This list can also be found on Chris Lambert's excellent TPiR FAQ page, which includes a ton of neat info about the show's history. Check it out at http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/7880/TPiR.html.
Games are listed alphabetically, by decade of first appearance.
The 1970's
3 Strikes
The #s in the price of a car are placed into a bag, along
with three strikes. If the player draws a number, s/he tries to
determine which digit of the car that # is. If wrong, the number
goes back into the bag. Player can keep drawing until all three
strikes have been drawn. Originally played for inexpensive cars, now it is exclusively
played for high dollar cars (Cadillac's, Lincoln's, etc.). NOTE: Became "3 Strikes +",
where 5-digit cars were offered, usually at least $30,000 in
value. Early in 1994, the "+" was dropped. Early in
1998, in an effort to boost the game's low winning percentage,
only one strike was placed into the bag; it would be returned to the bag if
drawn.
"Bullseye
I" (assumed name) (Retired)
The contestant tried to win a car by correctly guessing its price.
Seven chances were offered with the host saying "higher/lower."
This is the first PG played on the syndicated version (with
Dennis James) and made a few appearances on the Barker version.
"2
player pricing game" (assumed name) (Retired)
After a contestant
won their way on stage, another audience member came-on-down, and
a second one-bid was played to determine the opponent. Those two
players would then bid back and forth on a car (or boat) until
one won.
Any Number
This was the first pricing
game ever played. Three prizes: a car, a three-digit prize, and a
piggy bank (three digits denoting dollars and cents) - each digit
0-9 appears once and only once (except for 5-digit cars, where
the first digit is given free and is the only one that repeats).
Player guesses digits until completing a price and winning that
prize.
Bonus Game
Four small prizes are presented with wrong prices; player guesses
"higher" or "lower" to win each prize and to
control the window on the game board next to the prize.
Controlling the window that lights up "BONUS" at the
end wins another, larger prize.
Bullseye
Six products are shown; player picks a product and guesses how
many of that product would total $10-12. Doing so hits the
Bullseye for a win. After three chances, player can still win if
a hidden bullseye is behind one of the 3 products the player used,
providing that the player did not go over $6 with those products.
(NOTE: These values were originally $5-6)
Card Game
First, contestant draws a card from a deck to find out how close
s/he must come to the price of a car to win it ($200-$1000). From
a regular deck of cards, player starts bidding on car: cards
worth $100 x face value, with face cards worth $1000 and aces
worth anything up to $1000 (later the aces were wild and could be made for any
amount). Coming w/in the first card's range w/o
going over wins the car. The first time the card game was played, the $200-$1000
cards were used for both the range and the bidding. The second time it was
played, only the standard 52 card deck was used, and the third and all
subsequent times both decks were used. Later, the contestants were
spotted a $2000 opening bid and allowed to make aces any amount;
currently, the starting point is $8000 and the winning range can
be anywhere from $500-$2000.)
Cliff Hangers
Three 2-digit prizes; player guesses price of each; each one
wrong causes a mountain climber to climb a mountain one step for
each dollar away; player wins if mountain climber doesn't fall
off (after 25th step).
Clock Game
Two (and on one or two rare occasions, three) prizes of up to $1000
were offered. The contestant has a total of 30 seconds to bid on
both prizes, one at a time. Host helps with "higher/ lower."
(NOTE: a few times, Prizes worth more than $1000 were used; Bob
gave the contestant the thousands digit as a freebie. In the 1986
CBS prime-time version, a contestant who won both prizes picked
one of four envelopes for a cash bonus of $1000, $2000, $3000 or
$5000.) On the Dennis James version, winning both prizes with 2 or more seconds
to spare netted a $1000 bonus. Since 1998 the contestant has received a
$1000 bonus for getting both prizes in under 30 seconds.
Danger Price
Contestant is shown four prizes and the "danger price"
and picks the three prizes that are not that price. Originally
played on the turntable, then behind the giant price tag, and
finally behind Door #2 with the prizes, this is the only Pricing
Game to have had three different stage set-ups.
Dice Game
Player rolls four dice one at a time; each die corresponds to a
digit of a car (now always 5 digits; first digit is given); if
the # rolled by the player is not the correct digit, player must
guess whether the actual digit is higher or lower than the roll.
There are no zeroes and no numbers higher than six. ((NOTE:
When the first five-digit cars appeared, the game was briefly
renamed "Deluxe Dice Game" Also, when the game was
first introduced, the numbers could (and did) go higher than six.
This was quickly scrapped in favor of the 1-6 range they use
today)).
Double Digits (retired)
Combination of "Temptation" and "Switcheroo";
player is shown four 2-digit prizes and the last digit of each;
their first digits are digits of a car. Each correct price wins
that prize. This game was played twice (at least). The second time, the player
was given a choice of two (adjacent)
digits for each digit of the car price (also, at the time,
this was the only game besides "Any Number" where it said
"Car" next to the price. Bob had to remind the audience that
"just because it says '2' there
doesn't mean it's right" - after the contestant said "2" for the
first digit, it appeared, and most people
thought it was like "Any Number").
Double Prices
Uninspired, yet enduring
game from the show's earliest stages where the contestant wins a
prize by picking the correct price from two choices. On the Dennis James
nighttime syndicated Price is Right, Double Prices was occasionally played twice
for 2 different prizes - if the contestant won the less expensive prize, s/he
was able to try for the more expensive prize.
Finish Line (retired)
The "Finish Line"
was a movable bar that represented prices of selected items in
the game. Three pairs of small prizes were shown, and the
contestant was asked to pick an item to move the Finish Line. The
idea was to pick the lesser of the two prices and the Finish Line
would move that number of dollars. The total of the prices of the
three items not selected by the contestant would be how far the
horse moved. Introduced in '77-'78 and killed quickly.
Five Price Tags
5 possible prices of a car
are shown. Answer true/false prize questions and win up to 4
choices. Pick right price for car and win. Known early on as the
'True or False' game and is one of the few games to not have its
name appear on any prop.
Give Or Keep (retired)
Three pairs of 2-digit
prizes are shown; player keeps one and gives the other back. If
the total of the kept items was at least as high as the total of
the given-away items, the player won a prize. (The player won the
three "kept" items regardless of the totals.)
Golden Road
Starting with a small
product (eg 39 cents), Determine which of the two digits of its
price belongs in the missing spot on a 3-digit prize. If correct,
price of 3-digit prize is used the same way with a 4-digit prize.
If correct there, player goes to the end of the Golden Road,
where a luxury car, yacht, Winnebago, etc. awaits. (NOTE:
Originally, the final prize was not THAT big; first digit was
almost always "1", but this was in the days of $4000
cars. Now, prizes are almost always more than $30,000 and have
been known to reach $70,000.)
Grocery Game
Five grocery items are shown;
player selects an item and a quantity, and the total is rung up
on a cash register. Player won if the total was between $6.75-$7.
(NOTE: Now, the winning range is $20-$21. This game was
played on the second show. Early on, there was a $100 bonus for
not going over $7, even if the player didn't reach $6.75.
Traditionally, Janice has been at the cash register.)
HI-LO
6 products are shown. Choose
the three highest priced products and you win.
Hole in One
Player puts 6 products into
what s/he believes is the correct price order (lowest to highest).
For each correct product, player gets to attempt a mini-golf putt
one line closer to the hole. If all 6 are correct, contestant
putts from barely a foot away from the hole and also picks up a $500
bonus. Sinking the putt wins a new car or truck. (NOTE: In
the 1986 nighttime version, this became "Hole in One...or
Two", offering two putts. This change was subsequently made
on the daytime show as well. Also, in the nighttime version,
ordering the products correctly won a $1000 bonus. Bob Barker
always takes an "inspiration putt" from the farthest
line; originally, the audience booed rare misses. On one episode,
half the show's crew came out to watch and placed bets.)
Hurdles (retired)
Player begins with a product
whose price is revealed and attached to a hurdler. There are
three pairs of prices, representing hurdles; player selects which
of each pair is less than the "hurdler's price" so the
hurdler will "jump over" it. Player wins if hurdler
clears all three hurdles. This is the only pricing game that ever
involved the host firing a gun into the air.
It's Optional (retired)
Only game to regularly offer two cars, which were the same model,
but with different prices. Player adds up to three options (for
example, Power Steering) to the lower priced car; if its price
comes within $100 of the higher priced model without going over,
player wins both cars.
Lucky Seven
Player is given $7 and attempts to guess each number in a car's
price. For each # the player is off, s/he must give back $1.
Having at least $1 left at the end allows player to buy car. With
five-digit cars, the first digit is given free. (Note - the 5
digit version of Lucky 7 premiered on the 1986 primetime specials,
and at that time, the LAST digit was given free)
Money Game
Nine two-digit numbers are
displayed; one is the first two digits of the car (occasionally
boat or snowmobile) being played for (denoted by a picture of the
front half of a car behind the card), another, the last two
digits (back end of the car). The remaining seven are marked
"$", with that amount awarded to the contestant, who
keeps picking until finding both halves of prize (wins car and
money) or four money cards (wins the money). With five-digit cars,
the third digit is given to the contestant. (NOTE: Around '84-'85,
when 5-digit cars first appeared, this game was briefly renamed
"Big Money Game.")
Most Expensive / All or Nothing at All
Pick which of three prizes is the most expensive to win all three. On the Dennis
James TPiR, it was called "All or Nothing at All".
Mystery Price (retired)
Player is shown a prize whose price is the "mystery price".
Player is then shown four more prizes and must guess their prices;
if not over, their guesses go into a bank. If bank total is at
least mystery prize's price, player wins.
One Right Price
Guess which of two prizes is the given price to win both.
Penny Ante (retired)
The contestant is given three oversized "Barker Pennies"
and must give one back for every wrong guess in the game. Two
products are used in the game, each with four possible prices.
Player wins if he can pick both prices without losing all his/her
cents. This game was retired in 2002.
Poker Game
Four prizes are shown, each with a 3-digit price; player selects
two and forms a poker hand from 5 of the 6 digits (9 high, 0 low,
straights don't count), then decides whether to keep the hand or
give it to the house; other hand is made up of digits from the
other two prizes - if player's hand is at least as good as house's,
player wins all four prizes.
Professor Price (retired)
Not a pricing game at all; contestant stood in front of a robotic
Johnny Olsen-alike and answered general- knowledge questions.
More right than wrong answers won a prize. Retired quickly for
not fitting in.
Punch-a-Bunch aka "The
Punchboard"
Four "higher or lower" prizes, each one also awarding a
punch on a giant 50-hole punchboard containing 10 $50 prizes, 10
$100, 10 $250, 10 $500, 5 $1000, 3 $5000, and 2 $10,000. One each
of the four lowest values is a "second chance"; this
awards an additional punch whose value is added to the previous
one. (Thus, it's possible to win more than $10,000 - and it's
happened.) After each punch, the player can keep the amount or
give it back. Original format of the game (played twice) featured
the higher or lower pricing but different play when came time to
punch the holes. The player had to punch the holes one at a time
and then pick a letter in PUNCH BOARD. The letters hid numbers
from 1 to 10, and the holes hid slips of paper marked ONE, TEN,
HUNDRED and THOUSAND. So a player punching a HUNDREDS hole and
choosing the letter with the 8 won $800, or could give it back.
This was terribly time consuming and didn't offer good odds that
$10000 could be won, so the format was scrapped. Punch-A-Bunch
was the first game to offer cash.
Race Game
Four prizes are lined up on stage; player has four price tags and
must run to the items, put the right price on the right item, and
run back to pull a lever which displays the number correct on a
giant screen. Player has 45 seconds to attempt to get all four
prices right.
Range Game
Player is shown a prize and a $600 price spread; a $150 "range
finder" moves slowly from the bottom to the top, and the
player must stop it with the actual price in the red $150 range
to win. The original range was $50, then $100. A recurring joke
in TPiR's latter days was Bob's given length of time before the
range-finder could be started again; he began this in the mid-'80s.
Safe Crackers
A major prize and a smaller, 3-digit prize are locked in a giant
safe. The price of the smaller item is the combination of the
safe; the player is given the three digits and wins both prizes
if s/he can open the safe.
Secret 'X'
An 'X' is hidden in the middle column of a tic-tac-toe board.
Player gets a free 'X' and can win up to two more (two prizes,
each with two prices; picking correct price wins prize and 'X');
'X's can be placed in left or right columns. The secret 'X' is
then revealed and the player wins if s/he has a 3-in-a-row across
or diagonally. Interestingly, Secret X premiered the same day
Yolanda "gave her all".
Shell Game
A ball is hidden under one of 4 shells. Player guesses higher/lower
on prices of four prizes to win control of the shells and wins a
bonus prize if s/he controls the shell hiding the ball. If the
player wins all four chips, Guessing the correct shell wins a $500
bonus.
Shower Game (retired)
Five showers stood on
the stage, each marked with a different possible price for a car.
One shower was correct, the two next closest price showers won
the player $100, the remaining two sprayed the contestant with
confetti. Player could jump into showers until winning the car or
getting sprayed.
Squeeze Play
Five digits are shown for a prize. The first and last digits are
correct; the player must remove one of the others, causing the
rest to squeeze together into a 4-digit price.
Switcheroo
The prices of a car and four smaller prizes are shown, each with
the tens digits missing. Player has five number blocks with which
to complete the prices. Player is told how many are right, then
can make changes (once). Player wins prizes with correct prices.
Take Two
Four prizes are shown, along with the total price of two of them.
Player gets two chances to pick the two correct prices and win.
Telephone Game (retired)
This game
was played in two parts. In the first part, the contestant tried to earn
eligibility to play in the second part of the game and started with a $1.00
"credit". The credit was used to purchase two of four grocery items. The value
of the two grocery items was subtracted from the $1.00 credit, and if the
contestant had at least a dime left, s/he moved on to the second part of the
game.
In part 2, the contestant played for one of 3 prizes - one of which was a car. Bob showed the contestant a "phone book" which had three unlabeled, four-digit "phone numbers" in it that were actually the three prices of the prizes. The prices of the small items were shown in dollars and cents (no decimal point), while the price of the car was shown in dollars. The contestant picked the "phone number" s/he thought represented the price of the car and dialed it digit by digit into an oversized rotary pay phone. The contestant won whatever prize whose "phone number" s/he dialed. The telephone of the prize would ring and one of the models would answer it indicating which prize the contestant won.
Temptation
Four gifts are shown to player. Each one's price contains one of
the digits of a car. (In five-digit version, first digit is given
free.) Player picks a # from each of the prices. Player can then
keep gifts or risk them for the car, but if the car price is
wrong, he forfeits the gifts. My vote for third personal favorite
game.
Ten Chances
3 prizes, one under $100, one under $1000, and one a car, are
played for one at a time. Player is shown the digits in the price
and an extra digit (eg 4-0-5 for $45; 5-7-0-2-8 for $8025, et al.)
and must write the correct price; total of 10 chances (hence the
name) to win all three prizes. (NOTE: With 5-digit cars, player
uses all five #'s given.)
The 1980's
2 For the Price of 1
2 prizes shown. Less
expensive prize has 3 digits in Price. 2 choices for each number
in price are given; one number is given free. Player picks
remaining two numbers correctly to win both prizes.
Add 'em Up (retired)
The player was given the
total of the four digits in the price of a car, as well as told
one of the digits outright; s/he then tried to guess the
remaining three digits.
Balance Game (retired)
Five 2-digit prizes are
shown; player selected them one at a time and put their value (in
Barker Silver Dollars) on one side or the other of a scale.
Player won if both sides were ever within $5 of each other.
Barker's Bargain Bar
Two prizes are shown with
lower than actual prices; player guesses which one is "the
bigger bargain" (more below the actual price) to win both.
Blank Check
/
Check Game
Write a check whose value
plus the value of the prize totals between $3000 and $3500 to win
the prize *and* the cash. This game is now called "Check
Game", and the winning range is now $5000-$6000. Blank Check's
claim to fame in the beginning was that very few contestants
understood how to play it.
Bump (retired)
Four prices, each on a miniature train caboose, were presented. Two of them were the
actual prices of the two prizes offered; the player won if s/he
had the correct model "bump" the prices into the
correct slots (Dian bumped from l to r, Janice from r to l). The
models "wound up" for their bumps in a way that
endeared this game to the male segment of the audience. NOTE:
Holly once filled in as bumper, but failed to knock the other end's
price off the counter.
Check-Out
Estimate prices of five
products. Total must be within $1.00 of actual total (used
to be 50 cents).
Grand Game
Six products and a "target
price" are shown; four of the six are below that price.
Player begins with $1 and adds a zero for each correct prize
selected; game ends when all four are found ($10,000) or a
mistake is made (keep money unless s/he was trying for $10,000,
in which
case s/he loses everything. Player is offered the chance to quit
w/ $1000.)
Hit Me
Blackjack game. Six
products are shown with prices that could be correct or multiples
of 1-10. The appropriate card is hidden behind the price. The
"House" builds its hand from the rest of the deck.
Player wins w/either 21 or a better hand than the house, which
hits on 16 and stays at 17. Player takes ties. Rather easy to win
if you know what you're doing: just pick the 10x price (usually
the only one ending in 0) and the actual price.
Master Key
5 keys: 3 open one "prize
lock" each, 1 "Master Key" (opens all 3), other
opens none. Two chances to win keys; two 2-digit prizes with 3-digit
prices are shown; contestant picks either first two or last two
numbers as the price. Correct guess wins prize and choice of key.
Whatever prizes you "unlock", you win. The 3rd lock is
always a car, the 2nd is usually a trip. This wins my vote as 2nd
personal favorite.
Now or Then / Now and
Then
Prices are displayed for
products. The contestant must determine whether the prices
are today's, or from a time in the past. Three correct answers
"in a row" (there are six, as wedges on a wheel) to win.
Game used to be called Now and Then.
On The Nose (retired)
Player is shown four prices
for a car and selects one; the one price that is correct, if
chosen, is worth 4 tries at some athletic feat (one of the
following: baseball pitch, football throw, basketball lay-in,
dart throw), next closest is worth 3 and so on.
One Away
Numbers shown in price of
car are one away from actual digits; that is, if the last digit
is shown as 7, it could be 6 or 8. Player guesses digits and is
told how many are correct ("Ladies, do I have at least
one number right?"), if at least one digit is correct,
player can make changes once.
Pathfinder
Contestant stands on a 5 x 5
grid of 25 digits; starts on center square (first digit of 5-digit
car, '*' if 4-digit car) and must step to adjacent digits in
attempt to build car price; up to 3 mistakes can be recovered by
guessing which of two prices shown for one of 3 smaller prizes is
correct.
The Phone Home Game (retired)
Home audience sent in
postcards; home player and studio player "team up" for
a chance to share up to $15,000 in cash. Seven "dollars
and cents" items; home player names a price, studio player
must select the correct prize. This is done three times;
two of the prizes are $100, two $1000, one $2000, one $3000, and
one $10,000; players split money (ergo, max. prize was $7500
apiece).
Pick a Pair
Six products are shown.
Player gets two chances to pick two with same price to win. Three
such pairs are on the board. Originally set on a ferris wheel,
the game proved unnerving while contestants waited for a product
to reappear and was redone as a simple table game.
Plinko
Game starts with four small
prizes, each with a 2-digit price showing (e.g. $37). Contestant
guesses whether the 1st or last digit is correct, with a correct
guess winning the prize and a "Plinko Chip". (One chip
given free at start, therefore the max # of chips is 5).
Chips are used on a giant peg board; cash prizes of zero, $100, $500,
$1000, and $5000 await at the bottom. Player places chips flat
against the board and releases them one at a time, and the chips
bounce off various pegs until landing in a $ spot. Bob Barker
retrieves stuck Plinko chips with his trusty "Plinko Stick".
This is easily the most popular game in TPiR history, and my
personal favorite =). During the 1998-1999 season Plinko was modified to have a
$50,000 top prize. The $5000 space was replaced with a $10,000 space.
Super Ball (retired)
Skeeball game. Four
prizes, each with two prices; player guesses which price is right
to win it and a skeeball. Three of the balls are tied to specific
(big) prizes; the skeeball ramp has "$50", "$100",
and "WIN" circles. The fourth ball is the "$uperball";
dollar values are tripled, and "WIN" nets the player
all three prizes. (If the player has already won all three prizes,
the $uperball is worth $3000 in cash.)
Spelling Bee
30 numbered cards: 11 'C's,
11 'A's, 6 'R's, 2 'CAR's. Start with two free cards; win up to
three more (three prizes; guess price within $10 to win an extra
card; if any price is guessed exactly, player wins all 3 prizes
and cards automatically.) Spell "CAR" to win.
Player can stop at any time and keep $500 per unseen card.
Super Saver (retired)
Six products are shown,
along with incorrect prices: five are low, one is high. Player
selects four and must save $1.00 to win. NOTE: Player must pick
four, even if s/he has already saved $1 after two or three
products. It is still relatively easy to win even if the marked-up
product is
chosen. This game was retired after the 24th season because of
constant mechanical problems.
Trader Bob (retired)
Player begins with a 2-digit
prize and is shown 3 pairs of similar prizes, trading their
current prize for one of the two. Player wins if each of
the three trades was for a higher-value item. (In other
words, pick which of a pair of items is higher-priced three times.)
Walk Of Fame (retired)
Four prizes of increasing
value are shown; player must guess each price within a
predetermined amount to move to the next prize. The player is
allowed to recover one mistake by selecting the one of two
autograph books that reads "second chance" on the back
page. The contestant always got to keep one of the autograph
books, signed by the entire cast.
The 1990's
Barker's Markers
Three prizes and
four prices are shown; contestant is also given $500 cash to
start the game. The contestant picks three of the four prices,
after which two of the correct prices are shown (there will
always be at least two right). Player then has the option to
change his/her final price and give back the $500 or leave his/her
choice intact. If wrong, player forfeits $500. Known as "Make
Your Mark" in its one appearance on Doug's show.
Buy or Sell
Three prizes with incorrect
prices are shown. Player "buys" prizes s/he feels are
under priced and "sells" those that are overpriced and
wins all three if s/he ends up in the black. In 1998 the game was
modified so that the contestant gets to keep any money s/he earns.
Clearance Sale
3 prizes are
offered with prices on each. Contestant has 3 sale prices which s/he
must place on each item so that every item has a sale price.
This game seems like the replacement for the Poker Game because
of the prizes offered (when they say clearance, they aren't
kidding).
Cover Up
A price is given
for a car, but it's completely wrong. Player builds a new price w/2
choices for the first digit, 3 for the 2nd and so on to 6 for the
last digit. Every time a change results in one more correct digit,
another chance is given.
Credit Card
Player has a "credit limit" and must select
three out of five prizes whose total does not exceed that limit
to win. In effect, select the lowest three prices out of five, as
only one combination wins.
Easy As 1-2-3
Contestant places
three numbered blocks in front of three prizes, attempting to
correctly order them in value to win.
Fortune Hunter (retired)
Four prizes are
shown, each with a gift box - three are empty, one contains $5,000
cash. Host reads a series of three clues as to which prizes do not
have the cash (e.g. "Eliminate the prize whose price begins
with seven." "Eliminate the most expensive prize.")
If the remaining box has the cash, player also wins all four
prizes. This game was difficult
to win (it was not won at all in the 28th season) and was put to rest in
2000.
Freeze Frame
Eight sets of two-digit
numbers rotate clockwise on the game board. The contestant must
stop the numbers so the two sets that make up the correct price
appear at the top in the correct order to win.
Gallery Game (retired)
A painting of the
prize is shown with one of the digits only partially painted. The
player is given a paint brush and completes the number. If s/he
paints the right number, s/he wins the prize.
It's In the Bag
Five grocery items
are presented, as are five "shopping bags," each
displaying a price and concealing a duplicate of the appropriate
product. Player matches all items to the prices; getting the
first one correct is worth $1,000, with each successive reveal
double-or-nothing up to a grand prize of $16,000. Contestant has
option of stopping after each reveal and keeping the money won to
that point.
Joker
A row of five
playing cards is presented, face down. By guessing one of two
prices for each of four small prizes (a la $35 or $53; $45 or $54,
et al.), contestant removes one of the cards and wins the game if
the joker is removed. Therefore, contestant can win with only one
correct answer or lose with all four correct. This is one game
that SHOULD be retired.
Let 'em Roll
Player is given one roll of five dice to start the game
and can earn two more rolls by pricing three grocery items. The price of a first
grocery item is shown and the contestant must guess if the next grocery item is
higher or lower than the first. S/he subsequently guesses if the third grocery
item is higher or lower than the second. For each correct guess, s/he wins
another roll, for a maximum possibility of three rolls of the dice. The five
dice are exactly the same; each has a car picture on three sides of the dice,
$500 on the fourth side, $1000 on the fifth side, and $1500 on the sixth side.
If the contestant should roll cars on all five dice, s/he wins the car. Should
the roll have at least one die not showing a car, the contestant can take the
money shown on the cash die/dice and leave the game, or "freeze" the
car die/dice and roll the remaining dice (should s/he have one or two rolls
remaining). If the contestant obtains five dice with cars by the end of his
rolls, s/he wins the car; if not, s/he wins the dollar amount(s) shown on the
dice.
Line 'em Up
Player is offered the chance of winning a car if s/he
can "line up" the price of the car vertically by using
the numbers from three other prizes. The player is given the
first and last number in the price of the car, and the prices of
the 3 other prizes are displayed horizontally with sliders so the
contestant can choose a number in each of the 3 prizes that s/he
thinks is the second, third, and fourth number in the price of
the car respectively. One of the prizes has a 2 digit price, the
other two have 3 digits. If the player lines up all three prizes
correctly showing the ARP of the car, s/he wins all three prizes
and the car. If any number is incorrect, the player is shown how
many numbers they have right (1, 2 or 3) and is offered one more
chance to get it right. This game has 17-1 odds of winning, yet
it has been won most of the time it has been played.
Magic #
Two prizes are shown; the
player must select a price in between the values of the two
prizes by manipulating the leever on the geezmo.
Make Your Move
Nine digits appear in a
string; these are the prices of a 2-digit, a 3-digit, and a 4-digit
prize (none overlap). Player must determine which is which to win
all three.
One Wrong Price
One Wrong Price is played for 3 prizes, each with a
price displayed. Choose which price is wrong, and you win all 3
prizes.
Pick a Number
Price of prize is shown with
one number missing. Pick right number from choice of three and
win. This wins the vote for the most uninspired game ever, taking
the title from Double Prices. It needs to be retired.
Push Over
A series of blocks are displayed with the price of a 4
digit prize hidden in the series of blocks in the right order.
The contestant has to push the blocks so that the price appears
in a blue frame. The contestant can push some or all of the blocks off the
table & "into China" at which point they are out of play.
Shopping Spree
Player "buys"
three of four prizes, the total ARPs of which must be over a pre-set
amount to win all four. In effect, this game is the opposite of
Credit Card.
Side by Side
Two sets of two-digit
numbers are shown; player arranges them in the order of what they
believe is the price of a prize (e.g. '53' and '46'; is it $4653
or $5346?)
Split Decision (retired)
The contestant is shown a
series of eight numbers, which he/she slides up or down the
game board to form prices of two prizes (one 5-digit and one 3-digit;
the numbers are in order left to right). 20 seconds are on the
clock to make as many guesses as needed: right prices wins them
both. Later, the 20 second clock was removed, and the contestant
was simply given 3 chances to get the price right. This game was
miserably frustrating, and didn't last long.
Swap Meet
One prize is shown
in front of the big door, three more behind it. Without knowing
the price of the first prize, the contestant must pick the one
prize of the three with the same price in order to win.
Switch?
Two
prizes, two prices. Must decide whether prices are correct or
whether they should be switched. Most notable for the peppy music
played during a switch.
The 2000's
Bonkers
A price is displayed for a four digit prize and each digit is wrong. The
player is supplied with 4 paddles. The player places the paddles above or below
each digit to indicate which digits of the price they feel are higher or lower
than what is shown. The contestant has 30 seconds to place the paddles in the
right positions. The contestant can check to see if s/he is right as often as
they like by pressing a button located on a pedestal next to the main game
board. A buzzer indicates that s/he has one or more of the paddles in incorrect
positions and they must make changes. They continue making changes until time
runs out or they have all of the paddles in the correct positions. This game is
reminiscent of Split Decision, but is far more exciting and involving. Easily
one of the best new pricing games of the decade.
Coming or Going
Quickie game for one prize. If the
numbers given are 7-4-3-8, for example, the contestant decides whether the price
of the prize is $7438 or $8347.
Flip Flop
Four digits of the price
of the prize are shown in two groups of two. However, the initial setting of the
digits is incorrect. The contestant can [1], "Flip" the first two digits and
reverse their order (i.e., "58" would become "85"), [2], "Flop" the last two
digits and reverse their order, or, [3], "Flip Flop," and reverse the order of
both sets of digits. Should the contestant Flip/Flop/Flip Flop correctly, s/he
wins the prize. Confusing as all get out, but it still gets decent airtime.
1/2 (Half) Off
Created my my good friend,
Mandel Ilagan! This game is played with
sixteen boxes - one of which conceals $10,000 in cash. The contestant is shown 3
sets of two items. One item is priced exactly right, while the other is "1/2
off". Each time the contestant picks the item that is 1/2 off, s/he earns the
right to remove 1/2 of the boxes (From 16 to 8, 8 to 4 and 4 to 2 if the
contestant guesses correctly all 3 times). Once contestant completes the
pricing of the 3 sets of items, s/he picks one of the remaining boxes that s/he
believes has the $10,000. If the box contains the cash, s/he wins it.
On the Spot
The goal of this pricing game is to get off "the
spot" in the center of a circle by choosing one of 3 paths ("wedges") from the
center of the circle and matching the 3 prices on the wedge they've chosen with
3 out of 6 products available to choose from. The player attempts to get
off "the spot" picking one of three wedges to play with. A contestant wins the
car if they manage to match all three prices on the wedge with 3 of the 6 small
prizes available to choose from. A player who makes a mistake on one of the
wedges can choose a different wedge and try again until they have made mistakes
on all three of the wedges. Strategy comes in to play as some of the prices
appear on two wedges, meaning that if you guess one price correctly, you do not
have to match the prize with the price again on a different wedge. This game has
got to be one of the least attractive new pricing games of recent history. It's
also complex and difficult to follow. I don't think this one will be lasting
long without some type of retooling. It just isn't terribly exciting.
Pass the Buck
A somewhat complex game played for a car and/or cash. The game has 2 parts.
The first part is a grocery item pricing game where 2 products and the prices
for each product are shown. One price is $1 lower than the actual price. The
contestant must "Pass The Buck" to the item whose price is $1 less than the
actual price. If the contestant chooses correctly, they win one pick on the Pass
the Buck game board. The player is given one free pick. S/he can win up to 2
more chances.
The Pass the Buck board has six numbers. One
number contains the car, while three numbers contain different cash amounts
($1,000, $3,000, and $5,000). The remaining two numbers contain the words
"Lose Everything". Assuming the player has at least two picks, s/he chooses a
number. If it is the car or cash, they can choose to keep it and stop the game,
or they can risk it and pick another number. If they choose Lose Everything at
any point, they lose all they have earned. If they have picks left, they can
choose another number. Originally the game had 8 #'s and no free chances. The
contestant had to win all 3 chances, which proved to be too time consuming.
Pocket Change
The
contestant is given 25 cents at the beginning of the game, which happens to be
all that is needed to purchase the car. The contestant is then shown six
numbers, five of which are in the actual price of the car (no digits are
repeated). S/he must guess what each digit in the price of the car is, one at a
time, starting with the first digit. If s/he is right, he gets to pick one of
20 envelopes that contains additional "pocket change" (values range from 0 cents
up to $2.00). Each time s/he is wrong, the "cost" of the car increases by a
quarter, up to 50 cents, 75 cents and so on.
After the contestant has placed all the digits in the car, the amount of change earned from the envelopes, in addition to the quarter the contestant starts the game with, is added up. If this amount is equal to or exceeds the final "cost" of the car, the contestant wins.
Beginning with the second playing of the game, the first number of the car was given free, and the number of envelope grabs was therefore reduced to 4 from 5. Pocket Change was the first new game of the 33rd season.
Step Up
Step Up is a game played with four prizes. The contestant chooses one
prize as a base prize and then picks another prize s/he thinks is higher than
the base prize. If s/he is right, s/he wins the prize and $500 in cash.
S/he can then quit with the two prizes and the cash or risk them and "Step Up",
i.e., pick one of the two remaining prizes and hope that it is higher in price
than the first two prizes. If s/he is right, s/he wins all 3 prizes and an
additional $1000 in cash. S/he can then quit or risk the three prizes and
the $1500 in cash to Step Up one last time. If s/he risks it all, and the
last prize is the highest of all four, s/he wins all four prizes and an
additional $1500 in cash, for a total of $3000 in cash. If at any point
the contestant attempts to Step Up and picks a lower priced prize, all the
prizes and cash are lost.
That's Too Much!
Car game. A row of 10 concealed prices for the car is shown, each one higher
than the preceding. The object of the game is to find the first price which is
"Too Much!"; that is, higher than the ARP of the car. The prices are revealed by
Bob in order, one at a time. Each time a new price is revealed the
contestant must decide to go on and look at the next price or to say "That's Too
Much!", indicating that s/he believes it is the first price that is higher
than the ARP of the car. S/he must be exactly right to win. If the contestant
stops at a price that is lower than the price of the car or stops at a price
that is higher than the price of the car but not the first price higher than the
ARP of the car, s/he loses. It's basically a rehashed range game.
Time is Money
Six grocery items are shown. the
contestant has 20 seconds to place them on three shelves based on whether their
price is below $3, between $3 and $6, or over $6. After two such tries, if all
products are on the right shelf, the prize is won. (For the first two airings,
the contestant was given 30 seconds and $500 cash which they could keep or use
to buy the second chance - just like Barker's Markers. After this feature was
removed, the title of the game was rendered meaningless.) This game is currently
on "hiatus" = pending doom.
Triple Play
This is the first pricing game to be played for 3 cars. The pricing game is
actually 3 games in one. For the first car, the contestant is shown two prices.
The contestant must choose which of the prices is nearest the actual retail
price, without going over. Both prices may be under the ARP of the car, or one
may be over. If the contestant is correct, s/he moves on to the second car. A
similar game is played, but now there are three prices shown. If the contestant
is correct, s/he moves onto the last car, which has four prices shown. If the
contestant is correct, s/he wins all three cars. The game is all or nothing. Any
incorrect guess along the way ends the game. The odds of winning are 23:1 = pray
you get to play "Ten Chances".