and better shows now. It’s like pop bands, when they reach their pinnacle and once you’ve hit that, just retire.”
Have you kept in touch with anyone from the show?
“Yes, so there was another Welsh guy that came on, called Andrew. I stayed friends with him. There was a girl called Chantelle I was friends with for ages. I've still got about 4 or 5 people on my Facebook page that are ex-contestants and we always get the messages like, ‘Oh, our episode is on Challenge again.’ They replay episodes on there quite a lot. I think they've replayed it about 4 or 5 times.”
Did anyone recognise you in real life when you came off the show?
“I got stopped in the supermarket. I felt like a celebrity when I came off the show, because it was so big then Deal or No Deal, as I say it was such a cult show and so many people watched it. I got recognised quite a bit.”
What did you spend the money on?
“I married my husband, we got married in Mauritius. During the show, they asked me that question, what would you do with the money? I said I’d give some to charity, which I did. Then the rest was on getting family and friends to Mauritius to celebrate with us.”
Were there any boxes or numbers you avoided?
“None, but there were people that you avoided. During the show they called me The Black Widow because I just historically always had large numbers of cash in the boxes I had. That’s the worst thing about it. You’ve got someone playing who you’ve really bonded with, and then they choose you and you’ve got £250,000. I was wiping out people’s money and that was so hard. You’re just ruining someone’s life.”
Was there anything in your episode that didn’t make it to air?
“Everything always gets edited, because if you’re filming for three hours each episode, it’s then aired for only one hour, maybe 45 minutes, on TV. Lots are going to get taken out anyway. But I was filming three episodes a day, so it was really long.”
What was something that surprised you about the show?
“The studio is smaller than what it actually looks like on TV. It's a lot more intimate I think, and the audience are always fabulous and they always have the regulars in there. They also give you lessons on how to open the box. Also, the banker was not one single person. The banker was a few people. If you’re having a personal conversation with someone, they might be listening in through your microphone.”
If you were to get on the show again, what would you do differently?
“Nothing at all. I would play exactly the same as I played. I would just be me. I didn't have any tactics. I chose people who I was getting a feel for, but that didn’t work because I wiped out loads of big numbers. I think I got rid of the £250,000 box in the second round. Don’t go on a quiz show thinking you’re going to win. Just think you’re going to have the best time ever.”
