Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 returns to the small screen in 2025 with an exciting cast of contestants aiming to win a ton of money.
Originally conceived as a spin-off of Deal or No Deal, the island-based version of the reality game show takes the drama to new levels. The first season (see more on Deal or No Deal Island Season 1 spoilers) even ended with a contestant winning $1.23 million, more than anyone in the history of the show's predecessor.
The show was quickly renewed for a second season, bringing a brand-new cast of hopefuls to the island for their chance at glory and a payday.
Host & Contestants of Deal or No Deal Island Season 2
Joe Manganiello - Host
Hollywood megastar Joe Manganiello is returning to play the role of host for a second straight season in Deal or No Deal Island.
Manganiello expressed his love for the game and the nature of the game show as something like a social experiment, enjoying the competition combined with the interactions between contestants.
Along with a role as Deathstroke in the former DCEU (specifically Zack Snyder's Justice League), Manganiello can also be seen in Spider-Man, True Blood, and both Magic Mike movies.
- Instagram: @joemanganiello
- Wikipedia: Joe Manganiello
- IMDb: Joe Manganiello
Parvati Shallow
Instagram: @pshallow
41-year-old Parati Shallow hails from Los Angeles, California and holds experience in multiple previous reality shows. She competed in Survivor on five separate occasions and was part of the cast of The Traitors Season 2.
Shallow holds advanced certifications in yoga, meditation, and breathwork, and she hopes to use those skills and two decades of reality competition experience to come away on top.
Asked by Entertainment Weekly (EW) about her reasons for joining, she wants to show up former Survivor co-stars while getting the beach experience from the island locale.
Will Kirby
Instagram: @drwillkirby1
Dr. Will Kirby joins Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 from Los Angeles, California, as the Chief Medical Officer of LaserAway, the USA's leading aesthetic dermatology group.
On top of a successful medical career, TV viewers know the 51-year-old star from his time on Big Brother 2 in 2001. There, he helped break the mold for what the show is today, forming the first alliance in Big Brother history and becoming one of the first to purposely lose competitions as a strategy.
Kirby desired to compete in this series after watching Season 1 with his 11-year-old daughter and having her say she'd love to see him win.
David Genat
Instagram: @davidgenat
Australia native David Genat (who comes from Perth) joins Deal or No Deal Island as a veteran of Survivor, along with experience as a host, actor, and thrill-seeker. He made two appearances on Australian Survivor and won an All-Star season, giving him plenty of the skills needed to succeed this time around.
Genat is a successful model after runs with Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, and he manages his career while parenting four children. His other hobbies include camping, jiu-jitsu, and riding his motorcycle.
After seeing Boston Rob in Deal or No Deal Island Season 1, Genat recalled his significant influence on his desire to first compete on Survivor. This time, he loves the challenges that come with this gameplay format, making him want to dive in headfirst.
Seychelle Cordero
31-year-old flight attendant Seychelle Cordero hopes to make a name for herself as a competitor on Deal or No Deal Island. While this is her first time on reality TV, she is a veteran Survivor watcher, having watched every season.
She has a vibrant energy from growing up in a Puerto Rican household and boasts a sharp understanding of social strategy from her reality show expertise. While she comes in nervous about the lack of air conditioning and the insects that call the island home, this living situation still piques her interest.
Although she did not think she would be on a show like this, show personnel contacted her on social media and had her check out Season 1. Enjoying what she saw, she decided to jump in and take on the challenge.
Dickson Wong
Instagram: @dickson.wong4
While 24-year-old Dickson Wong (from Wood River, Illinois) does not have a major presence on social media, he hopes to stake his claim to fame by competing on Deal or No Deal Island. This show will also mark his reality TV debut.
Wong is passionate about helping his community. He works hard with his town's Parks and Recreation office, allowing his personality and charm to shine through. Born in New York before moving to Illinois, he hopes his love of competition and reality shows will propel him to success.
That love of reality TV (including Survivor and Big Brother) drove him to want to join this series, particularly with his desire to win either show. He also remembered watching Deal or No Deal with his family, making him want to give the island-based series a shot.
Alexis Lete
Instagram: @lexlete
Alexis Lete, a 27-year-old Louisville, Kentucky native, hopes her unique life experience will give her a leg up on her competition. Although this is her first time on reality TV, she was a Division 1 volleyball player, a top-three finisher in the Miss USA pageant, and a WWE wrestler.
The six-foot-tall Lete now spends her time as an artist, and she has no qualms about using her social skills to get ahead in certain situations. Based on her experience in competitions, whether for brawns or beauty, she clarifies that she is not someone to go down easy.
Lete echoed those sentiments by saying that she has spent her whole life competing, with this show being the latest in a long line of competitions she wants to win. After coming close to winning Miss USA and learning about the politics in the WWE, she heard about this show from a friend and was quickly intrigued.
Phillip Solomon
Instagram: @psolomon12
Austin, Texas-based Phillip Solomon (37 years old) might be a reality TV rookie, but his hard work in life is something he will lean on as he looks to win Deal or No Deal. His background includes two master's degrees, a decade of experience as a middle school teacher, and years as a fitness instructor and choreographer.
Solomon learned to embrace standing out as one of the only minorities in his graduating class, breaking barriers as one of the only Black educators in his old school district. He is also the first Black male instructor in Texas at one of the country's top fitness brands, which shows his dedication to hard work.
He joined this show to escape his comfort zone, afraid of heights and water and unfamiliar with animals and the outdoors. This intentional choice made him discover how strong he was in search of a potentially huge prize.
Maria-Grace Cook
Instagram: @maria.grace00
Maria-Grace Cook, from Greer, South Carolina, is the youngest competitor in Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 at only 21 years old.
Thanks to her work as a firefighter and an EMT, Cook has toughness, serving as the only female firefighter on her shift. She also hopes to use her small-town background and innocence to her advantage in the competition before drawing on her experience with skydiving, hiking, and gym sessions to exert her dominance.
Her inclusion on Deal or No Deal Island was a fluke; she applied and got selected without a history of watching much reality TV. She watched the show when it aired after The Bachelor (whose 2024 season ended with a bang), but she still hopes to perform well against stiff competition.
Storm Wilson
Instagram: @storm_wilson
25-year-old Storm Wilson comes to this reality game show competition from Austin, Texas, hoping to make his name a household one.
Named Storm due to his birthmark resembling a lightning bolt, he now works as a project manager for a tech client. He uses his charisma to close deals regularly. In his personal life, he loves being in the water, embracing wakeboarding and boating while staying active in the gym.
While the massive prize money is the natural reason Wilson wants to be here, after talking to producers, he also loves the possibility of being in a "showmance." It's safe to say that Wilson is involved in all aspects of this competition.
Courtney "CK" Kim
Instagram: @ck_the_ace
36-year-old Courtney "CK" Kim, who comes from Charlotte, North Carolina, is no stranger to high-stakes competition.
Kim spends much of her time as a competitive poker player, earning two championship rings in the World Series of Poker. She also works as a high-profile banker and manages deals worth seven-figure totals, giving her an understanding of what it takes to be around that kind of money.
While she thought she was recruited as a poker player, she got the Deal or No Deal Island team even more excited when they learned about her banking career. Then, after meeting Boston Rob in an airport, she felt she was being sent a sign to join the competition and threw her name in the ring.
Rock Carlson
Instagram: @rock_carlson007
Deal or No Deal Island's oldest competitor in Season 2 is Henderson, Nevada's Rock Carson, a 65-year-old father of three and grandfather of six.
While he has never appeared on reality TV, he spent his life working as a correctional officer and parole agent in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation system. This experience gave him more than enough social skills to handle anything that other competitors may throw at him.
As for why Carlson is in this competition, he loves everything about the experience, including the backstabbing, drama, and excitement. On top of those aspects, the prize money at the end is not something he will ignore.
La Shell Wooten
Instagram: @lashellwooten
Based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 55-year-old La Shell Wooten enters Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 with no reality TV experience.
Growing up in New York, she is a devoted mother of two and a social worker, where she lets her knack for reading people shine through. Her master's degree in human behavior gives her a mental advantage over her competitors.
On her last watch of Season 1, Wooten saw an ad for people wanting to compete in Season 2. This made her curious about what potential competitors are asked upon applying. After messing around with her application, she got a call asking if she wanted to be a contestant, leading her to take on the challenge.
Luke Olejniczak
Instagram: @private_chef_luke
Coming out of Eagle River, Wisconsin, Luke Olenjniczak is a 29-year-old private chef who loves all things outdoors.
He has experience tracking game and fishing on the icy lakes of northern Wisconsin and trains his two scent hounds. He hopes to gain an advantage over his competition by leveraging his problem-solving abilities and physical endurance.
Olenjniczak did not pursue the show when the opportunity came to his desk; he believed he may have been in line for a spot on Next Level Chef instead. However, the chance to win a large sum of money was too good to pass up.
Sydnee Peck
Instagram: @sydneepeckk
27-year-old Sydnee Peck calls Redondo Beach, California home, where she took on responsibility as a caretaker for her siblings.
She studied behavioral neuroscience at Columbia University after going across the country, eventually pursuing a career in sales on Wall Street. These days, she is a financial consultant who continually pushes herself to stand out in a male-dominated field with impressive analytical skills.
Peck is unwaveringly confident in her chances of winning Deal or No Deal Island and is unafraid to do whatever it takes to win.
Deal or No Deal Island Season 2 debuts on NBC on Tuesday, January 7 at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes stream on Peacock the following day.
