On Monday, December 10, NBC airs a limited run game show hosted by Howie Mandel called Take It All.  In this series, contestants are matched up against each other to win ever more elaborate and expensive prizes and then steal the prizes that other contestants have won.  At the end, the final two contestants have the option of going home with their prizes or trying to win both sets of prizes.  The catch?  If both contestants secretly elect to "take it all," then neither contestant wins anything.  It's a battle of wits, will, and bluffing to see which contestant can outmaneuver and outsmart the rest to go home with the most prizes.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO HOWIE MANDEL OF TAKE IT ALL:

USTH: As a host of game shows and talent shows, are you able to maintain a professional distance from the contestants, or do you find yourself getting emotionally involved in what they're going through and secretly root for them?

HOWIE MANDEL: Well, yes. You know, first and foremost I'm a human being, and I'm a father, and I'm a husband. So yes, the professionalism lies in you.  Well, you can tell that I root for people, and you can tell that I care, and it's really hard. The hardest thing is to maintain – and I guess that's what they pay you for – to maintain my professionalism when I see, in my mind, just like you the viewer.  I can go, "Oh, no, no, no, no, this is bad move. This is a bad move," but I'm not allowed to say that.  I can think it, but I can't tell you I'm thinking it because that may sway you. And then again, I could be wrong.
So yes, I am very involved. I can't totally remove myself from it, but, I hope that I maintain a professional stance as the host.  You know, I've seen some parts of it and I think I do a fantastic job.

USTH: What is it about the game show format or competition format that appeals to you in general? And could you ever be a contestant on a game show, like Celebrity Apprentice or something like that?

HOWIE MANDEL: No, I have no interest in being a contestant on any game shows, I don't play games, and [Take it All] is not even the game show genre. I feel that Take It All is in a world on its own. Just like Deal or No Deal, it wasn't really a game. It's more about humanity, so it's not a game, though there is strategy. There is gamesmanship. There is bluffing. Some people just out-and-out lie. And that's fun to watch, and that's what draws me to that, much more than any game.
I'm offered a lot of games where trivia is involved or stunts are involved or whatever, and I haven't said okay to do those. I have no interest in doing those, but I do have interest in this. I'm telling you that if I wasn't the host of this and somebody else came up with the show and it was on, this is the show I would watch. And I'd be watching it because I'm fascinated by how people react, and how people – even though it's playing, this is how they are in life. This is a great example of who we are and how people play the game of life. And that's basically what you're doing in Take It All.

USTH: As far the audience and the contestants, are we all on the same page or does the audience at home know something that the contestants don't know?

HOWIE MANDEL: We're all on the same page. In fact, not only are we all on the same page, I'm on the same page. Maybe it's not like any other host.  I've never gone into the prize room, so I said, "I want to be blown away by these prizes too," so I don't know what's coming up, number one.

So, as the game goes on and a hovercraft appears, I have no idea. I want to guess. I want to have the fun. Is the hovercraft worth more than the Mercedes? Is it worth more than a jet pack? I don't know, so I'm having fun with that. And the other thing is, I know nothing about the contestants until I ask the questions. So, there is a casting process, as far as people showing up and applying to be on the show, and they fill out applications, [but] I don't know anything about it.

So, you may think you know something. I don't want to know something. I don't want to know what their background is, or how they play or what their strategy is. We learn [during the show], and it unfolds in front of you. But, as an audience member it's fun to find out. At home you go, "You know what, I don't trust this guy, or she's lying, or she's bluffing. She's bluffing. She's going to - ," and that's what's fun about it.

USTH: Regarding one of the technical aspects of the show, let's say somebody wins a lot of prizes, but then after the show is over they realize, well, they don't really need a hovercraft or a jet pack or whatever. Are they allowed to exchange the prize for a cash value, or how does that all work?

HOWIE MANDEL: I don't know how that works. You know, that's not my area of expertise. I don't know. I assume that they have to take the prize.

USTH: You're also the Executive Producer of the show, so what are your duties as Executive Producer? What are you responsible for?

HOWIE MANDEL: Mostly hosting and craft service. No, I helped develop the game and I helped reassemble the group that did Deal or No Deal, because I think that there's nobody better in the business. And, I'm really good at delegating – handing off the duties of whatever other people's expertises are to them.
So, beyond that, I'm not involved in the casting, because I don't want to meet anybody until I'm standing on stage with them. I'm not involved with the prizes because I want to be surprised with the prizes. I put my two cents in on the set. I put my two cents in on our staff. But beyond that, we have the best staff, and I'm just focused on hosting.

USTH: Finally, on another topic, do you know anything about a possibility of a Gremlin's sequel or remake of the original movie? And would you be interested in participating in that?

HOWIE MANDEL: I know nothing about it, but if they do, I hope they give me a call. I would love to be part of it.

USTH: Our thanks to Howie Mandel for speaking with us.  Take It All premieres for a limited run on NBC on Monday, December 11, 2012 and will air each night at 9pm until Friday.  The finale will then air Monday, December 17 at 10pm.  If the ratings are good, expect the series to return for another engagement in the future.