Yellowknife (Dec 01/06) - "My friends are going to ride me so hard about this," Mike Soloy says, as a reporter convinces him to strike a "No Deal!" pose.

They've been riding him hard for weeks, ever since he sent in his application to appear on a Canadian taping of the popular game show Deal or No Deal.

In a pose he didn't want to make, Mike Soloy gives Yellowknifer his best "No Deal!" just before heading off to Calgary for a chance to get into a Canadian taping of Deal or No Deal. - Adam Johnson/NNSL photo

"Everyone was razzing me about it. When I didn't hear anything, everyone was saying 'No deal, no deal!'" he says with a laugh.

But then he got it. A phone call from the show's producers caught him on his cell phone at work. A couple of interviews later, and he's heading to Calgary to meet the producers face-to-face.

"It's pretty wild," he says.

In October, Global TV sent out a call for applications from Canadian participants to get in on five Canadian Deal or No Deal tapings in Toronto. To whittle the participants down, producers will interview subjects face-to-face in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Halifax until mid-December.

According to the Global TV website, more than 100,000 people applied to be on the shows, and only a "select" few were contacted for interviews - though the producers wouldn't say how many.

"Let's just say you're a lucky guy," is how the producer put it to Soloy.

Along the way to Calgary, Soloy will be picking up some friends and family to back him up during his interview, something the show encourages. They include his dad Glenn Soloy and friends Hash Manickum, Jeff Leishman and Mike Auge - all current or former Yellowknifers.

While Soloy can't quite wrap his head around things, he's excited just the same. Particularly since he's a big fan of the show.

"I watch it all the time on TV with my daughter," he says.

Outside of the Yellowknifer office, Soloy can't stop laughing as one of his travel buddies drives by and honks, hassling him while the reporter takes the picture. He knows there's plenty of it to come, but he can deal with it when he gets back. Right now, he's just going to enjoy himself.

"That's all it's about right now," he says. "If I win something, fine. If not, it'll be a blast.

"I've been laughing the whole way."