Prizes that aren't necessarily as announced

[Kevin Prather]

I noticed when watching an old Wheel of Fortune today, a ring was offered as a wheel prize. However the prize was actually a Gucci gift certificate, and the ring was "something you might choose."

I imagine the reason for this is simple enough: a ring sounds more tantalizing than a gift certificate. What I'm wondering is was this at all common practice for game shows in the 70s and 80s? Did PiR ever do anything along these lines?

[Jeremy Nelson]

I noticed when watching an old Wheel of Fortune today, a ring was offered as a wheel prize. However the prize was actually a Gucci gift certificate, and the ring was "something you might choose."

I imagine the reason for this is simple enough: a ring sounds more tantalizing than a gift certificate. What I'm wondering is was this at all common practice for game shows in the 70s and 80s? Did PiR ever do anything along these lines?

I remember that being a fairly standard practice at Wheel through the 80s- you just received a gift certificate for the value of a featured prize. Same went for some prizes in the shopping gallery. However, I don't remember any other game shows that adopted this practice- you got the announced prize(s), and that's it. You only received a gift certificate if that was the actual announced prize.

[TLEberle]

The jewelry gift certificate was also standard on Sale of the Century: you'd be shown the lion's head pendant or blinged out watch, and that was the value of the gift card, but you could pick whatever you liked to that value.

[TimK2003]

I noticed when watching an old Wheel of Fortune today, a ring was offered as a wheel prize. However the prize was actually a Gucci gift certificate, and the ring was "something you might choose."

I want to say I remember hearing a few game shows in the 80's & 90's in which they highlighted a specific prize(s) with something similar to the "something you might choose" line for items found in the Service Merchandise catalogs as well.

As far as the other famous game show catalog (Spiegel, Chicago 6-0-6-0-9), it seemed to be either a gift certificate for the catalog, or a specific item  "...from the Spiegel catalog".

[knagl]

I recall the Service Merchandise gift certificate thing as well. Not sure if that was from Wheel or other shows as well.

[DJDustman]

I recall the Service Merchandise gift certificate thing as well. Not sure if that was from Wheel or other shows as well.

A lot of the prizes from Classic Concentration came from the Service Merchandise catalog in which the players received a gift certificate for.

[JepMasta]

Then, of course, you get the other end of the spectrum, and players receiving the wrong prizes.  I have heard stories of players winning vacations on game shows and getting a fleabag room or having lots of bad incidents befall them, or receiving broken and/or damaged prizes in the mail.  But the strangest was in a story about game show winners in the Inquirer (so take it with several salt mines) that said that a contestant was once paid out his winnings in cold cuts because the production company ran out of money.

Brian~

[PYLdude]

But the strangest was in a story about game show winners in the Inquirer (so take it with several salt mines) that said that a contestant was once paid out his winnings in cold cuts because the production company ran out of money.

Went on Pitfall, I guess?

/true or not, that's gotta be one of the weirdest things I've ever heard
//imagine winning the top prize on Pyramid and getting paid in pickle loaf

[TLEberle]

Then, of course, you get the other end of the spectrum, and players receiving the wrong prizes.  I have heard stories of players winning vacations on game shows and getting a fleabag room or having lots of bad incidents befall them, or receiving broken and/or damaged prizes in the mail.  But the strangest was in a story about game show winners in the Inquirer (so take it with several salt mines) that said that a contestant was once paid out his winnings in cold cuts because the production company ran out of money.

Given the Enquirer's track record on some other things, I'd give them a chance, but I've never heard of this. Proof or Possibly Real?

[JakeT]

//imagine winning the top prize on Pyramid and getting paid in pickle loaf

Oh, man...that would SUCK!  However, if it were olive loaf, hmmmmmmm...

JakeT

[TimK2003]

But the strangest was in a story about game show winners in the Inquirer (so take it with several salt mines) that said that a contestant was once paid out his winnings in cold cuts because the production company ran out of money.

That wasn't the guy who won big on Tom Kennedy's show "50 Grand Salami", was it?  
<ducking>

[PYLdude]

That wasn't the guy who won big on Tom Kennedy's show "50 Grand Salami", was it?  
<ducking>

I thought that was the name of the latest EpicMealTime video...

*ducks also*

[JepMasta]

No, you're thinking of Let's Make a Deli...honest mistake though.

back the matters at hand, the same story (again, remember "Inquirer"), said that a player won a swimming pool and recieved the parts to it in several crates, when he broke them open, he found that once of them contained a tombstone (and I ain;t talking about a frozen pizza)

Brian~

[Kevin Prather]

That wasn't the guy who won big on Tom Kennedy's show "50 Grand Salami", was it?  

I thought that was the name of the latest EpicMealTime video...

No, you're thinking of Let's Make a Deli...honest mistake though.

You know, these punny wordplay threads really pastrami.

[chrisholland03]

I'm going to kill the thread by not attempting a joke