Dr. Will Kirby Reacts to ‘Deal or No Deal Island’ Cancellation: ‘Disappointing’

Dr. Will Kirby has spoken up about the cancellation of NBC’s reality competition-style game show Deal or No Deal Island after just two seasons, calling the decision “disappointing.”

The dermatologist-turned-reality legend, who competed on the show’s second season alongside Survivor‘s Parvati Shallow, Survivor: Australia‘s David Genat, and an array of reality newcomers, told TV Insider that he’d been in touch with executive producer Matt Kunitz about DONDI‘s fate.

“He’s a super, super talented guy, and he’s just a super sweet guy. So I texted him, and I was like, ‘Dreams die, and this makes me really sad.'”

Kirby, who is part of the upcoming TV doctor-themed new episode of Celebrity Weakest Link, called the decision “frustrating” for several reasons. “One, Joe Manganiello is a phenomenal host. To get someone of his caliber who’s big and handsome and charismatic [and] most importantly, funny — that’s a huge coup, right? He was an absolutely incredible host.”

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He also credited casting director Allison Kaz with finding “incredible” competitors for the show’s cast, adding, “There’s so many people on there who absolutely deserve to be on another show, like Seychelle [Cordero], M.G. [Maria-Grace Cook], Storm [Wilson], La Shell [Wooten]. I mean, there’s just so many incredible people who didn’t get a great turn to showcase their abilities, and I would love to see them on other shows.”

Dickson Wong, David Genat, La Shell Wooten, Seychelle Cordero, Dr. Will Kirby, Courtney “CK” Kim, Alexis Lete, Phillip Solomon, and Parvati Shallow / Cr. Monty Brinton / NBC

The Big Brother winner also said that the filming location for DONDI, which was the “Banker’s Island” on Bocas Del Toro, Panama,” was nothing short of the most beautiful place I’ve ever been in my entire life, and I’ve been all over the world, so nothing surprises me anymore because I’ve been doing this so long.”

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that I was a little disappointed that the show was canceled,” Kirby added. “There were some editing issues, and there were some formatting issues, and there were some game issues, as there are with any show. But I wish I had been involved a little bit earlier in the process. I came in as a late entrance, and again, I was super appreciative of that. But I have a lot of knowledge about this space, and I wish they had brought me in a little bit earlier, so that I could have helped contribute in other ways, from a production perspective.”

Kirby was introduced on Season 2’s second episode, “Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way,” and he was eliminated by the eventual winner Genat in the seventh episode, “Snakes in the Grass.” He returned for the season (and, ultimately, series) finale to watch that riveting final temple unfold.

-Additional reporting from Brittany Sims