It was a $109,000 deal the Alberta man couldn't resist.

Brian Traynor of Medicine Hat walked away with the cool cash after a successful run on TV's Deal or No Deal, which last night aired its first Canadian episode of the popular game show hosted by Canuck comedian Howie Mandel.

"I was thinking this is amazing and nerve-wracking," said Traynor.

"The crowd was just going nuts, and it was all for me."

Traynor, a 36-year-old firefighter with CFB Suffield, was picked for the show's taping in Toronto in January.

The show sees contestants battle for a possible $1 million by eliminating 26 unopened suitcases containing random quantities of money one at a time, while an unidentifiable banker-by-phone attempts to get them to settle for lower sums of cash.

Traynor, who was getting in-studio help from fiancee Schantel and his family, eliminated the $1 million -- in case No. 8 -- with one of his first 11 selections. He was picking cases using numbers suggested by fellow firefighters.

"After I lost the million, it got scary ... Once the million is gone, the game gets real because then you want as many big amounts to stay in play so you have more buffers."

The series continues with contestants, including Calgarian Jamie Cumberland, the following four Thursdays.