From Briefcase Model to Banker: Chrissy Teigen's Deal or No Deal History, Explained
"Back then, I was just part of the game. But now, I am the game."
Two decades after holding a fateful silver briefcase on the very first season of Deal or No Deal, Chrissy Teigen has taken control of the game.
The Sports Illustrated model, podcast host, mother of four, and cookbook author officially revealed herself as DONDI Season 2’s Banker in the finale episode on March 25, adding another title to her already stacked resumé.
Deal or No Deal Island Host Joe Manganiello had hinted to NBC Insider that this season’s new Banker would “make sense,” just as Howie Mandel did for the first season. And while her reveal was certainly a shock, Teigen’s history with Deal or No Deal, coupled with her unbridled love for reality TV, only confirms that there was no one better for the job.
Below, we revisit Teigen’s history with Deal or No Deal, unpack her DONDI Banker reveal, and more.
When was Chrissy Teigen a briefcase model on Deal or No Deal?
Teigen was a briefcase model for the pilot and first season of Deal or No Deal, which premiered in December 2005 on NBC. She held briefcase #12.
She also briefly appeared in Season 2 in a different role — off the stairs. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Teigen jokingly called it a demotion.
“I did it from the pilot season to first, but then I got demoted because I couldn’t walk down the stairs,” Teigen told Andy Cohen in 2018. “Like I literally was fired, well not fired, but I couldn’t be a ‘briefcase girl,’ so they made me a ‘banker girl.’ I don’t even know, it was a very blurry time in my life.”
After opening briefcases for a season, Teigen then served as a devious messenger on Deal or No Deal. In Season 2, for instance, Teigen — wearing all black with her hair slicked back in a bun — delivered a contestant a glass beaker full of spit from the villainous Banker. “That bothers me. Go, just go, I don’t want that around here,” Mandel said in the episode as Teigen walked away with a smirk.
In 2020, Teigen joked again about her trajectory on the show while sharing a throwback photo of herself on Instagram holding a briefcase of $750,000. “This feels like an alternate universe," she captioned the photo, adding in the comments, “I never understood when I was supposed to make the sad face. I think that's why I was gently replaced.”
Chrissy Teigen worked with Meghan Markle on Deal or No Deal
During the second season of Deal or No Deal, Teigen crossed paths with Meghan Markle when the future Suits actress was a briefcase model on the game show. This was, of course, long before Markle married Prince Harry and became the Duchess of Sussex. Years after their time on Deal or No Deal, Teigen only has fond memories of working together.
“I was on Deal or No Deal with her, and she was lovely,” Teigen said on Watch What Happens Live in 2018. “Everyone wants a good story. And I remember [Markle being] very quiet and sweet. I got nothing! Yeah, [she was] really kind, and I don’t say that about anybody!”
In another appearance on Watch What Happens Live in 2021, Teigen once again spoke kindly about Markle. “She is really wonderful and so kind,” she told Cohen. “Just as kind as everyone says she is.”
Chrissy Teigen has always been a reality TV junkie
Not only was Teigen a judge on NBC’s reality competition series Bring The Funny with Kenan Thompson, Jeff Foxworthy, and Amanda Seales, but she simply can’t get enough reality TV. Especially if Bravo is making it.
“We're a TV household, we have a TV in every room,” Teigen told Architectural Digest during a home tour in 2023, adding that Bravo is “always playing in the background.”
“It's part of the tapestry of the home, like the fabric of the home,” her husband, The Voice Coach John Legend, jokingly added.
RELATED: Chrissy Teigen Describes Family "Chaos" of Son Miles' Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis
In 2019, Teigen even (kinda) threw a party at her home for her favorite reality TV personalities, including stars from Vanderpump Rules, Below Deck, Southern Charm, and a few ladies from The Real Housewives franchise.
She’s also revealed that she rewatches past seasons of her favorite reality shows in the middle of the night.
“You know I do rewatches all the time,” Teigen told Cohen on Watch What Happens Live in March 2025. “At 4:30 a.m., I was watching the Nene wedding special [from The Real Housewives of Atlanta]. Like, I took it back 12 years.”
Truly, Teigen’s love for all forms of reality TV goes deep. Professionally, Teigen was also a host on Lip Sync Battle and a judge on her courtroom reality series, Chrissy’s Court. She even got a 4-Chair Turn when she appeared on The Voice in 2018. And now, she can add being the Banker on Deal or No Deal Island to her ever-growing list of accolades.
Chrissy Teigen revealed herself as the Banker on Deal or No Deal Island Season 2
During the finale episode of DONDI Season 2, Teigen revealed herself to the whole cast before she and David Genat faced off for one final game at Temple.
“It is time to meet the face behind the game, the mastermind behind the madness, the queen of the competition, the Banker!” Manganiello said as Teigen appeared and everyone gasped. Perhaps Luke Olejniczak from Wisconsin put it best when reacted to the Banker reveal by saying, “Oh, cripes, Holy cats, eh?”
“It has been a thrill watching you guys play the game I so carefully crafted. But, David, you’re actually not the only one who made some power moves to get here,” Teigen said. “Long before I was Chrissy the Banker, I was actually Christine, case model #12. So as you can see back then, I was just part of the game. But now, I am the game.”
And after eight nail-biting rounds, the former Survivor Australia star accepted Teigen’s massive offer of $5.8 million, “the highest offer in Deal or No Deal history.”
RELATED: Every Time David Genat Almost Spilled His Survivor Australia Secret on DONDI
“Thank you, Banker, for the wildest, most unpredictable season ever,” Manganiello said to Teigen, who saluted the group.
“David, congratulations, truly. Incredible, incredible game,” Teigen added. “I’m very happy for you and your family, I really am.”
As Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 made history with that colossal cash prize, Teigen asked about her own fate on the show. “Am I fired?” she joked as the credits rolled. “I’m literally the worst Banker of all time.”
Watch Deal or No Deal Island on Peacock.
