Contestants Without Strategies

[Jimmy Owen]

One of the things I liked about Cullen TPIR is that you started the bidding at a certain amount and had to go higher incrementally.  None of this sniping and $1 bidding.

[clemon79]

Now, though, if the second bidder bids $1 over the first, the first player is unfairly punished for another's stupidity. The stupid person presumably gets his just desserts if the third or fourth bidder bids $1 over him.

Thinking about this for a second: there's an interesting opportunity to grief someone here, if you didn't care about winning and just wanted to be a right bastard: if you *always* +1 the player in the seat to your right, regardless of turn order, they're never getting on stage before you do unless they are exactly right.

I dunno. I'm sure this was covered several seasons ago on Masters of the Obvious, but it just came to me now.

[TLEberle]

At least for me, the fun of game shows partly lies in the unexpected happening. It would be far, far less interesting a genre if everything went according to Hoyle. Sometimes the champ does the math wrong and loses by a dollar even though he's right. Sometimes a person can solve the puzzle with a single letter. Twice this week in reruns contestants polled the audience on Q4 in the stack, and both of them on Movie Week. (this was when the game still had the standard difficulty stack) The Price is Right affords many more chances per time period of wacky stuff to happen, and I think the show is more interesting because of it. I certainly wouldn't deem it unwatchable because the contestants haven't formed their battle plan long before arrival and didn't stick to it once they got to play, even if it means they do something that hurts their chances of getting to further their interests.

[Kevin Prather]

Now, though, if the second bidder bids $1 over the first, the first player is unfairly punished for another's stupidity. The stupid person presumably gets his just desserts if the third or fourth bidder bids $1 over him.

Thinking about this for a second: there's an interesting opportunity to grief someone here, if you didn't care about winning and just wanted to be a right bastard: if you *always* +1 the player in the seat to your right, regardless of turn order, they're never getting on stage before you do unless they are exactly right.

Less bastardly, I could swear I once saw a lady in second position bid $421 just to bitchslap the bozo in first position.

[clemon79]

Less bastardly, I could swear I once saw a lady in second position bid $421 just to bitchslap the bozo in first position.

Following a disdainful look, if I remember correctly, absolutely.

[davidbod]

None of the above comes close to the amount of headdesking I do behind the curtain when a team are solving the wall on Only Connect, spot 5 items in a potential group, then give up after the fourth permutation.

[Unrealtor]

The Contestants' Row thing that cheeses me off is when somebody bids one dollar higher and he or she isn't even the last bidder. I'd love to see this rule: if you bid within, oh, $20 of someone else and don't win, you go home. They just call two (or three or four) new people next time. Then people won't just keep doing it over and over.

Which unfairly punishes those who are there to profit from another's stupidity.

Now, though, if the second bidder bids $1 over the first, the first player is unfairly punished for another's stupidity. The stupid person presumably gets his just desserts if the third or fourth bidder bids $1 over him.

I suppose a simpler rule would be you simply aren't allowed to bid within $20 over another player. And no, I don't see them doing it.

And here's why: suppose I happen to know that the exact price of the IUFB is $439, but I'm in the second position and the person in the first position bids $420. I'm now locked out of the IUFB and potentially a five-figure sum of prizes because the idiot to my right got lucky while making a drug reference on national TV.

It also feels a bit like you're punishing good strategy. If I think the ARP is between $1200 and $1500 but someone else has already bid $1200, why not bid $1201 and cover as much of that range as possible?

Semi-OT: On Cullen's TPIR, if the bid of the person ahead of you on his/her first crack at an item was more than you thought the prize was, could you bid less or were you just SOL? It seems like the first time through on most prizes had everyone going up by the minimum, but I don't suppose that was set in stone.

[Matt Ottinger]

Semi-OT: On Cullen's TPIR, if the bid of the person ahead of you on his/her first crack at an item was more than you thought the prize was, could you bid less or were you just SOL? It seems like the first time through on most prizes had everyone going up by the minimum, but I don't suppose that was set in stone.

One their occasional one-bid games, he made it clear that you didn't have to bid higher than your opponent.  On the others, I can't find anything specific about being able to underbid the first bidder, but they typically started the bidding so low that it was never a problem.  Keep in mind that the point of the original game was to resemble an auction (the original version was called The Auctioneer), not to nail the price on your first bid.

[Robert Carter]

Semi-OT: On Cullen's TPIR, if the bid of the person ahead of you on his/her first crack at an item was more than you thought the prize was, could you bid less or were you just SOL? It seems like the first time through on most prizes had everyone going up by the minimum, but I don't suppose that was set in stone.

One their occasional one-bid games, he made it clear that you didn't have to bid higher than your opponent.  On the others, I can't find anything specific about being able to underbid the first bidder, but they typically started the bidding so low that it was never a problem.  Keep in mind that the point of the original game was to resemble an auction (the original version was called The Auctioneer), not to nail the price on your first bid.

Matt, from what I've seen on YouTube videos of Cullen's TPIR, a contestant could underbid on their first bid only, and were automatically frozen at that bid.

[clemon79]

Matt, from what I've seen on YouTube videos of Cullen's TPIR, a contestant could underbid on their first bid only, and were automatically frozen at that bid.

ISTR this being the case as well.

[Matt Ottinger]

Matt, from what I've seen on YouTube videos of Cullen's TPIR, a contestant could underbid on their first bid only, and were automatically frozen at that bid.

ISTR this being the case as well.

Seems logical.  Stewart wasn't the sort to leave a gaping flaw in his games for very long.  I skimmed a couple of episodes before I posted just to see if I could find any reference and I didn't.

[Kevin Prather]

Stewart wasn't the sort to leave a gaping flaw in his games for very long.

Especially since if this wasn't the case,  the player in first position could just keep highballing to keep everyone out if he was in the lead.

[clemon79]

Especially since if this wasn't the case,  the player in first position could just keep highballing to keep everyone out if he was in the lead.

"Two million dollars, Bill!"

"Aw, f**k."

[Neumms]

And here's why: suppose I happen to know that the exact price of the IUFB is $439, but I'm in the second position and the person in the first position bids $420. I'm now locked out of the IUFB and potentially a five-figure sum of prizes because the idiot to my right got lucky while making a drug reference on national TV.

It also feels a bit like you're punishing good strategy. If I think the ARP is between $1200 and $1500 but someone else has already bid $1200, why not bid $1201 and cover as much of that range as possible?

In your example, the idiot to your right made a canny bid and should be rewarded. Better he than the idiots who go up by a dollar without thinking.

[PYLdude]

And here's why: suppose I happen to know that the exact price of the IUFB is $439, but I'm in the second position and the person in the first position bids $420. I'm now locked out of the IUFB and potentially a five-figure sum of prizes because the idiot to my right got lucky while making a drug reference on national TV.

It also feels a bit like you're punishing good strategy. If I think the ARP is between $1200 and $1500 but someone else has already bid $1200, why not bid $1201 and cover as much of that range as possible?

In your example, the idiot to your right made a canny bid and should be rewarded. Better he than the idiots who go up by a dollar without thinking.

In your example you're sending someone home for no legitimate reason. Tell me how making a change that could potentially cause damage to the long term future of the series is good.