"That was cold-blooded" — Deal or No Deal Island host Joe Manganiello comments on Lete eliminating Dickson

At the end of Deal or No Deal Island season 2 episode 9, Million Dollar Walk, Lete beat the banker and chose to eliminate The Family alliance member Dickson, who had given her a friendship bracelet, asking her to be his "island girlfriend," earlier in the episode.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly published on March 4, 2025, Deal or No Deal Island host Joe Manganiello was asked to reflect on the situation. Specifically, he was questioned on why Lete chose to eliminate her "island boyfriend," Dickson, instead of CK, whom she openly disliked.

Joe speculated that eliminating Dickson was Lete's strategic shot at taking down The Family alliance. Regardless, he noted that it was "cold-blooded" from Dickson's perspective who had a crush on her.

"I think that at the end of the day, eliminating Dickson comes down to strategically chipping away at The Family. But yes, that was cold-blooded to Dickson, who clearly had a crush on her," he said.

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Deal or No Deal Island host Joe Manganiello reflects on Dickson's elimination

At the start of Deal or No Deal Island season 2 episode 9, which premiered on March 5, Dickson found himself catching feelings for Lete. He took time to approach her and gave her a friendship bracelet, asking her to be his "island girlfriend."

Later on in the episode, when David won episode 9's challenge, he decided to pick Lete to face the Banker. Lete, concerned about the growing power of The Family alliance, set her eyes on eliminating Dickson if she beat The Banker - who was the only member at risk of getting eliminated after the challenge.

The Deal or No Deal Island star stood on her words and eliminated Dickson, despite CK, whom she didn't like, also being on the list.

In his interview with Entertainment Weekly, host Joe Manganiello was asked about a key moment in the recent episode when David chose not to put Dickson up against The Banker, despite his Deal or No Deal Island "son" urging him to.

Joe was essentially asked whether David picked Lete because he believed she would eliminate CK or if he was willing to sacrifice his alliance mate for a chance to take Lete out of the game.

The Deal or No Deal Island host noted that David was in a very tough situation where his either decision carried a lot of risk. Joe speculated that Lete might choose CK for elimination, given their strained relationship. However, since Lete continuously chose not to work with Dickson, he had no other option but to prioritize her elimination.

"It seemed at that moment like David was under the impression that Lete might take out CK because of their strained relationship and the fact that it would probably, logically, be better for her game because Dickson had been trying to work with her. But Lete repeatedly refused him. Either way, David wanted Lete gone, so he chose to put her up and hoped for the best," he said.

The interviewer then went on to say that Lete eliminating her island boyfriend Dickson instead of CK—someone she openly disliked—was a cold-blooded move. They then questioned Joe whether Deal or No Deal Island season 2's verbal fireworks from CK, Phillip, and Seychelle had distracted the viewers and other contestants from realizing that Lete wasn't far behind and was a strategic assassin in the game.

Joe noted that at the end of the day, Lete's decision to eliminate Dickson stemmed from her concern about Family alliance's growing power and control over the recent season. However, the host agreed that it was "cold-blooded to Dickson" who had feelings for her.

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Deal or No Deal Island season 2 episode premieres every Tuesday on NBC.