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The theatre of Andrew O’Keefe

He could sell ice to the eskimos, but Deal or No Deal's host tells TV Tonight he doesn't mind if people dislike his "flippant theatrics."

aokAfter 1250 episodes he still gets excited, even shamelessly flamboyant, at the prospect of opening yet another briefcase. But how does Andrew O’Keefe muster up the enthusiasm he propels into Deal or No Deal?

“I enter the studio with a different agenda to the contestant,” he explains to TV Tonight.

“For them it’s about winning some cash, for me it has nothing to do with how much they win, it’s about keeping people’s eyes glued to the box. A large part of that has to do with the money but the mode of dispensing the money hasn’t changed for 1250 episodes. So you’ve got to give them something else.

“My three aims, I think, are to give people a little bit of comedy, a little bit of conversation and a little bit of drama. If we give bake that particular cake each episode then I think people will continue to come to the table.”

One of the hardest-working faces on television, O’Keefe has been known to front three television projects in the one week: Deal or No Deal, Weekend Sunrise and The Rich List. He even had his own variety experiment on 7HD, This is your Laugh.

With his theatrical style, O’Keefe could sell ice to the eskimos, and probably enjoy doing it at the same time -or if he didn’t, at least give a convincing performance that he did. But underneath that snake oil veneer lies an academic mind, and a former career in law.

“I did 4 years in a pretty generalist Arts degree,” he recalls. “I studied French, History, Italian, Anthropology, English Literature –all of the things that qualify you to become a waiter in Richmond or Newtown. It was only the Law that had any applicable use, I suppose.

“I have always known that dilettantism is going to come in handy for something. It comes in handy when you’re trying to spread yourself thinly across 1250 episodes of a game show.

“One of the great benefits of allowing yourself a long, formal education is that there are plenty of extra-curricular activities that go along with that. So you find yourself in the Drama Society, the Debating Society and the brass band and the rock band comp. I had a tremendously broad –it might have been shallow– kind of education. So I have a wide range of reference points for things.”

That allows him the ability to turn a seemingly straightforward moment such as opening another briefcase in Deal as something akin to opening the ark of the covenant. Working without script, O’Keefe can, and frequently does, spin a moment into a grand affair. But it is a style that can be divisive.

“I don’t over-estimate the effect that that has on the viewer. Some people detest it,” he concedes. “They think I’m a real wanker, and I probably am. But for my own sense of fun, if nothing else, I love bringing the theatre into the studio.”

While he knows his style may be off-putting to some viewers, O’Keefe says any performer is lying to themselves if they say it doesn’t hurt when people lambast them.

“I don’t really care if someone says ‘Oh that Andrew O’Keefe and his flippant theatrics, he’s such a wanker.’ That doesn’t bother me.

“But if someone says ‘Oh Andrew O’Keefe he’s a prize fool,’ then that bothers me because I’m not. And indeed what I do on the television is based on a long history of personal learning. So it depends on the nature of the criticism, I suppose,” he says.

Last year after a private celebration turned into front pages on the tabloids, he got a surprising lesson in the fairness of the Australian public. The media was soundly slapped for beating up the story. O’Keefe received message of support at almost every turn.

“I did find that really surprising because when you read the tabloids you start to think everyone’s got the knives out. And it was really gratifying and encouraging, not just for myself, but it was an encouraging statement about who we are as the reading public. We’ve got a little more sense than what we’re often credited with I think,” he says.

“It was really interesting for me to see because there were other situations for other people where I’ve seen the reading public whipped up into a moral hysteria about something. There have been various stories about drugs in sport or infidelities, and the media goes crazy to generate this cyclone of morality. And sometimes people are drawn into that.

“But that particular incident the readers drew the line and said ‘We refuse to be whipped up into a posse about this.’ There will be no lynching. There is a line that must be drawn at some point.”

As Deal leads into national wins for Seven News, the Nine Network continues to do its best to compete. Its latest venture, Hot Seat with Eddie McGuire is its best shot so far.

Hot Seat has definitely found its niche,” says O’Keefe. “I don’t think it will be going anywhere soon. But as some media are fond of reminding us, Eddie McGuire is a man who loves a fight. And in those terms I’m pleased to see that we’re winning the fight currently.

“I don’t know what the stats are, but it’s about 127 to 3. The three were during that week of statistical anomaly of aggregation from GO!”

Hot Seat beat Deal for three shows when GO’s ratings, including Bewitched, were merged with Nine.

To distract from the enemy, the show has also been employing stunt programming, with ideas including Fantastic Four, The Banker’s Rematch and even a one hour episode. The show will also have a week where its all time biggest losers are back for a second shot.

“But that’s not to say that we’re unconcerned by Hot Seat. It’s certainly been the most successful of the challenges to Deal yet. I suppose the upside to that is that it has forced us, for the first time in a while, to have a good look at our format and find voids that we can fill with something new and interesting.”

O’Keefe, who has even moved base from Sydney to Melbourne, is in for the long haul. So could he still be turning on the theatrics for the next 1250 episodes?

“I’m always looking for new things to do to extend a bit. And just to keep the brain active. I am able to do Deal on auto-pilot, and I’ve done so on days when I’ve been ill or distracted by other events, or dare I say it even hung over, but you wouldn’t want that to be your default position. You wouldn’t auto-pilot to be the norm.

“At the first signs, I suppose, that that is the case is when I will consider pulling the plug on the Deal,” he says.

“As long as it remains fun, and it still does, then I’m very pleased to do it,” he says. “As long as I don’t feel that I’m operating on auto-pilot then I’m pleased to do it. As long as I don’t feel my skill base is atrophying by hanging around too long, then I’m still pleased to do it.”

Deal or No Deal airs 5:30pm weekdays on Seven.

24 Responses

  1. Idont have any comment, and i like to contact him to join the program deal or no deal and i like to registered my name on the waiting list please help me how can i contact him , thank you very much indeed for helping any assistant,i am from qld,
    thank you again,
    fely pearce

  2. I have been meaning to contact Andrew O’Keefe and the producers of the Deal or no Deal TV show for such a long time to say that he needs to loose his false laugh as it seriously spoils the show.
    Such a false laugh I have not heard in 50 years.
    Also he goes on and on with ”rabble”. The show would not loose anything he could take this constructive comments and discard both these annoying traits.
    Yours sincerely, Alan Martin

  3. I can’t stand him to be honest.

    Off the topic a little his show could do better if they had a comedy from the nineties or earlier part of this decade as a lead in rather than those outdated hello the korean war is long gone and so is 1983 Mash Reruns.

  4. I used to hate Andrew but I have grown to like him, especially on weekend Sunrise. In fact, the only time I will watch Sunrise is on the weekend when Andrew is on. The weekday version is rubbish. His comments can be pretty damn funny and almost overstepping the line on occasions. Its great to watch.

  5. I think Andrew’s alright. I mean you do have to give him credit for turning a show about opening suitcases into a ratings success story, and the Australian Deal or No Deal is way better than the UK show and I think that lies largely with the host.

  6. Wow I can’t believe the amount of dislike for this guy. I’d say the only gameshow host I like more than him would be Larry Emdur, but seeing as he’s no longer hosting any shows about a how correct the price of a certain item is, then Andy takes the top spot.

  7. Yes I agree David, it’s at least something that he accepts that he is disliked by many and he should be congratulated that somehow he manages to keep fresh a boring and inane show like Deal Or No Deal. And just in case anyone’s thinking to throw in the dreaded “if you don’t like it don’t watch it” axiom, I don’t watch it.

  8. This guy is a champion- I can see why some people might not like his style, but I’m not one of them. For some reason I find his performance on The deal as heaps entertaining- he makes what would be a fairly bland show, an exciting show. If, say, Bert Newton hosted Deal or No deal, there is no way this show would have lasted 5 years.

  9. On second thought … if Andrew wore clown makeup and a big curly wig for all his performances then he may be watchable … at least he would be “looking” believable!
    Jack!

    1. A little kudos for his candour would not be out of line here. At least he has acknowledged his delivery is not everyone’s cup of tea. Television is a landscape full of colours and style. You only have to look to others who rely on an autocue for hosting. Both Andrew and Eddie are the ultimate sales reps for their prospective networks.

  10. To “The Realist” : I don’t watch any of his shows, usually because he is on them … I, and many others, would watch these shows if he were not there … I fail to see how he has any “talent” in what he does … it is all about liking him to like the show, that is how it works, people usually don’t watch shows when they don’t find the stars appealling … (the failure of The Beautiful Life is a perfect example of that) … arrogance (or what comes accross as arrogance) and generally acting like a “wanker” completely destroys any “talent” in anyone’s performance …
    Jack!

  11. Get a life Jack, Whether or not you like him or his show doesn’t make a difference. He is a talent and should be recognised for making such a routine event such fun. If you don’t like it, watch hot seat or something else. As Steven g says below, it his ‘unpredictability’ that makes Andrew O’Keefe such a talent and DOND such a success. If you can say good things about someone, just say nothing….

  12. “They think I’m a real wanker, and I probably am” Pretty much. It’s one thing to carry on like a turkey to keep a stale game show moving, but to be an obnoxious twit, talk over everyone, and continually gasp for airtime on weekend sunrise, is why i can’t stomach the guy.

    could you imagine him with his own talk show? it would be called ‘andrew o’keefe on andrew o’keefe’, the guests would never get a look in.

  13. never around to watch an episode of Deal, but he’s what draws me to Weekend Sunrise. The interaction of him and Sam just make my Sunday morning – a bit of cheek, a bit of news, just what you want

  14. I can’t stand him, never could … nothing to do with “tall poppy syndrome”, it is all about his arrogance … I think people watch his shows Despite him, not because of him … he is unbearable on Weekend Sunrise so I try to ignore him just to see the stories I want, but I can’t take it for long … another case of “jobs for the boys” regardless of their appeal and talent … and that is exactly the same for Eddie as well … can’t stand to watch anything he is on either!!!
    …”wanker” sums them both up beautifully!!!
    Jack!

  15. Except in SE Queensland. That slot’s fortunes, have simply been handed to the Gold Coast viewership, and it is often firmly arc welded to their local news (which runs in Hot Seat’s slot, giving a boost to Hot Seat’s Brisbane figure). Deal’s falling in Brisbane, simply because of Seven’s lack of faith in local product, and lack of action on the Extra axing.

    I hope Seven realises it’s predicament, before sub-80k DoNd results in Brisbane appear…

  16. Of course Hot Seat is ‘ the most successful of the challenges to Deal yet.’

    It’s the only one which has been given a chance to find it’s feet – and audience.

  17. love or hate him or the show, he has done an amazing job to keep one of the most repetitive, inanae game shows in the history of television fresh for 1250 episodes…for that alone he deserves kudos…

  18. I never thought I’d agree with anything this guy says, but for once I am humbled.
    ‘Oh that Andrew O’Keefe and his flippant theatrics, he’s such a wanker.’
    Bravo

  19. Andy’s unpredictability is what I like most about him. You never know if he is going to go left or right and that can change in an instant. He is a cool tv personality and not a cardboard cutout like we are constantly dished up again and again. Go Andy !

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