‘Deal or No Deal’ Contestant: Who Is Bryce Gage From ‘Small Town, Big Dreams’ Episode?

On tonight’s new episode of Deal or No Deal, hosted by Howie Mandel, Bryce Gage is the lucky contestant hoping to win one million dollars. Of the 11th episode in the new season, CNBC says “High school choir director Bryce Gage has big dreams for his small town of Marble Falls, Texas, and he hits the stage ready to play for his million-dollar opus.” This week’s episode is promising a “good surprise.”

When Howie Mandel introduces Gage to the stage, he emerges from the audience in a maroon vest, pink button down, and glasses, and immediately goes up to Mandel to give him a hug. When Mandel asks him about himself, he says “I am Bryce Gage. You already knew that. I am married to the most beautiful woman in the world for 10 years this past summer, Shannon. I have two incredible daughters… I’m a high school choir director in a town called Marble Falls, Texas, which is the greatest town in the world.” Mandel says he’s never heard of the town, to which Gage reveals that there are only about 7,000 people living there, outside of Austin and San Antonio.

As a choir teacher, he travels the world with his students; they are planned to travel to Munich, Salzberg, and Prague next year. Continuing his introduction, he told Mandel “the one thing you don’t know about me is I am super competitive. I have been a soloist in Carnegie Hall, I have pretty decent basketball skills, and I know this game better than anybody.”

Howie asked him what he would want to do with the money if he won on the show, to which he replied “my wife and I, we’re both teachers and so at the rate it’s going, we’re going to be 70 years old before we’re allowed to retire… this could take decades off paying for our house.” He also said that his house has a 1999 18 inch TV that needs to be replaced.

For moral support, Gage had his two daughters in the audience and brought his wife and two friends up on stage for guidance while competing.

According to 101HighlandLakes.com, who spoke with Bryce Gage, he said he was inspired to apply to compete after his friend tagged him in a social media post that said TV game shows were looking for teacher contestants. Of being chosen, he said he was moved that “someone thought I was unique enough or interesting enough or normal enough that they’d want to choose me.” In spite of the great experience, however, Gage told them he likely will have to watch the episode after it airs, because his students have a dress rehearsal for “Newsies: The Musical” that night.

In a sneak peek released ahead of the episode, the banker offers Gage $23,000, which he comments is “almost half [his] salary;” to sweeten the offer, she also includes an all-expense paid trip to London for 25 of his choir students. The clip cuts immediately after he finishes reading the offer, so fans of the show will have to wait and see if he takes it. In another clip, however, there are far fewer cases left on the board so it can be assumed that he does not take that offer from the banker. At that point in the game, Mandel is telling everyone to focus on there being $500,000 in the case Gage chose at the start (case 2), so it appears that at that point, $500,000 is the highest remaining amount.

Watch new episodes of Deal or No Deal on CNBC at 9/8pm CT.