Patricia Kara and Donna Feldman become the latest former 'Deal or No Deal' models who speak out after the Duchess of Sussex claimed she was 'reduced to a bimbo' on the show.
- Oct 21, 2022
AceShowbiz - Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is slammed by more "Deal or No Deal" briefcase girls over her recent comments about her time on the show. Patricia Kara - who appeared on the programme from 2005 to 2009 - insisted things were very different after the 41-year-old royal complained on her "Archetypes" podcast that she felt "objectified" and "reduced to a bimbo" while starring on the NBC game show from 2006 to 2007.
"Not at all, it's unfortunate she felt that way because my experience, I never ever felt that way," Patricia told Inside Edition when asked if she felt the same about the show.
Meghan had claimed on her podcast that producers had a "cookie cutter" idea of how they wanted the women on the programme to look and so there were different beauty "stations" backstage for things like fake eyelashes, hair extensions, and bra padding. But Patricia exclaimed, "There was no bra station! There was no bra station."
"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Claudia Jordan, another former 'briefcase girl' previously used her Instagram Story to blast Meghan's claims. She wrote, "For clarity - yes getting a modeling gig on a game show isn't necessarily about your intellect, but every show the executive producers picked five models with the most outgoing and fun personalities to place mics on, who they knew would engage with the contestants."
"And Deal or No Deal never treated us like bimbos. We got so many opportunities because of that show." Claudia insisted she "enjoyed" her time on the show and it was a great step up for her showbiz career.
She added, "It was a step on the ladder I've been ascending on for 25 years that paid all my bills, put me in front of 13 million people a night, and led to me getting on 'Celebrity Apprentice', 'Celebrity Apprentice All Stars', a breast cancer awareness campaign, guest hosting 'Extra', getting into People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful issue, and so much more. It also led to me co-hosting the 2009 Miss Universe pageant with @BillyBush in front of half a billion people. Not too shabby for a 'bimbo.' "
The 49-year-old beauty insisted she wasn't personally attacking Meghan, who has two children with husband Prince Harry. She added, "Lord knows I've been defending this woman in the media for years. And I still will, but I just didn't want any misunderstanding about the climate and environment on the Deal or no Deal set. And I'm especially protective of [host] Howie Mandel, who was nothing but kind and respectful to all 26 of us."
And Donna Feldman insisted she and the other models were never "treated like a bimbo." She insisted to the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column, "I disagree that I or anyone on the show was ever treated like a 'bimbo.' "
"Of course you know what you're signing up for when you're hired as a 'briefcase beauty'. I have gotten opportunities in my career based off the way I look, but it's my brains, personality, and work ethic that help seal the deal and get me the job, and get clients to continue to hire me on a regular basis…It's up to a woman to decide what experience will empower her or use is as an excuse to seek attention."
