The long wait is finally over for veteran comedian Long Mejia to play in the current season of “Kapamilya Deal or No Deal” as he was chosen by the lucky wheel to be the celebrity player in the June 13 episode.
As a new set of lucky stars were presented, the briefcase numbers were reshuffled, resulting in Long’s assignment to briefcase number 5, to which the lucky wheel had landed. Host Luis Manzano pointed out how it took Long quite some time to stand behind the player’s podium, to which the latter reacted by quipping, “Kapag may tiyaga, may bulalo”—a playful nod to the oft-quoted Filipino adage.
“Long, kaibigan kita. Pero gusto kong sabihin na isa rin akong tagahanga ni Long Mejia,” Luis told him. “Alam ko rin napakaraming napapasaya ni Long kahit na marami na ring napagdaanan sa buhay ni Long Mejia.”
When asked how he felt about being a celebrity player, Long related that despite being usually playful as a lucky star, standing behind the podium brought him tremendous jitters. As for what he will do with the P1 million jackpot prize, Long said that he would allot some of it to his family and, at the same time, share a portion of it with less privileged people.
Before his game officially started, the veteran comedian made a special request to the host, asking him for a moment to put on his shimmering red jacket, which he claimed was his lucky charm.
WATCH: Long, may damit na PAMPASWERTE?! | Kapamilya Deal Or No Deal
Asked by Luis if his lucky jacket made him more confident about winning the P1 million jackpot prize, Long shared his belief in destiny, saying that whatever is meant for a person will eventually be theirs. His remark earned an enthusiastic “Amen!” from the host.
He also requested to swap briefcases with fitness coach and athlete Mauro Lumba who was holding number 8, as it represented the birthday of his beloved grandchild.
Unfortunately, it seemed that his lucky jacket immediately lost its magic as he bade goodbye to both P150,000 and the P1 million ultimate jackpot prize right on the very first round of opening of briefcases. This continued in the second round wherein he got rid of both the P125,000 and P100,000. It was also during this round when everyone found out that his original briefcase contained P50,000, which was regretful since he would take home a small amount by the end of the episode.
Long managed to regain his footing in the succeeding rounds by consecutively removing low amounts, to the point that Banker offered him P102,000. But he rejected it, hoping that either of the remaining two high amounts would be inside his chosen briefcase. Regrettably, his high hopes got crushed right away as he eliminated both the P250,000 and the P500,000 in succeeding rounds.
With P500, P400, and P300 the only amounts left, Long decided to just play the game until the end and say “NO DEAL” to Banker’s last offer of P369 after the highest of the remaining amounts had been removed. He was too unlucky that day because apart from bringing home a small amount, he also lost to Banker as his chosen briefcase was revealed to only contain P300.
As Luis quizzed him about how he felt about the experience, Long iterated that he actually only masked his nerves with humor, but deep inside, he was extremely anxious. Thus, he went on to warn his lucky stars that regardless of how confident they may be, that would crumble once it was their turn to become celebrity players.
Luis wrapped up the episode by expressing his admiration for Long and his promise to always tag him along whenever he has projects, something he has consistently demonstrated over the years.
Catch more fun and exciting moments on "Kapamilya Deal or No Deal," airing Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30 PM on ALLTV2, Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, and Kapamilya Online Live, or stream anytime on iWant!