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Feb. 27, 2006
VEGAS S.W.A.T.
TEAM MEMBER
DEALS WAY TO
$359,000 PAYOFF
When it comes to money, never argue with Donald Trump.
Las Vegas S.W.A.T. team officer Peter Montesanti followed Trump's advice twice on Monday night's return of NBC's Deal or No Deal.
Trump, who made a surprise appearance to plug the return of The Apprentice in the hour immediately after Deal, advised Montesanti to turn down $199,000 for a shot at bigger bucks still in remaining cases onstage.
 At the time, Montesanti's wife was pleading for him to take the money so the couple could start a family with a financial cushion. With $500,000 and $750,000 still on the board, Montesanti went with Trump.
Eventually, down to two onstage cases and his own initial case (number 24) and $25, $500,000 and $750,000 still up for grabs, Montestanti was offered $359,000 to quit. He walked over to the audience to ask Trump for further advice. Trump told him to take the money. He did.
 A celebration erupted onstage and Montesanti's wife gave Trump a major hug. The $359,000 makes Montesanti the biggest winner in the six episodes of Deal.
He now claims 54th place on the all-time rankings of cash winners on network game shows. He slides in between Keith Dillihunt ($360,000) and biker chick/former police officer Maria Retkovsky ($335,000), both of whom won their bundle on NBC's Twenty One six years ago.
 Minister/wife/mother-of-two Cheryl Jackson of Plano, Tx., returns Tuesday night.
Jackson, who waited in the wings during the 50-minute game played by Montesanti, has eliminated 11 cases and selected number 16 as her own.
Among the big-money cases Jackson has lost: $100,000, $200,000 and $400,000. The smaller-dollar cases she has revealed include: $10, $25, $75, $100 and $300.
 Later in the evening....restaurant owner Summer Zervos was the first contender canned from Trump's The Apprentice 5. The 30-year-old Californian repeatedly interrupted Trump as he was preparing to fire the inept project leader Tarek Saab, a 27-year-old from New Bedford, Ma. When Zervos would not keep quiet, Trump shot back, “How stupid is that?” Admonishing Zervos, he shouted, “I’m getting ready to almost fire this guy for being a horrible leader, and you interrupt me. You did a lousy job ... and you keep interrupting me and stopping me from doing it. You're fired, Summer!"
Deal Wins Monday Nielsens
Deal picked up where it left off, winning the 8-9 p.m. slot Monday night. The game scored an 8.1/12 in fast national Nielsens for the hour, while jumping to a 9.0/15 for the 8:30-9 period.
In 18-49 age adults, the 4.5 was up 17 percent from the 3.9 for opening night last December. The Apprentice did not benefit. The premiere of the fifth edition, now on Mondays, only scored a 6.3/10 and a 4.0 in 18-49s. Only 9.6 million viewers were watching Donald Trump.
Feb. 26, 2006
LACHEY AND BURKE
WIN 2ND DANCING
WITH THE STARS
AS KEIBLER DISAPPOINTS
Not enough wrestling fans were willing to pony up phone calls to vote for Stacy Keibler Sunday night and the second Dancing with the Stars championship went to Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke.
Lachey and Burke sewed up the title with the jive and defeated future NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and partner Anna Trebunskaya.
Keibler, who has blitzed the field with her long legs and lively floor movements, was considered the favorite going into Sunday's finals. In a stunning turn of events, she and her professional partner Tony Dovolani were the first of the three pairs to be eliminated.
Dave Meltzer, the world's most acclaimed pro wrestling expert was monitoring the show on his Wrestling Observer Live show Sunday night on Sports Byline USA Network. Meltzer said, "We had her figured to finish second but, obviously, she either suffered from not enough wrestling fans willing to vote for her or from the backlash of people who hate wrestling."
The female WWE star and Dovolani trailed Lachey and Burke only 87-86 after the judges' scores were combined with Thursday night's totals. They were given a perfect 30 for their final dance on the finale. Rice and Trebunskaya were well back with 80.
However, the entire live audience was stunned and some booed when the first elimination was announced of Keibler and Dovolani. Said host Tom Bergeron: "You could feel the air go out of this place when your names were announced.”
Lachey and Burke delivered an energetic and popular cowboy dance and were considered to be a shoo-in over the popular but less talented (on the dance floor) Rice.
ABC and the series producers insist no challenge rematch will be held this time. In the first competition last summer, viewers were so incensed at what they felt was an ABC-induced effort to throw the title to General Hospital's Kelly Monaco over popular John O'Hurley, a rematch was held in early fall. O'Hurley gained a measure of revenge with his victory, teamed with partner Charlotte Jorgenson.
Monaco appeared in the audience of Sunday's live finale. O'Hurley, appearing on Broadway currently, did not.
Feb. 17, 2006
PAPA'S GOT A BRAND
NEW BAG
Jeopardy! has never before had an adult champion with the name of Papa, much less its Teen Tournament champ.
Another bit of history is by the boards as Lexington, Ky., high school sophomore Papa Chakravarthy won the 2006 Jeopardy! Teen Tournament Feb. 17.
Chakravarthy took home $75,000 as the top prize in his come-from-behind victory in the two-day finale.
 The 15-year-old Chakravarthy is a sophomore at Lexington's Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.
He defeated 14 other players in the two-week tournament. He told The Associated Press: "Jeopardy!'s been a dream for more than ten years now. I've always had that yearning to excel and I felt Jeopardy! would be a national stage where I could prove myself."
To sew up the victory, Chakravarthy correctly answered the city where Czar Nicholas II and his wife were laid to rest: St. Petersburg.
 His parents gave a big thumbs-up at the moment of his victory.
The young champion said he plans to save the majority of the jackpot for college but will contribute a portion to a local temple in the Lexington area and to the Lexington Humane Society.
Purdums Pull Down Record Wheel Cash Haul
Domingues Teams with Bob Griese to Win $114,310
Stratford Dethrones 6-Time Winner Marshall on Jeopardy!
Friday's Deal or No Deal
Thursday's Deal or No Deal
Wednesday's Deal or No Deal
Tuesday's Deal or No Deal
Monday's Deal or No Deal
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