This is the best kind of blast from the past! Former trader Arminda “Punky” Milligan returns for a second chance at prizes — this time with her three adult children! Punky appeared on the pilot episode with original host Monty Hall in 1963. Punky revealed how she became a contestant! “I had made this suit, and I think that got me on the show, so I’m wearing a blouse that’s kind of that color hoping that helps!” Punky says to host Wayne Brady.
She also gushed to Wayne, “You’re doing a wonderful job.” This time around, Punky will be playing a game called the Let’s Make A Deal ATM. Back in Monty’s hosting days (and before ATMs), the game was called Monty’s Money Machine!
Let’s Make A Deal will be hosting Wayne’s “Favorite Folks” week and ending the week will be Legacy Day, a celebration of Wayne’s admiration for Monty and the legacy contestants that played with him in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s — including Punky! Monty was the long-running host of Let’s Make A Deal from 1963 to 1986. He died in 2017 at the age of 96.
Following Monty’s death, Wayne said that getting to host the CBS revival is one of the “greatest honors.” He told The Hollywood Reporter: “In this business, you’re lucky to meet a legend, and even luckier still to work with and learn from one. I miss Monty like everyone connected to Let’s Make a Deal, but I can smile because he got to see his baby fly again. Getting the Monty ‘Seal of Approval’ is one of the greatest honors I’ve received in my career so far.” The Legacy Day episode of Let’s Make A Deal will air Feb. 8 on CBS.