Knowing when to say ‘enough’

MARQUEZ. Overplayed his lucky streak.

AFTER a stressful opening-week telecast due to beginner’s nerves and a mercurial celebrity contestant, “Deal or No Deal” host, Luis Manzano, did better on the show’s second telecast with the more tractable Joey Marquez trying really hard to make as much as P2 million.

Joey expected to win a lot of money, because he had phenomenal luck for much of the game. Time and time again, the attache cases he selected contained low denominations, so the game’s biggest amounts remained up for grabs up to the game’s fourth quarter.

Humble pie

The celebrity contestant did so well that the show’s unseen Banker offered him as much as P215, 000 to quit. That was a lot of money, but Joey overplayed his lucky streak, and it quickly caught up with him. In two consecutive fell swoops, the P1-million and P2-million pots went up in a puff of excessive smugness, and the star had to eat humble pie and ended up settling for a much smaller amount.

—Well, we trust that Joey learned a key lesson from his humbling experience—as, vicariously, should we all: A lucky streak is called a streak precisely because it doesn’t last, so make sure you know when to say “enough”—before the fickle finger of fate gooses you.

But, Joey is still lucky, because he made a small pile of money—unlike some celebrity contestants in the game show’s old edition, who “won” only a few pesos for their pains. Let’s hope that none of the new edition’s players end up suffering that ignominious fate.

More assured

As for game master Luis, he was more assured and relaxed on the show’s second telecast, and kept up with comedian Joey’s occasional bursts of humor.

Perhaps sooner than expected, as he learns how to handle all sorts of players and situations, Luis can win enough hosting plus points to not only make his game show an unqualified success, but to also go on to hosting a talk show, just like his dad Edu used to do so well.

Involvement

—Unfortunately, Luis isn’t doing as swimmingly well as co-host of his other new TV involvement, Sarah Geronimo’s musical-variety show. He merely passed muster in its first telecast, and he did even less well thereafter, making us wonder if he didn’t do his homework.

In fact, in the show’s “comedy portion,” Luis and the other guys in the skit botched the brief comedy tune they were supposed to “sing,” and came off as rank and unfunny amateurs.

Is Luis too busy for his own good? If so, he should re-evaluate his priorities, because his new TV showcases deserve greater focus and effort on his part.

It’s unusual that a young TV personality is entrusted with two big shows, so he should count his blessings and do his level best to meet or even surpass viewers’ expectations. Of those to whom much is given in the biz, much more is expected.