First it was Chrissy Teigen and Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, and now it is former Southlake resident Madi Teeuws picking up a briefcase and joining NBC's new season of “Deal or No Deal.”
The show is getting a reboot almost 10 years after it stopped production, which means more families get a chance at large sums of money, more Howie Mandel jokes and a new set of briefcase models, one of which is a Carroll graduate.
Madi moved with her family to Southlake from Washington D.C. when she was 10 years old. While attending Carroll ISD's intermediate, middle and high schools, she did everything from horseback riding to soccer to softball and theater. In high school, she focused on basketball and was the shooting guard for the Dragons.
Madi went on to study at The University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated a year early. She then moved to Los Angeles in hopes of finding a job at an advertising or marketing agency. But that was put on hold when she saw an opportunity to pursue a career in modeling.
After finding out she booked a spot on the new season, Madi was “ecstatic” about venturing down to Orlando to film.
“I remember watching the show with my grandma when she would babysit me as a young kid,” Madi says. “I've always thought it was amazing how ordinary people could win such large amounts of money on luck.”
But Madi knows the show is much more than a chance to win some cash.
“I was able to witness through this experience just how much so many lives are truly changed through the show,” Madi says. “You'll see a lot of us models get very emotional and choked up on stage as we hear their stories of the contestants and root for their success.”
When you tune in to the “Deal or No Deal” 2.0 premiere, keep an eye out for Briefcase Model No. 15. Because once a Dragon, always a Dragon!