Before Suits, Meghan Markle Stunned Audiences On A Beloved Game Show

Before Meghan Markle landed her role on "Suits" — and her life-changing grip on Prince Harry's heart — the actress-turned-duchess was a briefcase model on the wildly popular Howie Mandel-hosted game show "Deal or No Deal."

There, she stood next to and showed off a case during Season 2 of the show that had contestants choosing from 26 briefcases containing potential cash prizes and then wheeling and dealing with a "banker" to try to amass as much money as possible, despite always being one step away from losing it all.

A few years later, Markle stepped into her career-defining role on "Suits," playing paralegal/lawyer Rachel Zane for seven seasons. Despite that, Markle's acting career has mostly been overshadowed by her marriage to one of the most famous men in the world, and she can probably thank her brief time on "Deal or No Deal" for helping her claw her way to being a household name.

From 2006 to 2007, Meghan Markle was a briefcase model on "Deal or No Deal," holding a numbered case for 34 episodes on Season 2 of the hit game show. She ultimately became the most famous briefcase model to emerge from the show, despite being relatively forgettable during her time on the series.

Akin to the exaggerated modeling on "The Price Is Right." identical Stepford Wife-like "Deal or No Deal" models would stand next to their briefcases. They would smile and show off their cases when the spotlight was shone on them, dramatically opening the eagerly anticipated kit to show off the potential prize money hidden inside.

While Markle only appeared on a single season, the series ran for eight seasons in various forms, including the original one-hour primetime series on NBC, a half-hour syndicated show, and a 2018 revival. All were hosted by Mandel, who has admitted in interviews that he has no recollection of Markle being on the show and hasn't kept in touch with her.

Meghan Markle has discussed feeling objectified and treated like a "bimbo" while appearing on "Deal or No Deal," most recently digging into that aspect of her past on the "Archetypes" podcast that she launched since becoming a duchess. Despite those feelings, though, she admits that the show did help launch her career.

As a struggling actress, Markle says she took the job to pay bills and have health insurance. But as a Northwestern University graduate with a double major in theater and international studies, the frivolous job left her with a "pit" in her stomach. "There were times when I was on set at 'Deal or No Deal' and thinking back to my time working as an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina, in Buenos Aires, and being in the motorcade with the Secretary of Treasury at the time and being valued specifically for my brain," she said. "Here, I was being valued for something quite the opposite."

In the end, Markle ended up having the last laugh after leveraging her time on the lightweight game show to become one of the most well-known faces on the planet.